Krista Neher

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Images with quotes and text are popular visual social marketing tools. The reason is that the text in the image can clearly communicate the message, though the visual design makes the content stand out. The term presentation software refers to software, such as PowerPoint and Keynote, that is typically used to create presentations. Presentation software was built to make text content more visually appealing and engaging during a presentation, which makes it ideal for creating visual assets. Creating visual assets in presentation software is a good idea because most computers already have this software. Also, it's quick and easy to use, and you can incorporate your branding. Using presentation software for visual assets is appropriate when the image you're trying to create includes text such as a few key points, a tip, or a quote. To create an image from presentation software, follow these steps: Open your presentation software and select a theme. If you have for your business a customized theme that is visually appealing and represents your brand well, you may choose to start with that theme. Otherwise, browse the theme options in the software until you find a theme that can bring your idea to life in an interesting way. Create a presentation. After you create a presentation, you see a square slide with the theme you selected applied to it. Drag, drop, and edit text on the screen. After your canvas (the slide) is created, add a text box to the slide. Experiment with fonts, font sizes, and color schemes until the slide looks “just right.” You can also add images to the slide to make it more interesting. The slide appears much smaller when you share it on social media, so create one that can be viewed in a smaller size with legible text. Export the slide as a JPG file. Depending on the presentation software you're using, you may be able to export the slide as a JPG file by selecting Export from the File menu. After choosing Export, you see the Export As a JPG option. If you don't see it, follow Step 5. Take a screen capture of the image. If your presentation software doesn't allow you to export to a JPG file, you can take a screen shot of the slide instead to be saved as an image. Depending on the type of computer you use, different steps lead to taking a screen shot. Look in the manual for your computer to see how to take a screen shot. Upload to your favorite social network. You're now ready to share your image on social media! This simple strategy makes it easy to create custom images for your visual social marketing strategy. The person who runs the site Girlfriendology uses this approach to make quote images, which are images with quotes overlaid. She has a custom presentation theme showing her branding, and then she creates her quote images in presentation software. Boot Camp Digital also uses this strategy to create quote images. They’ve customized their standard Boot Camp Digital branded template, which they use in presentations, to create visual assets for their social media quotes. This approach to creating visual assets can extend beyond simply text images. You can import a picture into a presentation software slide (by either choosing Insert→Photo from the main menu or dragging the photo to the slide from your file viewer) and adding text to the image. After the image covers the entire slide, add a text box on top of the image to add text to any photo. Adding text can make any image pinnable, because the text can describe what the image is about. You can do this with images that you take yourself and with photos that you purchase from stock photography sites. After you place the text box on top of the image, experiment with its size, font, color, and placement until the image looks interesting and relevant.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

In addition to a profile photo, LinkedIn allows users to enhance the visual social marketing elements of their profiles by adding images to the body of their profiles. You can add images to any section in your LinkedIn profile. Adding pictures to the body of your profile can help to tell your story visually and to make your profile stand out. For example, if you were an author, you could write about the books you’ve authored, or you could add images of the books to draw more attention to them. In addition to adding images to your LinkedIn profile, you can include videos, presentations, and documents. It's a powerful way to showcase your skills and expertise beyond just text. You can add YouTube videos and SlideShare presentations to truly highlight your skills and experiences. To add visual content to your profile, start by hovering the cursor over the Profile in the main navigation on LinkedIn, and then click on Edit Profile. After you're in the Edit Profile section, follow these steps: At the top of the LinkedIn profile section to which you want to add visual content, click the blue, square box button with a plus sign on it. At the top of each section of your LinkedIn profile is a square button with a plus sign (+) on it. You can click this button to add a video, photo, document, or slide show to your profile. Choose a method to add the image: Link to URL: Links only to content that's on the list of approved content providers. LinkedIn specifies the sites you can link to for photos, videos, audio files, presentations, and other types of supported media. If you choose this option, your content must already be uploaded to one of the approved partner sites. To include content from an approved partner site on your LinkedIn profile, find the URL for the content you want to display and paste it into the URL box. After inserting the link and pressing Enter, a box appears in which you can customize the title and description of the content you post. Upload an image: Uploads the photo or presentation from your computer directly to LinkedIn. LinkedIn supports presentations, documents, and images. Images must be formatted as GIF, JPG, JPEG, or PNG files with a maximum file size of 100 megabytes. After you select an image or presentation to upload, you can customize the title and description of the content. When uploading an image, be sure to examine how the image is displayed on your profile to be sure that it matches the way you intended it to appear. After a piece of content is uploaded to LinkedIn, it's displayed in the profile in a square box. Even if the entire image can't be displayed in the profile (an image gets cropped if it's too large), users can click on the image to view it in its entirety in the full-screen view.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

When it comes to crafting your visual social marketing strategy video, think through the purpose and execution of your video. Having an idea for your video is only a small part of the process. To build a video plan, follow these steps: Determine the purpose of your video. The first step is to clearly define why you're creating the video. The purpose of your video dictates every aspect of how you approach creating the video. Many businesses start with the statement, “I think we need a video,” though they aren't sure why. Start with defining why, and clearly define what you want your video to do for you. Craft the concept of the video. The concept is the “big idea” on which your video is based. The concept is a description, a few paragraphs long, of what the video is generally about. The concept should also include the general look and feel that the video should portray. As you build the concept, be sure to ask, “Why would someone want to watch this video?” If your video is an advertisement for your business, whom do you think would want to watch it? Evaluate the audience, and ask yourself, “What's in it for them?” Script the video. After you have the concept, the next step is to script the video. The script consists of the words that will be used in the video. Depending on the type of video you're creating, you may not write a specific script — for example if you're generating testimonials or interviewing employees. Regardless, you should still have an idea of what you want them to talk about. Determine the format of the video. Videos can be live action (shot with a camera, for example) or animated. Choose the video format that best brings your video concept to life. More and more home page videos are animated videos that explain the concept of the business. Develop a storyboard for the video. The storyboard portion of the video brings the script to life by adding visual cues. A typical storyboard has the words matched up to the images or visual elements that will be used to describe them. You can complete this step in a Microsoft Word document, with presentation software, by using a storyboarding software program or even with pen and paper. Storyboard software can help you draft a script and match it up with visual elements to plan your video. Check out Atomic Learning StoryBoard Pro, Storyboard That, or PowerProduction Software. Shoot the video. In this step, the footage is shot or the animations are created. You should have a clear idea, based on your storyboard, of the shots that are needed to execute your video strategy. Shoot the footage needed for your final video, and then shoot some extra footage (in case the video script is modified in the editing stage). Edit the video. Cut the videos you recorded to the sections that you want to include in the final video, and combine them. In the editing stage, you use the video elements you recorded in addition to elements from video editing software to create the video. Finalize the video. Make sure that the video matches your marketing objectives and represents your business well. When you're satisfied with the result, export the video so that it can be uploaded to a video sharing site or to your website. Depending on how you plan to use your video, different video export formats may be needed. Check the video site that you want to use for accepted formats, and be sure to export your video into a format that's compatible with your video sharing site. The export options depend on the video editing software you use. Post and promote the video. Post the video on your website or a video sharing site, and promote it. Many businesses post their videos on YouTube and simply hope that it generates views. Attracting viewers to your videos takes effort, and a promotion strategy is vital.