Sharing images on social media isn't just proof of engagement – although that is always a plus. When followers share your visual content with others, that immediately exposes your brand to a wider audience – and shows customer engagement and appreciation. That leads to more traffic, more brand awareness, and ultimately more sales.

This can be particularly effective for retail goods, an area where visual content is often under- or mis-used on social media when it can prove very successful. If you don't already have a robust content plan that encourages shares and links, you should form one! These tactics can put you above the competition and help your social media marketing provide concrete ROI. Here are some excellent ways to begin.

1. Clearly Advertise Social Media Handles

Do your customers know that you are on social media? For many retail companies, this is the first challenge that a great visual content plan needs to meet: people need to know about your online presence! One of the most effective ways to do this is advertising your social media handles in your physical space. A clear sign at POS or at the front of your store can let people know where to go to find out more about your brand online and follow your accounts.

Saks does a particularly good job of this with signs in its stores that let customers know about its "#SaksStyle" hashtag. When people look up this hashtag, they are exposed to all kinds of carefully curated Saks images that they can like and share.

2. Create Unique Hashtags

Speaking of hashtags – do you have any of your own yet? Creating unique hashtags is vital for labeling your visual content, and making it easy to find across all social media. Retail companies don't need to drown every image in hashtags, but a couple very specific hashtags on an image will help greatly. Try to at least have a more universal hashtag for your brand and specific hashtags for that particular product image/video and the campaign. Avoid hashtags that are too similar to popular tags, as these will get lost in the flood. When posting, make sure you use the same hashtags across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. It's also a good idea to occasionally recommend hashtags in your posts as an easy way for viewers to discover more of your content!

3. Humanize the Products in Your Photos

Many retailers are well versed in creating product photos to sell their merchandise. However, these images and related video content tend to be too sterile for success on social media. To create shareable photos, humanize your products as much as possible by including people using your products as much as possible. Simply seeing a person in the photo, using the product, can create an emotional connection with the viewer, and make it more likely for people to share that image with others.

This tactic is easier for some retailers than others. It's fairly simple to showcase new summer dress wear with smiling people, and much more difficult to do the same with your latest line of screwdrivers. A little imagination can help here – and looking online for inspiration is always a good idea.

4. Create Images and Video with Greater Usability

Another factor that leads to popular visual content is usability. Two common examples of this are charts/infographics, and video guides for products. Both of these options offer significant value, particularly in the professional world, and can make it much more likely that people will save, use and share the content. Work with a visual content creation studio who will know how to position your product for best exposure. This also helps build brand authority!

5. Equip Your Product Pages with Social Media Buttons

Around 87% of consumers visit a brand's website or app when they follow brands on social media. You can use this. Make it as easy as possible for people to share your images and product information. One of the best practices here is to include social media share buttons on all your product pages, so that viewers can share a product online with just a couple clicks. People can recommend products more easily to their friends, boast about a recent purchase, or just comment on product availability – and your visual content follows along every time.

6. Run a Campaign for User-Generated Content

User-generated content can be a powerful tool for increasing engagement in visual content, and there are many ways to encourage it. Popular options include:

• Product in a Shot: Simply ask for people to post photos of your product in use (particularly effective for goods that can be consumed). This encourages people to celebrate your brand, and creates a lot of shareable images as well. Make sure you include an appropriate hashtag to help find the photos.

• Photo Contests: Create a more specific contest to encourage innovative product content. Contests take a lot of planning, but they offer a powerful incentive for your audience to get involved.

• Influencers: Other brands may prefer to connect with influencers who can do deeper reviews and news posts about their products, including original images that will be seen by their own unique audiences.