Yesterday I was talking with one of my friends, a Denver-based skincare boutique owner, when she made a startling confession: “We haven’t posted anything on Instagram this month because our last shots performed terribly.”
If you run a small to mid-sized e-commerce store, you already know that even the latest and greatest smartphones and amateur light systems can’t produce the image quality that we’ve come to expect from skilled product photographers.
And yet, social media is all about high-quality visuals, which makes it impossible for small companies to compete with big brands. However, ignoring social media altogether is not an option; almost 65% of the world’s population is on social media, according to Data Reportal.
The solution is to use high-quality, AI-powered images for your social media channels. Here’s what you need to know to get things done properly.
People’s Attention Span is Diminishing
On average, Insta users spend less than 2 seconds on a post before deciding whether or not to move to the next one. And on TikTok, we’re talking about even shorter values. So, your product image needs to capture people’s attention in a second or less.
There isn’t a surefire recipe for success; in fact, the most viewed TikTok video is a… black screen! So, it’s best to create a few dozen of high-quality AI images, post 2-3 of them each day, and then double down on what works best.
AI-Powered Image Generation Beats Traditional Product Photography
With professional product photos, you’re looking at $3,000+ in production costs per month. AI product image generation services don’t just help business owners save money; they can help create holiday-themed product displays throughout the year by using the same base photos, for example.
Not only that, but AI helps you place products in contexts that relate to trending topics. Think about showing a model wearing your sunglasses while sitting on the beach at this weekend’s viral destination, and so on.
Moreover, nothing stops you from mixing AI images and traditional photos. Test the waters using hundreds of AI-powered images, and then recreate the winning ones in a traditional studio.
Engagement Metrics Will Surprise You
Properly implemented AI-generated social images have the potential to outperform traditional photos. You may not have the funds to travel to Egypt to snap photos for your new jewelry collection, but you can easily bring the pyramids to your computer using AI.
This doesn’t mean that all your social media content should be AI-generated, of course. My recommendation is to use a mixture of user-generated content, professional images for hero content, and lots of AI-generated photos for variety. I’d go for 30% customer photos, 10% pro photos, and 60% AI photos.
Starting with AI Images on Social Media is Easy
Identify your top 10 bestselling products. Then, generate a few lifestyle contexts for each product. Start posting them on social media, see which images perform best, and then create more similar images.
The social media landscape requires not only quality, but also quantity. AI-powered images aren’t just saving entrepreneurs money; they’re helping them compete with big brands at a fraction of their marketing budgets.
In the end, my friends, the scroll stops when people see compelling images, no matter how they were created.