Hi All! I am George Pierce, this post is about images. Images are going to help you and your online content. Our mind is automatically drawn to an image, so images will help you to grab attention which is necessary to get visitors to read your content, Images also help to enhance your content, so images help to keep attention, as well. In this post, you will discover some of the different kinds of images that you can use and how a free image tool can turn a novice into a pro.
Just in case you are not sold on using images... Images are a MUST! You want to use images in your posts on your websites, on your blogs, in your emails, and so on. Your benefit will be obvious. More and more of your visitors will read your content, and will want more. In addition, click-throughs will skyrocket and that will mean more revenue.
If you are like me, you may not feel that creativity is one of your strong suits, so you may feel that this 'image stuff' is not your thing. The good news is that there is a free site called Canva, that can help people like us! It is free and the site is chock full of all kinds of already-made image creations.
Above is an example of what is called a hero image. This is the kind of image that you can use for a header, an ad, an email, etc.
The image was already made, all I had to do was find it.
All it takes is to go to Canva, and then type into the Canva search box what you want.
For example: SPRING
Choose the image that you want. If you want to customize the image, such as changing text, adding text, adding a logo, and so forth, it is drag and drop easy, then name your creation and download.
Allow me to share a few more types of images that you can use.
Next is a chart or graph. Canva can help you in two ways.
Canva has already made graphs, such as you see above.
Use the Canva search box, find the graph or chart that you want, customize it, name it, and download it.
If you want to create your own, Canva can do that too! https://www.canva.com/graphs/
Go to the graph maker, name your graph, and Canva will help step by step you to choose and create your graph with ease.
Graphs have a way of visually putting your information into perspective. Graphs and charts can help your visitors as well as you.
A graph or chart can help your visitors to see and understand and they can also help to separate you from the crowd.
The next image is a QR Code. Again, Canva makes this easy, You can use Canva to search for generic QR Codes.
You can use Canva to create a QR Code in minutes.
It is so easy, go to Canva's QR Code Generator https://www.canva.com/qr-code-generator/ and follow the steps.
Canva makes it simple, fast, and free.
The next image is called a GIF, which is an image that moves. I have been an advocate of using GIFs for years and for using them in emails for a couple of years. The big dogs started using them in emails about six months ago.
Canva can help us here, as well.
You can search for GIFs, find the one you want, customize, name, and download.
Above is a snapshot of what you can do with Canva, The actual GIF was too many MB for SE, and the link did not work. The snapshot is static, but with the GIF, the worm part moves It is subtle, yet it draws attention. Of course, embed your link into the image. Above is, let's say, a more creative way to get clicks, and it works! As mentioned, the movement draws attention, and what your visitor or email reader sees, is a different kind of button, a button that they might NOT have otherwise seen. Unseen is UN-CLICKED!
SHHH! TIP: By adding a smiling face and the word continue, your click-throughs should improve significantly.
You can also get more free GIFs from a site called Giphy.
If you want to make your own GIF, Canva will make it easy. https://www.canva.com/create/gif-maker/
Canva will help you make GIFs from images or videos. The software takes you step by step and you will be amazed at how easy it is to create a GIF.
Your GIF will make you proud and, if you are not aware, you can post your GiFs on image and GIF sites such as Giphy and Imgur with a backlink for added exposure and traffic.
Another kind of image that can help you is a product mock-up.
Canva, again, can help you. Using Canva search, you will find all kinds of generic mock-up templates that you can customize and download.
Canva also has a free Mock-Up Generator
Canva makes mock-up generation easy. Their free generator will do all the work, all you do is follow the steps. https://www.canva.com/create/mockup-generator/ You can create a custom mock-up in seconds and use it for promotion, as well as content creation.
The next image is a logo, If you do not yet have a logo, Canva can help.
You can create a custom logo for free, and, it is fast and easy. Your logo is the graphic element that is going to be seen the most. If you are not a designer, no problem. Canva provides you with a wide range of designs and templates and makes customizing easy.
The bottom line is that images are going to help your online efforts and your emails. A split test will make you a believer. This post, for example, is image-heavy, yet, each image can help to enhance the content and the message and help the reader.
So start adding more images today in your content and your emails.
Thank you for reading.
Much success,
George Pierce
PS. Here is a GIF that is working (moving). Content is still king, but images add that crowning effect. For free make-money online training, I invite you to visit my YouTube training channel.
Comments
Thank you George. This is another valuable and informative post. I use Canva, but I learned a lot here on how to use it better. Canva motivated me to using images. I haven't used them like I should in my emails though. That's something I really have to start doing. And this Press Release will help me a great deal.
Once I started using images, I was hooked. Many years ago, a pastor taught me about the value of alternative text (I help non-profits), so images can help your posts and emails and boost your SEO as a BONUS. Thank you, Robin.
Canva is a tool we use daily. Our business requires a team effort, and sharing to team members is simple. We did find though that the advantages of using the paid version were well worth it.
That says a lot for the paid version, thank you, Dennis.
It has been so long since any of our team used the free version that we don't even remember what can be done with it. All we know now is what can be accomplished with the paid version. Even our shorts are now created on Canva. All of the classes I have either taught or cotaught have been done using Canva's version of powerpoint.
Our recommendation for graphic sizes used on social media is 1050 X 1050. This size we use on every social media.
One size fits all, thank you for the helpful recommendation, Dennis.
What we have found is every smart phone we own makes the pictures too large to be shared on many social media. I keep a computer with a program that lets me quickly resize anything I upload to it from the smart phones. By the way, you can also resize pictures with Canva. Many of the graphics we created in the past were too large as well. There are many times when you want to pay attention to detail and this is better done with the graphics very large while you are creating them.
I live in the mountains by choice, but cell service stops several miles down the road, I still have a landline, but making content that is mobile-friendly is essential, so sizing is most important, thank you, Dennis.
Not only content, pictures, graphics, and videos need to be mobile friendly as well.
This is fantastic information and you even showed me something I didn't know about Canva. I never knew you can make a QR code on Canva. That's good information to know. Canva has a lot of benefits and I always tell people about it and now I can share your post to another friend of mine and she is a member of Canva already, so this press release will be beneficial for her too.
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