Social media has become a very visual place.
Not all social media.
There will likely always be a mix of text, visual and audio.
But when it comes to visuals, people really love looking through photos. Instagram has been booming in recent years. That doesn’t seem to be a trend that will change.
The app makes it incredibly easy to both share and consume photos.
And it’s similar on other sites. Facebook remains one of the biggest photo sharing sites on the Internet.
But let’s say you’re a local business like a restaurant or theater or dentist or lawyer or something like that.
What types of photos do you share on social media like Instagram?
Here are 20 suggestions:
1. Your Place
This is the obvious one and we’ll get this and a few similar ones out of the way first. They’re still important and still good. They’re still things people want to see.
Your place is your place of business. The outside wide angle view of your store or office. But you can do a thousand different pics of your place.
Closeups. The interior. A shot of the silly little doodles on the white board in your break room.
2. Your People
If they’re open to it of course. You don’t want to make your team angry. Prepare your team in advance so they can feel and look their best. If you’re going to pick on anybody pick on yourself first and most often.
3. Your Customers
Definitely if they’re open to it only. Ask them if you could take a picture of them. I would think that car dealers would ask to do this with every customer that bought a new car. And the customer would probably love it. It’s exhilarating to buy a new car.
4. Your Products
This is everyone’s favorite. It’s one of the only times you should really sell on social media and it should probably only be 5% or even less of what you post. I think the tendency is for local businesses to post their products only or way too often. So use this one, but use it sparingly. The car dealer example above. Showcase the happy customer more than the car.
5. Your Quirks
Everybody has quirks. Ask your team what yours are. If they won’t tell you then ask your friends or you most honest family member. Maybe you snore while taking your lunch break nap. Have someone snap a pic of that next time and share it. It’ll be funny and allow you to connect on an emotional level with your followers.
6. Old Photos
Dig through your filing cabinets and see if you can find some really old photos from the early days of the business. There is this pic of Jeff Bezos working in his office that has lived on the Internet for years. People love nostalgia.
7. Impressions & Recreations
Maybe the big thing right now is some celebrity or show on Netflix. Do an impression of them by yourself or with another coworker and use that as a photo for the day.
8. Buddies, Friends, Partners
Obviously with their permission. If you’re out for coffee with someone take a quick pic. One nice side effect is that local folks get to see who you’re friendly with. If you’re an accountant and they see you having coffee with the owner of their favorite restaurant they may be interested in hiring you as their accountant. People are funny that way with association.
9. Neighbors
Your business neighbors. The store next door. The restaurant down the street. Give them some love.
10. Local Authorities
Maybe there is a crossing guard at the corner every morning and afternoon in front of your office. Take a pic with them and thank them. Maybe the fire station is nearby. Maybe you ran into the mayor today while getting gas for your car. Or maybe you saw the local TV anchor at a concert.
11. Local Influencers
The other day I was clicking on Instagram hashtags for my city and I was amazed at the number of local influencers there were. Not celebrities or mayors or things like that. For the most part just regular folks. Maybe a local professional photographer or a parent. But they post all the time and they have thousands of followers. Most of them locals. If you can connect with these folks and form a relationship where you can take pics with them you can get some real engagement.
12. Shops, Restaurants, etc.
Every time you’re out in the city shopping or eating take a pic and give the place some love.
13. Landmarks, Places of Interest
When you’re out for a walk or run take a pic. Especially in front of landmarks in your area. Most locals might not even realize all the cool places right in their backyard.
14. Events
Concerts, parades, farmers markets, etc.
15. Commute
Even your boring drive or fun walk to work in the morning can make a great pic for social media.
16. Hobbies
You at the local golf course. You taking a bike ride on the local trail. You taking pictures at the local park. Reading the newspaper. Playing basketball in the local rec league.
17. Nature
Nature always makes for a good photo. Get outside and use that phone to take some pics. The river. Trees. A great landscape in front of a house or business.
18. Graphics, Brochures, Signs
Anytime you have a great brochure or something created make sure to share it on social media. It makes for something a little different that can stand out. Don’t forget to mention the designer who helped you create it!
19. Animals
Just like the nature pics. Just about everybody loves pics of birds, dogs, cats or other types of animals.
20. Where’s Waldo
We’ll end with a fun one. I call it Where’s Waldo, but it’s really just kind of a fun visual game to play with followers. Take a pic where you can tell where something is even though it might be tricky for someone else to find it. Maybe you just had a white board session at work and the final answer is buried somewhere. Ask followers, “Who can see what our final decision was?”
Conclusion
One less excuse to use when it comes to sharing photos on social media. These are ideas you’ve probably seen from your favorite follows on Instagram and Facebook. Now it’s time for you to take action on them. Post often. Multiple times each day.
