Are You Using Your Images Legally
Using images in content creation and on social networks has a number of benefits for marketers looking to engage with stakeholders. Content that's shared on social media channels have a much higher chance of creating engagement when it has an image attached to it. In fact, here are just a few important facts about visual content marketing that you need to know.
● Coloured visuals increase people’s willingness to read content by 80%
● People retain 65% of information they read if there are relevant images attached
● Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without
● Over 39% of marketers believe that more of their budget should be allocated to the acquisition or creation of compelling visual assets
● 65% of senior marketing executives believe that visual assets are core to how their brand story is communicated
If you aren’t a photographer or graphic design expert, you’ll need to find images you can use online. With the internet, there are countless pictures and visual content available for you to use. Before you begin to acquire images for your marketing strategies, you need to understand the difference between copyrighted and public domain material.
Can I Use That Image?
Images that have been copy written are legally protected from use without the copyright holder’s permission. This includes reproducing those materials with linkbacks, attributions, or shout-outs. Copyright law gives the holder the right to decide where their work is published and how. Copyright infringement is illegal and carries with it significant consequences.
Public domain images are freely shared and can be used without fear of repercussions. Material listed under public domain has a reputation for being poor-quality substitutions when compared to the protected counterparts. Yet, the internet has grown to the point where marketers have access to millions of high-quality graphics and photos.
There are a lot of websites that collect images that are in the public domain. They also let users upload images and content that they’re providing for the public to use. Most of these sites, and their images, have terms attached to them that may dictate a required attribution or format. Yet, the material found in public domain websites are available for use in any manner that you need.
For more information on the using images check out this infographic: http://lifehacker.com/follow-this-chart-to-know-if-you-can-use-an-image-from-1615584870
Where Can I get Images?
To help you find the best images for your marketing strategy, we’ve put together a list of some of the top websites to find public domain images. In no particular order, here are three great places to start browsing for the material you need to make your content shine:
Pixabay
This is one of the best websites to find images for your marketing campaigns. It has a clean layout and easy to use search function. With over 640,000 free stock photos, vectors and art illustrations, Piaxbay is our first choice for getting the images you need. The material available on the website is high-quality and easy to download. They also have high-definition videos available and all of the content can be used across any network.
Flickr: The Commons
This is a popular choice for marketers who need diverse images for their content. While not all of the content on Flickr is public domain, The Commons is filled with material that is free to use in any way that users need. The Commons is a program that launched in 2008 through a partnership between Flickr and the Library of Congress. This is a great option to find unique pictures from around the world.
PublicDomainPictures.net
While this website doesn’t have as many images as Pixabay, it has a unique categorizing layout that changes how you find the material you need. Of course, pictures can be found through the normal search and browsing function. The website also sorts images in the following sections:
● Top Images
● Latest Pictures
● Categories
● Professional Photos
● Seasonal Photos
● Photo Tutorials
If there’s a photo that you think you need to have for your marketing campaign and it’s copyrighted, you can also approach the holder to gain their permission. Most people will accommodate your request, especially if you’re able to promote their efforts in the process of using their images.