In this digital world, often the first time a potential customer ‘meets’ you company is online. It won’t be on TV, in a magazine or by letter, it will be on the internet; very possibly via social media. The first impression they have of you is always critical. So how do you make sure it’s the right impression? The only way is to be consistent, and to present the correct balance of images vs text.
A picture speaks many words
It’s a familiar phrase, but in this day and age it’s truer than ever. People have short concentration spans and are soundbite hungry. Text on a web page is important, but only once you’ve grabbed their attention with a headline and image. So how do you go about getting this right?
Getting the text/image balance right
At this point it’s important to clarify that this article isn’t about your logo. Although your logo is an important aspect of your brand, that could be the subject of a whole article just on its own. We’re assuming, therefore, that you already know to ensure all versions of your logo are consistent.
So, instead we’re considering the impression you give online via the combination of text and images you use in a blog article, for example.
There are many places a new contact can unwittingly stumble across your messages. It might be an article they’ve clicked to read directly on your website. It might be on LinkedIn, Facebook and any other combination of social media outlets. It might even be an email forwarded to them by a colleague. The important thing is, however, that your approach is consistent so that when they stumble upon your articles another time, not only do they recognise it’s you, but they instantly spot the quality too!
A few pointers for combining text with images
- Use a consistent image style for a series of articles.
- Use images that support the messages contained in your words, such that they convey the message too.
- Position the each image close to its supporting text.
- Arrange your images such that they guide readers towards your messages and calls to action.
- Make use of background images too sometimes. They can be very impactful when used well.
- Keep download times for images to an acceptable level, however, bearing in mind mobile connectivity etc.
A quick word about WordPress
If you’re not a web developer or an HTML coder, then updating your website to add a new article, with text and images, can be a bit of a headache. Having a content management system (CMS) helps. Having a CMS that’s as flexible and easy to use as WordPress, makes all the difference.
How does WordPress make life easy?
There are many ways that WordPress facilitates the management of your website, but within the context of this article, we’d say the key benefits of having WordPress as your CMS are:
- It’s simple to use – WordPress is intuitive to use and you don’t need to be technically gifted to add a news article with text and images.
- It’s web-based – And this means that you can add new content to your website as long as you have the login details and access to the internet. You don’t need specialist software to do this.
- You can have multiple users – Each permitted user can have their own login details so access can be tracked, whilst the responsibility for updating the site can be shared.
- A blogging facility is built in – WordPress started out as a blogging platform, it’s what it was made for. So a RSS/email subscription facility is easily available, as well as commenting and moderating facilities too.
- Plugins connect with social media – There are plugins that will connect with LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media platforms and make it easy for you to share your new content.
Having a website that is based on the WordPress platform, therefore, is a huge step towards being able to manage the impression you give online more effectively. Not only can you create new articles, adding text and images and laying them out in the most appealing way for your audience, but you can then share it on social media too.
If you’d like to find out more about ensuring you’re making the right impression online, then please contact us. We’d be delighted to talk your concerns through with you in more detail.
