Cliché Update: A Picture Is Now Worth 1,000 Clicks

In the old days, marketers could create presentations of smoke and mirrors to make their sales. A la, “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.” But you sure can’t do that now. Because customers know how to get a 3D image of that curtain on Google maps.

That’s right. There’s no hiding anything. “Hiders” are totally out of luck in this research-savvy marketplace. Everybody has access to almost anything about companies, equipment, services… And if there’s nothing to be found? That’s even worse.

Imagine someone saying: “I searched. I couldn’t find anything.” If you don’t exist in cyberspace and social media, you’re not real. Or you’re regarded with suspicion.

So here we are: transparency is no longer just a term for self-help groups. It’s a critical need for businesses in the marketplace today. Fortunately, transparency – once you admit you need it – is not too hard to achieve. And one great way to do so is through images that help tell the story of your company and your people.

Not smoke and mirrors, but real pictures – because for starters:

• 70% of social media conversations involve a picture, marketing researchers say.
• One in five women in America uses the image-friendly Pinterest, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project, last Sept.
• 56% of Internet users have either uploaded photos they have taken themselves or shared photos found online through social media, the same Pew research says.

Visuals tell your story faster and with greater impact. And they’re a plus for both the customer and the content creator. For instance, they take less time to create (or consume). Their meaning is clear right away, and customers can make a decision in a snap about whether to proceed with a click. (Hear REAL contractor success stories in this month's OPEN coaching call.)

Further, visuals tend to be more transparent about what’s on the other side of a click rather than, say, a teasing tweet that links to an article that may or may not be what the customer was expecting.

Pictures can also create more of an emotional reaction prompting a desire to learn more (and click).

One thing to note: the use of pictures is different, depending on platform. For example, Facebook and Twitter are chronological in their feeds. So your picture needs to tell the whole story (or contain in itself a compelling reason to click). Because by the time you post again, your picture will be pushed down in the feed. Pinterest, on the other hand, can tell a story with multiple images through boards.

So how can contractors use pictures to tell stories about their company, their people and their services? Smiling customers who’ve just been rescued from the heat, flood or electrical outage are a possibility. Or the smiling techs who’ve just done the rescuing. Or, if possible, take a (non-customer-identifying) photo of a dire discovery within a piece of equipment – something you could use to warn others. Brainstorm with your team for other ways to create compelling visuals.

You surely know the cliché from those old days – a picture is worth a thousand words. While words are fine in their place, in this new online world, we’d trade that any day for a thousand clicks.

Want to learn more about Social Media and Web Marketing? Join us for a ONE-TIME Only, no-cost training call, “8 Common Web Marketing Failures Contractors Make Everyday Day” that KILLS results with ACCA’s very one marketing duo Melissa Broadus and Christine Cunnick. Go ahead and SAVE YOUR SEAT for the call here. There are only 110 lines left, so don’t miss out.