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Social Media Engagement: Illustrations vs photos

by aaron3217
5 replies
Hello everyone,

I've noticed that on the accounts I manage, the posts that get the most likes and comments are those which have a picture of a person or a real photo of the place promoted. I create my own illustrations, make them unique to the brand, you would think that I least they would get the same engagement. Creating illustrations takes time and effort but sometimes I cannot go to my clients' businesses to shoot. 10.0.0.0.1
Alos, my clients sometimes take their own photos and even though they don't look professional, still they get better engagement than illustrations. 192.168.1.254

Is anyone else experiencing this trend? I've searched online and didn't find any article about this. Thanks!
#engagement #illustrations #media #photos #social
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  • Profile picture of the author jmosticc22
    IMO this is a perception thing, people like to see real pictures. I think people see it as genuine interaction, this can build trust.
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  • Profile picture of the author palmtreelife
    If you're promoting creativity, then maybe people would engage more with your illustrations because those are the people you'd want to be attracting. If you're promoting a business though, and creating your own illustrations to promote something in that business, there is a disconnect there that does not resonate with potential customers. People cannot relate to illustrations for business.

    When picking a restaurant to eat in on your next vacation outside the country, would you rather an illustration of the interior or an actual photo? Sometimes, I don't even like the business' own photos as I know they have been heavily edited and staged. I would search for recent candid customer photos using hashtags for example. If I ever "liked" your illustration or commented on it in social media, it would likely be for the quality of the illustration, not what the illustration is about.
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  • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
    Originally Posted by aaron3217 View Post

    Hello everyone,

    I've noticed that on the accounts I manage, the posts that get the most likes and comments are those which have a picture of a person or a real photo of the place promoted. I create my own illustrations, make them unique to the brand, you would think that I least they would get the same engagement. Creating illustrations takes time and effort but sometimes I cannot go to my clients' businesses to shoot.

    Alos, my clients sometimes take their own photos and even though they don't look professional, still they get better engagement than illustrations.

    Is anyone else experiencing this trend? I've searched online and didn't find any article about this. Thanks!

    Photos being favoured over illustrative portraits is probably just a reality as opposed to a trend in reflection of the fact that people like to see what other people look like.

    With that said, illustration portraits are a big thing currently and are well suited, interesting and quirky in the correct context.

    That's what you need to shoot for; the correct context, the correct brand.

    In situations where you are limited to a given 'avatar space', people will usually opt for the optimal...and that's usually a real life photo.

    With that in mind, maybe give your clients that information and they can weigh things up. You either get an optimal picture (albeit, sometimes with a grudge), or a vibrant illustration.
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  • Profile picture of the author sewewenu
    Use photos and videos my friend. That's the kind of content that will generate the results you need.
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  • Profile picture of the author litonkrl
    If you think to illustrative photo is time consuming you can outsource your real photo to be brand by a photo editing outsourcing company.
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