One of our lessons in Better Pics for Business was Social Media and the use of photography within it. I asked Tania from bizeez communications for her advice. I think her top five 'Do's and Don'ts are worth sharing with you. 

Tania has 30 year’s operational and consultancy experience in Australia and the UK ranging in hotel management, employment, and wine. Through her Barossa based creative agency, bizeez communications, Tania can assist tourism, hospitality and wine business’ grow by way of powerful PR, marketing, web and social media solutions. 
 
Tania is a respected blogger and commentator on modern marketing trends for the wine and tourism sectors and has gained a reputation as an entertaining and knowledgeable digital marketing specialist and trainer. She provides current information, evokes discussion, makes technical terms easy to understand and delivers practical actionable outcomes.
 
Tania launched bizeez communications in 2010 and has since worked with numerous business owners and marketers needing assistance with modern marketing and communications strategies including wineries, food brands, chefs, restaurants, accommodation providers as well as industry specific organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Top 5 Do’s (or Don’ts) for using pics on social media.

1. Number one rule is Use them! If you’re posting across any of the major social media networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn and yes even Twitter – use great photos to promote your brand. Visual assets are an essential tool for communicating your brand’s story, and it’s reported that you have a 4 x greater chance of interaction with imagery than a text only post. So imagery in your marketing strategy is extremely important. 

 
2. Don’t steal others’ photos. User Generated Content is fabulous and really should be part of your content marketing strategy, but there are some important rules to remember and one is, don’t steal! Ask if you can use imagery on your social networks. Never think that because a photo is on the internet, that it can be used for your own purposes even if it’s your business. 

Also, according to a study comScore undertook in 2015, brand engagement rises by 28% when consumers are exposed to both user-generated imagery and brand created imagery. So definitely do consider UGC in your content marketing strategy -  just do it ethically and legally.

3. Mix it up – you don’t have to use just a photo. Use a photo with text overlayed for inspirational quotes, blogs, etc. 

4. If you’ve gone to all this trouble and taken fabulous photos, then created great visual assets, feel free to brand them.  If they go viral (i.e. get shared across the internet), then people will be able to seek out your business because they know where the original imagery was created.    

5. Avoid cheesy stock photos in your marketing. People want to see your business – not some notion of what it could be. There is a place for generic stock photos for sure, but if you’re promoting your own business, don’t use stock photos of another establishment. 

 To see more of what Tania does head over to www.bizeez.com