Enhance Your Social Media Free Content

How to Enhance Your Social Media Free Content?

The use of such free stock photos should help in enhancing the appearance of your social media posts and earn better engagement from your target market, thus increasing the recall factor for your brand. Furthermore, multimedia used in software allows the development of individuality in environment where attention is paid to competition instead of product. Therefore, whenever you are preparing social media content, doing so with images sourced from Pexels could be your best bet going forward.  Also Pixabay.com, and Unsplash.com and work together to produce passionate and relevant content that would peak the interest of your audience.

In some cases the selection of the right image can be difficult, especially knowing what is and is not allowed in terms of copyright laws and where to look for suitable images. But the right image can do a lot for your brand; it can literally set the mood or tone or even the general style depending on your content and the overall feel and personality of your brand.

Making a point to avoid copyright infringements by sourcing the images from other sites like pexels.com, Pixabay.com, and Unsplash.com The addition of derived data obtained from these sites can enrich your content of the posts you share on social networks to a significant degree.

It is remarkable to have an eye towards the aesthetics of images, and this way, when publishing, use attractive images that will draw curiosity or at least attention to your text messages; otherwise, people read headlines and possibly an occasional post on social media.

This means that when a form of media is presented as both text and some form of picture or video, then it becomes possible to grab the medium’s attention. On this alone everybody knows that messages conveyed through images are noticed and understood better by people as compared with plain texts.

Below are other recommended websites for public domain images, photographs, and illustrations , which are free to use. What this means is you can avoid buying those stocks images or hiring a professional photographer to take the shots for you.

Source

The Power of Visuals in Social Media

Many people who use social media to engage their audience utilize beautiful photos and graphics as a way of sharing powerful stories about their lives and businesses. It is effective to enhance communication and also a mean to construct brand image.

Indeed, I believe that in many cases the perfect image is that is so wonderful that you can even forget the written word. It can:

Attract attention

• Communicate ideas more efficiently
• Help a viewer remember more or better something
• Drive better engagement
• Appeal to search algorithms

It is however important to note that not all photos qualify to be great stock photos as they consist of specific qualities.

Excellent stock photos: key features

• When diving into free photo resources, the perfect stock photo will have these attributes: When diving into free photo resources, the perfect stock photo will have these attributes:
• High quality. Such images as blurry or pixelated do more harm than good for the presentation of any brand. When choosing an image, always go for the best quality or what is usually referred to as a ‘high res’ photo.
• Authenticity. In general, images should not be phoney or fake looking and should resemble actual images. A hard sale approach or trying to be too cute or dramatic with the photo may turn your audience off. Unless your campaign incorporates a high-fashion motif, follow images reminiscent of everyday photography.
• Appropriateness. It should mirror, the company or the name you are adopting and be appealing to whoever you are targeting.
• Engagement. The special photographs make you move closer. They may be interesting, inspiring, amusing, calming, puzzling, or whatever else someone may think of at a given time. Maybe they have an implication as to that kind of setting or something like that. The viewer is either called to investigate or stirring in one way or another some element or quality enters the picture.

Like in the blog posts and whatever other type of content you may choose to incorporate into it, the high quality images must also be relevant to your brand and content.

Relevance

A picture is worth a thousand words; however; are those words potentially broadcasting the wrong message?

Graphics used must be appropriate depending on the business or information you want to pass to your clients. Otherwise, they might just come off as unclear or even off-putting to your audience/subscribers.

That is why relevance in social media should also be recognizable immediately. A legal firm employing medical malpractice possibly doesn’t want its image to look like a medical one – it’s silly to potentially shock or confuse a viewer flipping through a feed.

This is determined by aspects such as cultural and seasonal sensitiveness. When it comes to the second type of audience, the reaction to the visual that is Christmas-themed will not be as positively perceived for the very reason that the viewers in the second group do not celebrate the Christmas. It also might seem strange in content published during the spring.

Clarity

Regardless of the social media channel or the purpose of your message, there is only one ruling concept: Clarity. It is always essential to keep the visuals simple to read and comprehend as soon as one glances through the figures. Numerous readers scroll and don’t read deeply; if the image given is complex or unclear, they simply will not bother to process it.

• Prioritize:
• Simplicity. Select pictures with the obvious focal objects and using as few items as possible in the frame.
• Contrast. When can you find the lowest tones to highlight your subject?
• Consistency. This way, by maintaining clean and neat visuals that match your brand’s design and color palette, viewers instantly know that they are viewing your content.

Be sure that any text is easily readable as in the picture below where the bottom of the yellow container is barely readable. Among the standards that has to do something with accessibility, there is one that advises to exclude text from the image when it is possible. Due to the flexibility that comes with applications, they can enhance or alter words or phrases, to suit a particular user.

Emotional appeal

The perfect visual elicits an emotional response, the essence of the branding process – a symbiotic link between your company and the observer.

For example, an organization fighting to save wildlife can include clips or pictures of animals affected by habitat loss in their non-profit narrative to move the audience into donating or participating in their cause.

Indeed, it is recommended to moderate its usage as it can be both good and bad depending on the manner in which it is applied. The emotion should not make the audiences feel uncomfortable or like they are being manipulated into something. Authenticity is key.

The Best Free Photo Resources

If you do not find the image which approaches your desired one in the above mentioned sites, then search free use images of google with a specific topic. However, as you go through your chosen image source with regard to the usage rights, you’ll have to refer back to the licensing details linked to those images, though it is definitely doable.

It is a much simpler method, and, most of the time, you are sure to find the type of picture that you are looking for. Some promote an exclusive area, while others offer upgrades that allow downloading a vast number of images for your accounts for free.

Unsplash

Another source with a vast popularity and the richness of imagery is Unsplash, which is one of the first and the most significant sources presenting free-to-use images. It is found to contain thousands of pictures and is updated by the photographers all over the world.

The website is actively storing more than 5 millions of free high-resolution images, and the interface is quite simple, and the search function works well.

Unsplash+ is currently offering an upgraded version of the website with more pictures, and even reduced rights on phot-copying or anything of the sort.

When getting started with Unsplash, first search results array contains both paid items under the Unsplash+ brand and objects that can be used without any limitations. I then went to the search bar and opened the Advanced Search option where I keyed in ‘plumbing’ and selected the option that said ‘Free Only’.

Image source: Unsplash

Pexels

Pexels is a free stock images and videos provider. It boasts with the great number of up-to-date, beautiful-looking pictures. It has a fewer collection of images as against other free photo resources; however, it is comprehensive, professional and all are free.

One of the neat features of Pexels is the large video library. A search for social media  videos returned 6.8k clips you can use. Image source: Pexels

Pixabay

Pixabay provides all kinds of free media: pictures, videos, drawings, musical scores, animated images in GIF format, and other audio props. It is strong because it can cover various content types ranging from news, articles, op-eds, letters to the editor, and speeches. There is no paid subscription like the popular ‘premium account. ’ Nevertheless, users will be able to find advertisements when searching for paid content.

Blushing brides and people in the wedding industry can look to Pixabay as a visual resource, choosing from more than 18,000 pictures. Image source: Pixabay

Burst

Burst is yet another stock photo site and here is where it comes from – it is owned by Shopify, the biggest e-commerce solutions provider, nevertheless, you wish not to be their client to sign up and take pictures.

As it is connected to Shopify, the public archive is especially effective when it comes to the trends of retail outlets and product images.

It may take more than one try to find the picture you need. For example, my search for “social media” on Burst returned nothing useful, but searching for “cleaning supplies” was more successful. Image source: Shopify

Freepik

Freepik has more than just photos; it consists of icons, PSDs, and vectors as well. A vector image is in computer graphics using mathematical equations for the outlines forming shapes of objects and this means that can be enlarged or reduced to any image size without any apparent degradation. It is especially useful when designing logos and other items of that nature.

Even though most resources are available for free, sometimes to access the Freepik content, you will need a premium account. Moreover, images, included for not the premium users, should be accompanied by an attribution.

Freepik is often the graphic designer’s platform of choice. In this search for healthcare images, I’ve filtered only to show vector images related to social media.

Image source: Freepik

Canva

However, if you are interested in having slightly more flexible and versatile graphics, there is Canva. In addition to unlimited access to high-quality photographs, Canva offers tools for editing photos and automatically designed templates for different channels.

Large organizations, small businesses, and marketers can also leverage on the Canva integration that is already in Constant Contact. Locate and optimize the pictures you desire for your emails, social media, and web applications faster than ever.

Best practices for using free photos

Free photo resources should be used in a proper way. These are vigorous instruments that should be respected and obeyed by you.

Check the license

All Free Photo users need to understand the image use rights of a photo before downloading and using it.

Sometimes, free photos, do not have any copyright restrictions to them and can be used as one pleases.

Those which are marked with Creative Commons (CC) license let you use the image without prior permission from the photographer. But, it is crucial to note that various types of CC licenses are characterized by distinct restrictions. For instance, some provide no restrictions on their use but for purposes not for business while others allow it but not without sharing the attribution of such use.

Remember to always confirm on the license of the photo to be used in order to abide by it.

Be aware of restrictions

Searching for a free licensed photo can sometimes bring results, but even if the image is not to be paid, there may be limitations. For example, the picture in which members of a specific organization, goods, or famous persons might be depicted, it is important to obtain the model release for their commercial use. In a similar fashion, be careful when you can see photos, which include references to any works, logos, or trademarks.

Be careful to note the terms on the website that you are downloading the photo, so as to avoid future legal trouble. If one is in doubt, then such an image should be substitute or else advice should be sought.

Common limitations on photo licenses include:

• Unlawful use
• Use of the content in advertising projects is prohibited with the exception of the “editorial use only” category.
• No standalone file use
• It openly bans the use of trademarks or logos that are associated with the legalization of marijuana.
• No subscription abuse
• Contrary to most argument-enabling practices, there is no false representation of authorship.

There are also restriction that creators place whereby you can only modify an image with an online photo editor to a certain extent or use them for a while or frequently.

Give credit to the photographer

credit of these photos go the great photographer

Speaking of credit, it’s time to give it to where it rightfully belongs.

Although it is may not be necessary everyday, or even every time you use a certain picture depending on the license, it is good to make sure that the photographer gets credit for the job done. Sometimes, a brief statement such as ‘photography by’ and the director’s website or the source of the picture might be enough. It also shows respect to the creator of the work and also aids in the popularization of the work; hence, most creators provide their valuable pictures.

Use high-quality photos

The source of the photos you use tends to depict what your brand stands for. You should always use as big images as possible and always check for other things such as placement, illumination, and color.

Poor quality or low resolution images, images that are blurry or not well composed are not professional. Given that pictures are often used to make your profile and the content stand out on LinkedIn, the opposite attention is unwanted. The same can be said of those social platforms more peripherally of the professional networking veins.

Focus is the spotlight, what our eyes become attracted to – in this case, the humans are sure about what is in focus they are told where to look at. For instance, if you want me to consider a photo where the product in focus is blurred, and the person handling it is in focus, my eye is going to immediately be drawn to the person before being redirected to the object he is holding.

It is much harder to attract someone’s attention these days, and the human attention span is so much shorter; therefore, your photo should direct its viewers’ attention to the place of your choice immediately.

Another advantage of make use of free photo resources is that at times you can use an image editor with up to modify a picture and fit it appropriately. Perhaps you would resize it, contrast or change the tones to the appropriate fit for the company’s images.

That said, some licenses limit the extent of modifications that could be made to the product or idea in question. Another thing that shouldn’t be forgotten is to read the license terms of the chosen stock photographs.

When to use free stock images and when not to

Social networking and free stock images are tools that can be used without much effort to provide pictures on your social networks. They let you have effects and different types of interest and patterns without necessitating the need for extensive spending. However, such means do not necessarily render them capable of satisfying all your social image demands.

• Use stock photos to:
• Convey themes or moods
• Post more visuals to complement a plain text post
• Offer hints of what other teasers could be, or of what other scenes or features might evolve into teasers.
• Illustrate informative content
• Finally, add subliminal messages such as season or holiday icons

On the other hand, avoid using what you find through free photo resources if you have concerns about any of the following free photo resources: On the other hand, avoid using what you find through free photo resources if you have concerns about any of the following free photo resources:

Implicit authorship. They found that the nature of TV programmes necessitates varying degrees of realism in scenes depicting human activities. For example, when a restaurant owner is offering some type of dish, merely finding a common royalty-free photograph of it can be deceiving. Besides, convincingly emotional, real images of actual offerings with your production are the core of restaurant vocational photography.

This entails having more than one hairdresser or product type, or using products of different quality range within a particular type. I have observed that free stock photos originate from various sources. The hire needs to learn how to stay consistent with a professional, and unified voice as the brand progresses. So as an interior designer that loves the Danish minimalist approach, using a stock photo that is complex and the opposite of minimalistic, can confuse the flow of my feed.

Overuse. Creating contents from free stock images is easy and a lot can be easily accessed, so you might end up repeating a same picture. It also important that you don’t settle for pictures that display the exact look of those posted by your competitors or any other pictures you can find in the internet.

Outdated content. Effectively, stock photos are made with the notion that are timeless, and should not depict any events happening today. Those who are attempting to demonstrate recent tendencies could advise themselves to avoid this company.

Impersonal feel. One has to realize that various posts have different goals and aims, to achieve those goals though. If your goal is to make your brand seem more relatable or if you truly want your followers to get to know you, a stock photo isn’t going to compete well against an actual photograph from your own home or work life.

Legal issues. And if you are ever in doubt as to the appropriateness of a particular image, be safe, and use something else instead.

Thus, no matter what one is going to use – stock photography or creating his or her own graphic, it is rather wise to learn about it. In modern society people cannot imagine their life without their smartphone. As for the NLP algorithm, there is no need for it to cause fear, and it is acceptable to work with it.

Use free photo resources to enhance your visual content strategy

That being said, there are times when you need to steer clear of free photo resources; however, in the most times, they could save you a lot of trouble and enhance your content significantly. You can use them as you work on creating the content for you brand.

The first step of this process is even fun, most especially when you are labeling sets of different things. Before visiting the websites mentioned above, ask yourself about the kinds of images that would be helpful to you at some point in your work. Type in your keyword into the search bar and mark the relevant box for content that is free to download.

Then, roam as you pleased with the help of the site. And they should since how often do we get to browse beautiful pictures and still consider it a productive endeavor?

You can hardly always film or make images just to post on your social media; as a small business owner, or a content creator. So, what’s the alternative?

In today’s blog post, we will discuss how to avoid running into such troubles and what social media platform you can use in addition to enumerating the best websites for copyright-free images.

What is Copyright? What’s Fair Use?

Before going further let me explain that; copyright is the legal system of protecting the rights of creator or owner of any creation or creation related works of any form of art like writings, music, films, designs or images and of course photographs. It becomes effective once a piece of work is created whereby the creator turns into the owner who alone determines who must use the piece and who must not.

Licensing is one of the common methods of acquiring legal rights for utilizing a particular picture. But that can be expensive and in many cases it requires a lot of time and effort to develop an effective strategy for such a campaign. Therefore, while discussing copyrights on social media, you will often hear people referencing what is called ‘fair use,’ quite frequently.

In certain circumstances that does not harm the author’s work, Copyright law allows Fair Use, whereby one can use the copyrighted material without permission. These includes but not limited to the following; non-profit and educational use, where there is a radical shift in the use and meaning of the image, and use for information and education for the benefit of the society.

However, Fair use is more complicated and arguably can be established within certain conditions based on the purpose of using the copyrighted material. Many cases have been filed on this aspect and the commonly known H3H3 multiple fair use lawsuits are evident of this. This is why free copyright images are so useful for creators and people using images in any type of projects.

Public domain images refer to photos that are not eligible for copyright protection hence people may use them without asking the consent of the designer. These are common images that can be used freely on a web site since they are in most occasions in the public domain due to the fact that the creator has lost the rights to the images or in extreme cases they might have relinquished the rights to allow the images to be used on a web site.

Further, some pictures may be provided under the open, all Creative Commons licenses mean that specific levels of usage are permitted while certain rights still belong to the initiator.

Where to Avoid Looking for Images for Your Content

You will understand that it is better not to search the images at the following sources before I begin to discuss how you can find the images. And for this to happen, I must first configure them something about copyrights, just a few. Stick with me! It will be short.

Books, paintings, and snapshots are examples of industries that fall under the sector of intellectual property that can be protected under copyright. Finding an image floating around on the web doesn’t grant you the right to use it: who is using it, and not everyone is free to use it, they require the owner’s permission to do so.

Sometimes this permission is contingent or comes with certain conditions generally known or agreed by the parties concerned. For instance, you might be free to employ an illustration to support your argument in a strictly informative scenario, but you cannot do the same in a commercial vein.

I am aware of several folks that have been sued for failure to adhere to correct grammatical use. Being certain that they had permission to utilize the image, they were shocked to learn they owed the owner thousands of dollars. These individuals had no intention of undertaking a process of “theft” yet that it is what they accomplished.

Do not go to a web browser and then click the image search and type in some keywords then select a list of images and use them in your content. There is nearly irresistible urge to find the ‘right’ rights-protected image there. I also don’t advise you to use flicker, which is an image sharing websites. Yes sometimes photographers add a Creative Commons license to the image that gives permission to use it. But I once saw a friend using a license mouse that had a Creative Commons license and then at some point the photographer had to change the license and so my friend had to let go of the license mouse. It was an image, which had been popularly used to market one of her famous products for quite some years; and she had to struggle for finding a new picture.

We need to tell you that you’re putting yourself in legal peril and that you have a profit-sucking leech on your hands, right? Here is the information about how to search for images that you have the proper permission and licensing for them — this means attractive and effective illustrations for your content.

How Can You Avoid Copyright Claims on Social Media?

To avoid copyright claims on social media for images, there are several key practices to follow. Firstly, it is important to consider using your own images whenever possible. This ensures that you have full control over the content and helps you avoid infringing on the rights of others.

However, this is not always possible. So, if you need to use images created by others, make sure to obtain the necessary licenses or permissions. This may include using images from stock photo websites, subscribing to image licensing platforms, or directly contacting the creator for permission.

Understanding the concept of fair use is essential. However, it is crucial to adhere to the guidelines and recognize that fair use may not apply in all situations.

If you come across such markings, refrain from using the images without explicit permission from the copyright owner. Instead, seek alternative images that are available for use.

And, most importantly, use images from the public domain whenever possible. These images are typically free to use without permission. Adhering to these guidelines ensures that your content complies with platform policies and reduces the risk of copyright claims or penalties. You don’t want to throw away years of building a following on social media with one wrong move.

Summary