Photography is a powerful medium. It can be used to entertain, inform, call people to action and promote products or services. Here are a few tips for using photographs and other graphics in your online or offline communications to help drive more clicks, which can lead to more sales…and maybe even worldwide fame.

1) Show Before and After Photos of Anything that Gets Your Point Across

You need not go any further than a TV infomercial promoting the latest body-sculpting workout, face cream or diet supplement to see how before and after photos are used to drive sales of products. But virtually any traditional business or non-profit organization can use before and after images to increase response rates in ads, newsletters, social media sites and blogs.

Here are a few examples:

  • A kitchen remodeling company can show before and after photos of a project.
  • A dentist can show before and after photos of a mouthful of teeth.
  • An animal rescue group can show a before photograph of an injured or abused pet, and an after photograph of the same pet living happily with the family who adopted him or her.
  • A photo retoucher can show before and after images of a model, landscape or product shot.

Some tips for presenting before and after photographs:

  • Place the before and after photo side-by-side in the same frame so that they won’t be separated (even when viewed on different devices).
  • Show enough detail by photographing subjects close-up or by cropping in to get your point across, especially if your message will be viewed in a sidebar ad or as a Facebook/Twitter image post.
  • Use a “Left to Right” placement (“Before” shot on the left, “After” shot on the right). Top to bottom is OK if space dictates that orientation.

2) Use Gifs!

Gifs can simulate video or present photographs elegantly on many devices while using a small amount of bandwidth if file sizes are kept small. A good gif can be irresistible to look at, which means more people will click on the message if tested against a similar static image.

Some tips for using gifs:

  • Use them for “Before and After” demonstrations instead of the side-by-side approach discussed above.
  • Use them to quickly show a number of photos in an elegant gallery that flips, fades from photo to photo, etc.
  • Use them to cycle between a few messages (especially useful in email blasts and small website ads).
  • Use them in email newsletters/promotional materials to simulate video and increase click-throughs.

One thing to always consider with gifs is compatibility with the platform you are using. In late 2012 Twitter stopped allowing animated gifs as avatars, and Facebook is also not very gif-friendly, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make them work for you in many places.

3) Embed a Screenshot of a Video with a Play Button on It Inside Your Marketing

This is a quick tip that can dramatically increase your click-throughs. A still shot of a video (JPEG) with a big “PLAY” button graphic is difficult for people to resist if they are at all interested in the topic.

Some tips for using still images with a play button:

  • Make sure that the still shot you capture is sharp and interesting. You can usually find just the right frame to capture by “scrubbing” the forward/back slider back and forth from inside YouTube, Vimeo or whichever video host you use.
  • Keep the YouTube, Vimeo, etc. branding and control bar across the bottom in the image so that people know that they will be viewing a video on a trusted platform.
  • Include text that gives people a reason to click on the video, such as a description of the tips they will be receiving, the fact that they won’t be able to stop laughing when watching it, etc.