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Boost social media success with these 3 image types

Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on them and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission (at no extra charge to you).

Research shows that images improve your social media success and engagement.

More specifically:

  • Quick Sprout reveals that tweets with images receive 200 percent more engagement.
  • BuzzSumo reports that Facebook posts with images generate 2.3 times more engagement than posts without images.
  • Research published in the Journal of Marketing Research shows that including an image in tweets about air travel increases the number of retweets by 119%.

Here are three types of custom images you can create that support your book marketing messages while they increase social media engagement.

1. Image quotes/picture quotes/quote cards

No matter what you call them, these social media graphics that place words on images are versatile and powerful.

For the text, use inspirational quotes, a pithy message from your book with attribution to your book (not yourself), or a snippet of text from your blog post (that’s what I’ve done with the example below). There are so many ways to approach this — my suggestions are just a start.

social media success image type

Please don’t quote yourself saying something you feel is wise or profound, though. I know that so-called gurus do this, but it isn’t going to position you as a thought leader. You earn that title when others  believe that what you say is so worthwhile that they have to share it.

Rather than quoting yourself on your road to social media success, quote others you admire — and tag them when you post the image online.

social media success 3

Create these types of images with any of the many web-based and/or smartphone tools available for this. I used Canva to create the three images above. The kitten photo came from  Depositphotos; I’ve got links to free photo sites here.

Rather than quoting yourself on your road to social media success, quote others you admire -- and tag them when you post the image online.Click to tweet

2. Tipographics

Tipographics — also known as tip-o-graphics — are tip lists. I’ve got a collection of them I created from blog post content on a Pinterest board. Each Pinterest image links back to my original blog post on the topic. While I share them on Pinterest, they can be shared on any social media platform you use.

Here’s one example:

book marketing image

During the first two months I started sharing these on Pinterest, traffic to my site from that social network increased more than 300 percent. I’ve recently added a few more and will watch the numbers to see if traffic jumps again.

When I first started creating these, I used a PowerPoint template (download a PDF version of it here). Now that Canva is an option, I’ll test that tool to see which approach is easiest.

If you’ve got design skills, you can make yours look a whole lot nicer than mine. I opted for simplicity, as you can see.

3. Infographics

Infographics incorporate images and text to walk you through a process or simplify complicated data. 

Of the three image types we’re discussing, infographics are the hardest to create. First, they need to tell a story. Second, they’re graphics-intense — they’re the opposite of my tipographics above.

And yet, I love them. They get my attention — and when they do, they nearly always have information I can use. They give me an opportunity to share helpful information with others, as I did in my recent blog post about world reading habits in 2021. I was happy to build an article around that infographic when the creator offered it to me.

Here’s an example of an infographic that’s designed to inform and influence authors.

book marketing image

To create your own, look for templates online.

HubSpot offers 15 free PowerPoint infographic templates that can simplify the design process. Canva has infographic templates, too. Australian designer Donna Moritz also offers links to infographic templates in her article, “4 Easy Infographic Template Tools for Stunning Infographics” on her Socially Sorted site.

If you don’t have design skills or don’t have the time for this, it might be easier to search Fiverr for a designer who can do it.

Increase social media success

Increase engagement and improve reader connections by creating and sharing social media images, whether it’s any of these three or other types. You’ll indulge your creative side while making your time on social networks more productive and meaningful.

Increase engagement and improve reader connections by creating and sharing social media images.Click to tweet

Have you incorporated images in your social media plan? Are you seeing more, less, or the same engagement among your followers and connections? Please tell us in a comment. 


(Editor’s note: This article was first published in August 2015. It has been updated and expanded.)

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19 Comments

    1. Lidia, I’m not sure I understand. Are you referring to FB limits on text in promoted posts? Or something else?

      Sandy

  1. Thanks for another timely and value-rich post. Even though I know that images make a big difference, other than on my blog I haven’t taken full advantage of the benefits of posting regularly using these three ways you’ve listed.

    Now that my book is with the layout designer, I can turn my attention to these great ideas, especially following the templates you’ve shared.

    1. I think it’s fun, Flora. It’s a way to introduce a little creativity to the book marketing process, and there are so many tools that let us create something attractive, etc., w/out having too many skills.

      I hope you enjoy it when you find the time for it!

      Sandy

  2. Your tips will I’m sure be helpful in the ongoing pursuit of getting visitors to our site and eBook on Amazon.
    I wonder – how do you recommend using twitter as an outlet when trying to get visitors to our blog site and eBook on Amazon?
    Caitlin

    1. Hi Caitlin,

      You might find the information you need in these blog posts: http://buildbookbuzz.com/?s=twitter

      In general, think of Twitter not as a resource for generating book sales, but as a way of connecting with potential readers in a way that helps you learn more about them, and as a way of building relationships with key people who influence your target readers.

      Sandy

  3. Thanks, Sandra! Helpful as always.I’m a big Canva fan, using it and Typorama to generate quotes over images. As a rom com writer whose audience is readers, my brain hasn’t been wrapped around tips or infographics.Any suggestions how that might look?

  4. Cat,

    Wait — what? Rom-com? I only know you as a children’s book author. I’m intrigued!

    How about a tipographic on how to decide if you’ll like a rom-com book? On Pinterest, you can link that image to your book on a retail site.
    https://buildbookbuzz.com/selling-more-books-on-pinterest/

    Or tips for writing a reader review.

    Or how to dress like the character in your latest book.

    You could create an infographic on rom-com trends — statistics on reader demographics, etc. — so that your fans see where they fit in.

    There’s a lot of potential for all of this!

    Sandy

  5. As always, your timing is exquisite. I enjoy doing graphics and I’m in desperate need to do something that is fun and productive, to boot! Excellent resources to get back in the saddle. Thank you!

  6. Hi Sandy,

    I see that in 2015 I commented that I didn’t use images much. Since then, many things have changed for me and social media.

    Now I use still images, animated ones, videos and more, but most of all I study the analytics to see which ones get the most attention and engagement. I have a VA helping me now, or else it would be tough to strategize. We recently discovered that my followers love when I post an animated feature I call ShoutoutSundays where I spotlight someone re: writing/publishing and #SundayShelfies where I spotlight unique bookstores from around the world.

    I get the most views on TikTok and Instagram Reels/Stories.

    In spite of all I’ve discovered, I still learn a lot from your posts.

    Thanks for keeping us in the loop.

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