Need a Boost for Your Social Media? Use Images. Here's Why

Digital marketing, especially social media marketing, has done a lot of changing over the years. One of the changes that has come to be in the last few years is the image & video centric posts for brands; without images or videos, brands are seeing the success of posts fall flat. This is a great time to think about finding great images or even creating images. Whether you are a Chicago graphic designer or just a social media enthusiast, creating or finding images does not have to be difficult.

Why do we need images with social media posts? Simply put: people like visuals. According to several trend reports, 65-85 percent of Americans claim to be visual learners; even away from learning, people like to look at pictures, watch videos, see colors, etc. If you remember this with your social media campaigns, then you will see a greater level of engagement with your posts compared to your posts that do not have visuals.

People have limited attention spans and little time to read through a lot of text. A good image can break the reader's skimming of the text, which is what you want, nay, need to happen so your posts on social media get read (hopefully before anyone else's). It is not very appealing to see a whole block of text, either. To counter this and break through the noise, images and videos help wonderfully.

Images help drive your message home. Having a well-picked and placed image can take the understandability of your message even further than wording can. Images are especially helpful with "How To" posts since you can show how something works or should be done with an image better than you often can with text. For example, if you were explaining a hammer so someone, would it be easier to simply show an image of one or write a description of a hammer?

So where can you find or create images?

• Ing Image-- subscribe to the site and download up to 50 free images a month, must purchase beyond that. 
• Canva-- very user friendly with easy-to-use tools. It is free to use, unless you use a component that must be purchased for $1 each. 
• Shutterstock-- must purchase images. 
• iStock-- must purchase images. 

Does your business need great images for its social media, blogs, or website? Then email Integraphix and see how our Chicago graphic design agency can help you! 

What You Need to Know About Instagram's 5 New Filters

For the first time in more than two years, Instagram has released new filters for us to go gaga over. Now, 300-million photographers have five new ways to make their photos look fabulous. Sorry, Kelvin filter, you get no love, still.

Filters are what have made Instagram a delight to use; they enable us to make our mundane photos look professional and aesthetically pleasing with stylish tones and artsy style.

Per the usual deal, the filters have names that do not make a whole lot of sense, unless you know the mentality behind the creators. Right now, the filters are unknown but soon enough, they will be as known as the other filters. We will be able to look at a friends picture and say, "Yup, that's the slumber filter, alright."

So what are these filters? 

Crema. The crema filter delivers a smooth, creamy, luxurious look. The designers over at Instagram named it that because it does just what we think it would do from the name- it gives a warm, yet cool effect to the image.

Ludwig. The Ludwig filter gives us a minimalistic design and look that is done via taking colors away while enhancing light in the photo. It was named after the famous architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe who is known for the "less is more" mentality.

Perpetua. This filters gives photos an organic, earthy look via utilizing green and blue hues. It was named after the Cape Perpetua forest in Oregon.

Slumber. No, this one will not put you to sleep; rather, it will give your photos a vintage look with some desaturation and haze. If your photo has lots of blacks and blues, it will look even better.

Aden. This one is reminiscent of pastels and works beautifully with portraits and photos that have some harsh light. No knowledge of why it was named Aden, though. 

These new filters seem very cool. As a Chicago graphic design company, we tend to use Instagram a lot for showcasing work and think these filters will do a great job. 

Our Chicago photography studio team is excited about them as well. If you are a highly visual business, then consider using Instagram, especially with these filters out; they will help your social media marketing go to a new level. 

Need a professional graphic designer to help your business look as good as the new Instagram filters? Then contact Intagraphix, a Chicago graphic design agency. 

Social Media Cards for Your Business

Social media marketing is a must for the vast majority of businesses out there, especially if it is a business that is just getting its legs beneath it in the last few years.

One way to promote your business with social media and other digital marketing efforts is to handout social media cards. These are like business cards but the focus is on your social media profiles. Each card has the platforms you use as well as the link to your direct account.

Why have these? Well, they are a great "leave behind" along with your business card. Since social media is so heavily engrained in business these days, businesses have to mention their social media accounts; putting this info on a business card can crowd the card.

Our Chicago graphic design team has made many social media cards, one company in particular that benefited from these cards was Phoenix Insurance -- an Allstate Insurance Agency in Libertyville.

Sedrik Newbern, an insurance agent in Libertyville, needed a great way to promote his social media accounts for the agency as well as his site. He came to our Chicago graphic design firm to create a social media card that was funky and effective. Some useful at networking events.

Our graphic designers used bright colors to attract the eye, while keeping the Allstate branding, that were appealing and trendy.

Does your business need a new way to promote its site and social media accounts? Then chat with Integraphix, a Chicago graphic design company. Not in Chicago? We have teams in NYC, LA, Phoenix, and Charlotte.