Facebook’s 8 Tips for Taking Great Photos

The goal of any marketer is to ensure results for their customer, and the same is true for Facebook. You're putting effort into your hotel's Facebook page, and you want to ensure that you're receiving results. The top way to guarantee your success on Facebook is by using attractive photos that gain the attention of your target audience.

Facebook offers a list of 8 tips for taking photos. With all of the data that Facebook has its hands on, there is no doubt that this list was carefully curated. After all, the goal of Facebook is to get users to continue using the platform, and they want you to succeed.

Think Mobile First

This is a critical one, and probably why Facebook decided to add it first to their list. There are as many as 1.15 billion mobile daily active users on Facebook, with an estimated 1.055 billion of these users being mobile-only. This means that around 56.6% of Facebook users are accessing the site from a mobile device ONLY. The conclusion is that since there are so many users accessing Facebook from their mobile devices, you need to ensure that all of your posts, particularly images, are optimized for mobile. For example, if you have a photo attached to a post that has tiny images, think about how these might look on a mobile device. Just because they are easily seen and look great on a desktop doesn't necessarily mean that you will achieve the same results on mobile.

Keep it Simple

With all of the competition out there, it can be easy to get caught up in thinking you need to add more to a photo to stand out. There are also tons of tools out there that can easily jazz up your photo. No matter what you decide to do, just remember to keep the overall concept simple

Follow the Rule of Thirds

While you don't necessarily need to be a professional photographer (though it helps) to take photos and post them on your hotel's Facebook, it's still a good idea to try and follow some basic photography principles. The Rule of Thirds is one of the most well-known and easy to follow. While it's an instinct to want to center the subject of the photo, sometimes that's not the best. 

(photo credit: @hazelmaven)

Try Varied Perspectives

Use this along with the Rule of Thirds. Instead of just taking a photo straight on, trying varying the perspective for a more dramatic effect. Play around with subjects that are closer to the camera and ones that are farther away, while keeping both in the shot.

Use Interesting Layouts

While Facebook means this in one particular way, you can interpret it in a few different ways. Facebook suggests arranging items that will appear in your photo in an interesting way that will attract users' attention. This is great if you're attempting to showcase specific amenities at the hotel. You can also take a look at different tools that will help you layout your photos into a collage form. While the typical side by side or stacked photo collages look great, you can also experiment with other types of arrangements.

Add a Focal Point and Varied Textures

You may have to have a few photography skills to put this one into action. If you want your subject to stand out, you can use varied textures for everything in the background. One common technique is making the background appear blurry to make the subject the focal point of the image.

Light and Shadow Create a Nice Texture

This tip is straightforward to use during the summer months and if your hotel has a pool. While not everyone necessarily has access to expensive lighting equipment, just make sure that you're paying attention to the light contrast in your photos. You don't want them coming out too dark or too bright. If you can find a way to mix some light with shadows, this is an excellent combination for drawing attention to your photos.

Use Attractive Color Combinations

Just because your photo should be closer to the simple side doesn't mean it shouldn't be eye-catching. An easy way to do this is by using attractive color combinations. Facebook recommends using a color wheel to find harmonious color combinations.

There you have it - Facebook's 8 suggestions on creating great images for your Facebook posts. Use these tips to make your social media posts shine!