Are you confused by the different types of social media visuals out there? Maybe you’re wondering when you should be using them and how to decide which one is best?
We’ve all been there—when you know the message you want to convey, but you’re just not quite sure of the best way to do it.
Allow us to help.
In this article, we’ll cover the three main types of social media visuals that any company can create for themselves.
These are static visuals, animations, and videos. We’ll explain what they are and how to use them, and by the end of this article, you’ll be the social media pro that your team has been dreaming of!
Probably the most common type of visual is static images, also referred to as just graphics.
They are essentially images that accompany your post copy. Typically, they feature key information, images, and brand elements such as common shapes, patterns, and icons used across all your materials. You could say a static image is like a digital version of a poster.
So, when might you choose to use a static image?
You could use a static image for almost any post, but here are a few examples of when we see them work well.
People connect with people, so it’s a great idea to show off your team on your social feed. Not only do these posts tend to get more engagement, but they also create a level of familiarity for new clients or customers coming on board.
You can create posts showing off your new team members, highlight their achievements, or even just share fun facts.
Maybe you’ve written a paper with a quote you want to highlight? Perhaps a doctor has said something great about your product that you’d like to share? Pulling important quotes and putting them on a static post can add more impact to the words.
However, as with any static post, text alone might not be enough to grab the attention of social media users, so you need to make sure it’s bold so people have no choice but to stop and take notice.
If you have a congress or an event coming up, social media is a great way to let your audience know you’ll be attending.
Having a static image with key information on it, such as the event name, date, location, and your stand number, can quickly convey crucial details without the viewer having to read any lengthy paragraphs.
Also, don’t just do this once for each event; make sure to keep posting in the weeks and days leading up to it. Not only is this a great reminder for your audience, but it also increases the likelihood of people seeing the congress posts.
One of the main reasons statics are used so often over animation and video is that they are quicker and cheaper to create.
They are perfect if you need a quick turnaround, for example, if you want to jump on a hot trend before it dies down. There’s no need for filming and vast amounts of editing. In fact, tools like Canva can take the stress out of creating static visuals altogether. You can also create templates to make static visuals even quicker and ensure that your branding is consistently maintained.
So, what are the downsides to static images? Well, as we’ve said, statics are very common. In fact, we’re so used to looking at them that we often just scroll past them as if they were a piece of text.
But this doesn’t mean they aren’t beneficial; it just means when creating your static, you need to make sure it stands out and engages your audience immediately. Make sure to only include necessary information and make your visuals eye-catching!
The past few years have seen a huge rise in video media on social platforms, including animation.
Animation is when still objects are manipulated using computer software to appear as moving objects. The difference between animation and video is that animation isn’t ‘real,’ as it’s created purely on the computer.
Animation can be as simple as making text appear on the page to the likes of Pixar movies.
The possibilities with animation are endless—you can create any scene or idea you want (given you have the skills and resources)—so there are many posts that can benefit from animation, but here are just a few.
Using animation to convey statistics can make them much more appealing to your audience. Seeing a bar chart rise or sections of a pie chart pop out is more interesting to your viewer than reading a long list of statistics on a page.
Likewise, if you want to show a timeline moving or a map with different figures for each country, having those visual elements move alongside the data helps your viewer understand it and enjoy it more too.
Animation can be a great way to show how a device works, as it can show the movement and design of the device. You could show the device by itself with text or a voiceover to explain its features, or you could animate someone using it.
If you can’t show your device being used on video on social media due to guideline restrictions, animation might be an alternative way of communicating how the device works.
If you want to teach something on your social media, whiteboard animations can be a strong option. Whiteboard animations are just what they sound like—they’re an animation of someone’s hand drawing on a whiteboard to help explain something, like a teacher would on the whiteboard in school.
These can be great for educational videos where you need complex information to be conveyed in an easily digestible format.
Animations are a great way to engage your audience, as you don’t only have the visual design but also movement. Adding this extra layer of interest helps it to stand out on a timeline and grab your audience’s attention.
One of the main reasons you might not opt for animation is that it can be time-consuming and costly unless you have the in-house resources to create animations yourself.
The cost of professional animations depends on the complexity of the animation. For instance, animating a graph will be significantly cheaper than animating a device and a whole scene surrounding it.
Animations can also lack a personal feel, as it’s all computer-generated; you can lose that connection you get from videos, which may result in less engagement.
Social media videos can range from full productions involving a whole crew and set to film at home on your phone.
Depending on what you want your video to say or show, you can decide what style of video is suitable for you.
Whatever you choose to create, video is the fastest-growing media, so you need to ensure you don’t get left behind!
Video can be used in all sorts of ways—maybe you want to show off your new device or introduce people to your team.
Here are some of the few ways we see video benefit a social media post.
Filming your device in use during surgery can be a great way to show your device in action, because what’s better than the real thing?
These videos can provide great insight into all the features of your device in a real-world setting. However, depending on the nature of the video, you will need to check that platform guidelines allow this type of content.
Sometimes a straightforward ‘get to know you’ style video can be effective. Whether it’s an informal chat with the CEO or an in-depth discussion with a patient, interview videos are a great way of engaging and relating to your audience.
These could involve a whole camera crew, or they could be filmed by yourself on your phone; you should pick which best fits the tone of the video you want to publish.
Another benefit of video is how easy it is to repurpose. For instance, a long video can get cut down into several shorter clips for bitesize viewing without a lot of effort.
There is potential for videos to be time-consuming and expensive, depending on your in-house resources and the type of videos you’re hoping to create. For instance, if you want to create highly professional videos, it can involve several days of filming with a crew. There will also be waits for editing.
Videos don’t have the same turnaround time as a static post, for example, as it takes a lot longer to make them look good.
This is a hard question to definitively answer because it depends on what you’re trying to achieve and your circumstances.
While video is the most engaging form of content and the one that most social media platforms prefer, it isn’t easy to create.
Realistically, you’ll probably find that a combination of different types of visuals is the most achievable strategy for your company. Most of the time, it’ll be easiest to create static visuals, but animation and video can be used for higher-value content from time to time.