Social media is an excellent way to drive traffic, gain attention and interact with users. In fact, visual content is more than 40 times more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content. You can make an immediate and lasting impression on users by following these four simple tips.

 1. Be brand consistent.

Always make sure that your social media graphics use the same font family, colors and overall style as your brand. This will help keep your messaging to users consistent and create a recognizable look for your brand.

2. Use custom, shareable graphics.

Studies show that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text, according to kissmetrics.com. Images are the new call to action; they motivate users to share your content. LifeLearn.com released stats showing that if a relevant image is paired with text, people retain 65% of the information three days later, and that content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without relevant images.

3. Be creative with your content.

There are numerous creative ways to share content in a visual way. Some of these include: lists, quotes, infographics, charts, screenshots and photos. Infographics are a great way to show a lot of information in an easily digestible way, and according to massplanner.com, infographics are liked and shared three times more than other content.

4. Choose the right size for each social media platform.

Using the correctly sized graphic will ensure that users see the content you post properly. If you post a graphic at the incorrect size, it could appear pixilated or cropped. Always make sure you check online to ensure that you have the most up-to-date sizes, as the social media platforms make frequent changes to acceptable sizes. Download JJPR’s social media graphic sizing cheat sheet for easy reference (and yes, we will follow our own rules and update it, if and when any sizes change).

For more ways to perfect your social media strategy, check out our downloadable Social Media Prospecting and Lead Generation E-book.