Well they say a picture paints a thousand words and on the Internet that can be very valuable.

There are lots of sites out there that are dedicated to pictures rather than words.  And they are free!

Pinterest

This site is growing in popularity and becoming more useful to small businesses.  You can set up any number or boards. These are like good old fashioned pin boards. Don’t just set one up for products but think about what your customers might like. Then you can also start to pin some of your own work.

 For example;  a wedding dress shop may set up boards for colour inspiration, a restaurant may set up boards for recipes, and a builder might set up boards for different project inspirations like loft extensions.

Flickr

This photo sharing site can be useful to use pictures to tell the story of your business or showcase some of your products. Encourage your customers to share pictures of their experiences with your business and products.

For example; a hairdresser may showcase new styles and ask customers to post up pictures of themselves out an about sporting their new hairstyle, or clothing company may ask for pictures of customers wearing the clothes.

Instagram

Are you out and about for your small business? This could be a good one for you. You can take a picture on your phone and post it up, sharing it on other social media sites. I can really get across the flavour of our brand

For example; you are at an event and you can post behind the scenes photos, or you are part way through tiling a new kitchen and you post how good it’s starting to look.

Youtube

Although YouTube is known for entertaining content, it is also used by many people for  help, instructions and information. Videos of how to do things are very popular. As a small business you have skills that you can share with your customers. Videos aren’t expected to be some major production, but if they are useful and informative, they will be watched and shared.

For example; an electrician can show people how to change a plug, a makeup artist can show you how to get the perfect eye makeup, or a crafter can demonstrate craft tasters.

Interested? Just remember the golden rule of not trying to do the hard sell on any social media and you’ll be fine.

To read my full article, written for the Nottingham Post, click here.