I have become a habitual Instagrammer.

If I am out cycling, walking or just sitting admiring the view or the passing parade, I am looking for photos that I can snap that I can share on my Instagram “app”.

All I need to be carrying is my iPhone or iPad and with my Instagram app waiting patiently for me, I can snap a photo, apply a snazzy filter and click the Facebook and the Twitter share buttons and it flies around the world.

It turns up in my follower’s streams and updates and invites them to engage with me by commenting, liking or sharing.

Jamie Oliver a “celebrity chef” understands this and with over 412,000 followers on Instagram understands the power of photos to market the Jamie Oliver brand.

Not surprisingly, the better the photo the more it drives engagement and Instagram takes my ordinary and average photos and gives them that “zing” factor (a good example is my Instagram photo from Istanbul, Turkey in the top right corner of this post) .

The Age of Visual Culture

We live in the age of the “camera in everyone’s pocket” and with more than 2.5 billion camera phones in use we are entering a new dynamic era around image creation and content according to Bob Lisbon from Luminate.

This can be broken into three phases as we enter the age of visual culture and language.

Phase One: Massive increase in photo creation

Ten percent of photos taken by humankind took place in the last 12 months

Phase Two: The Rise of Image Centric Social Networks

Photos are becoming the “Universal language” and the fastest growing social media networks are not surprisingly Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram are the names on everyone’s lips.

Phase Three: Images become Interactive

Pinterest is one of the first platforms that allows you to interact with static images and Luminate’s image apps (which are used by more than 100 million consumers) is also an example.

So how and why should you use images in your business communications, marketing and social networks?

6 Reasons Why Images are Important

If you have an online store, issue press relaeses or even just have a Facebook business “page”, here are 6 reasons to publish images and photos as part of your business marketing tactics.

1. Articles with images get 94% more total views
2. Including a Photo and a video in a press release increases views by over 45%
3. 60% of consumers are more likely to consider or contact a business when an image shows up in local search results
4. In an ecommerce site, 67% of consumers say the quality of a product image is “very important” in selecting and purchasing a product
5. In an online store, customers think that the quality of a a products image is more important than product-specific information (63%), a long description (54%) and ratings and reviews (53%)
6. Engagement rate on Facebook for photos averages 0.37% where text only is 0.27% (this translates to a 37& higher level of engagement)

Infographic by MDG Advertising

Takeaways:

So how can you adapt to the age of “Visual Culture” as a business?

1. If you have an online store you need to include high definition images to drive higher engagement and sales

2. If your business issues press releases then include images with your article

3. If you use Facebook as an important part of your social media marketing strategy then you need to include photos in your updates and not just text and links

What About You

How are you using images and photos with your business? Has it worked for you.

What could you do better?

I look forward to hearing your stories.

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• What is Pinterest and How Can You Use it for Marketing your Business?
• 6 Social Media Networks to Watch in 2012 – Plus Infographics
• Social Media Sharing Trends in 2011- Infographic
• 7 Top Trends in Social Media

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Benefits that Wizzley offers to their writers

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Guidelines in writing effective articles

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Get free blogging tips by email

One of the challenges bloggers face and a question I see popping up on the internet a lot is – how often should I publish a new blog post? The basic problem is that we all want to maintain a steady flow of traffic yet at the same time, we try not bombard our readers with more content then they can possibly consume. It’s a delicate balance to achieve; especially when we add SEO considerations  to the mix of our often futile attempts to rank well in the SERPs.

In search of answers to this question about blog post frequency, many of us turn to veteran bloggers who provide guidelines based on their own experience that end up being accepted as the rule of thumb, or mantra that tons of bloggers adhere to. However, I prefer a  different approach that I’d like to share with you and I’d love to get your feedback as well as any advice you have on the subject.

How to determine blog post frequency

I looked back through some of the responses I gave to this question about posting frequency and as it turns out, my answers have varied a great deal. It’s not that I’m wishy-washy on the topic, it’s just that in each circumstance the person asking the question was at a different point in their blogging journey. For example, here is a response I gave in the Website Babble Forum to a user who was starting a brand new blog:

“I would be more focused on publishing a new post every day or two until you build up a fairly decent amount of content – like 15 to 20 posts. This should give your readers as well as the search engines a good idea of what your blog is about. After that you can decide if your going to post more often or less often. I would do a minimum of once a week but if you want to do more that will work too.” 

Other factors to consider include the size of your audience and of course your blogging niche. Take a look at my friend Justin’s blog. DragonBlogger is an extremely popular blog focused on technology and entertainment and he often publishes blog posts multiple times in one day.

Take charge! Here’s how I determine when to publish a blog post

Most recently the question about blog post frequency came from Rahul of Learn Blog Tips. Rahul is a hard working blogger who started his blogging journey a short while ago and quickly established himself by posting quality content on a regular basis. I responded to Rahul in this video, and I’m sure you’ll find it helpful if you’re struggling with the same issue – take a look:

How To Determine Blog Posting Frequency

In the video, you’ll see that I use a blend of overall traffic patterns combined with the popularity of specific blog posts based on the WordPress stats from my dashboard. I demonstrate how I use stats from the JetPack lite WordPress plugin. You can get the JetPack lite plugin from the developer here. And you can keep up to date with the videos that I post on YouTube by subscribing to my channel by email.

What’s your take on this? I’d love to know what tools your using to determine how often to publish a blog post.

Get free blogging tips by email

The game has changed!

The power of the internet means it’s now possible to build a broader and more profitable online audience by carefully applying some specific approaches and techniques.

All it takes is confidence and an internet connection.

According to new research, 78% of internet users conduct product research online (Source: Hubspot). This has changed the game for the marketing companies relying on outbound marketing approaches, such as email newsletter campaigns, TV advertising and telemarketing. But these (often costly) approaches are becoming less effective day by day. This is because:

More people are online than ever before.

More people regularly use the internet to shop and investigate products and services before they decide to buy.

Most of us have adapted quickly to being online so that internet use has become more sophisticated.

People are more likely to avoid unwanted online ads by using techniques and technology such as popup blockers, email spam filters, and call rejection.

How to get discovered # 1: Make the Link

Better links equal better business

Links play a big part in achieving a great search engine ranking. You need to use two types of links:

• On page: content on your site that links to other ‘relevant’ areas of the site.
• Off page: content on other sites that links to your website.

Both type of links are useful in enhancing your online presence. Ideally you should use as many as possible. While it is relatively easy to place links, you need to avoid over-using links that aren’t working very effectively. Use services like Link Diagnosis to monitor your ‘off page’ links and SEO Rank Checker to check your website rankings to see how well each link is working for you and adapt your link strategy accordingly.

Think of each link as a reference for your website

Each link is like a reference for your website because people relate to a link according to whether it leads to a site they know and trust. This means that the links you use show how valid your site is – so the better the reference, the more trusted it will be.

The key is to make sure that your links are from relevant websites. One very useful thing to keep in mind is Wikipedia and the way it allows you to begin on one topic and click through to move from one related topic to the next, taking you somewhere very different. Keep this approach in mind and apply it to as many relevant websites as possible.

How to get discovered # 2: Spread the Word

Getting your website set up is just the start

Your website is now set up to showcase your business and sell the value of your service or product. You have high quality, relevant links. Your site shows up high in the search engine rankings. The next step is to spread the word.

Blog your way to more business

The best place to start is with your blog.

What is a blog?

• You could define a blog as an online diary which allows you to reach many people.
• Your blog enables you to share any message or information you want – from thoughts and ideas, to lists of other useful sites and everything in between.
• Blogs provide a very fast and very convenient way to diversify your site and enhance search engine optimisation. Each post, with individual tags, links, and URL, will actively boost your online presence, with the added advantage of giving new web visitors exactly what they want when they arrive on your site.
• Most blog services also have their own ‘hub’, i.e all their blogs are catalogued under one site, with links to and from thousands of blogs on a similar subject. Being linked to the other blogs builds the presence of your own blog and its potential audience.

Before you start blogging there are some key points to keep in mind:

Four things every new blogger should know

1. The decision you make about what to put in your blog is fundamental to the success of your digital marketing strategy. Focus on the particular area you want to get known for – then blog anything and everything you can on it. As long as it’s relevant to you and your business, every post is a brand new advert and your readership will grow with everyone.
2. Don’t approach your blog like an advert, but as a way to showcase yourself as a helpful source of useful, relevant information.
3. Add a list of useful links occasionally to build good mutual links with those people you list.
4. Post a set of ‘top tips’ once in a while – very useful and very easy to spread via word of mouth. On average, companies that blog enjoy 55% more web traffic than those that don’t!

How to get discovered # 3: Be Sociable

Don’t just inform – interact

Getting discovered on the internet is all about information and interaction. You’ve created a source of useful, relevant, well indexed information on your blog.

But how do you get people responding to it?

By being sociable – using the different forms of social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Useful content on the web is very easy to find – and once found, it will get traced back to you.

Conversation, conversation, conversation

Social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter combine content and conversation. They bring your post together with a potential audience of thousands of people – if not more!

This interaction starts with you. Respond to comments. Answer questions. Offer ideas and tips. This shows you as a friendly business, rather than one simply trying to sell. Once someone does need your service, they’ll already be aware of you as a business they can trust. This is how being sociable can help create an audience which then creates leads and customers.

How to get discovered # 4: Keep Tracking and Adapting

See what’s working – and what’s not

Getting recognised online involves many potential different resources and platforms. So how do you see where new leads are actually coming from and which areas need improving?

Here are a few helpful ways to track and adapt your digital marketing strategy:

• Most services offer their own tracking software for monitoring and managing leads while most blog hosts will have figures for visits, clicks, and popular landing pages.
• Google Analytics provides a valuable breakdown of web visitors and on site behaviour.

Whichever approach you use, use it consistently and be open to changing your approach according to what you find out along the way.

It’s always a never-ending list, here’s an additional list of your top ten tips for getting discovered. Click here to get it.

Guest Author: Sookie Shuen is the community manager at Tomorrow People, a leading UK inbound marketing consultancy. You can read more of Sookie’s content on inbound marketing by subscribing to the Zoober Inbound Marketing blog here. You can also find her on Google+ and Twitter.

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Image by Steve A Johnson