How to optimise your digital media

The quality of your business's online content has never been so important.

The calibre of videography and photography on social media these days is incredibly high, so having blurry, disengaging images when promoting your business simply isn't an option.

When it comes to the travel sector in particular, posting a beautiful image of your facility could be the difference between gaining and losing a potential lead. 

Luckily though, you don't need to be a professional photographer with an expensive camera to take great photos for your Instagram feed. Nor do you need to spend a vast amount of money on acquiring effective assets.

Hi, I'm Kiera, Marketing Manager at Cavago, and I live and breathe content – and horses, as it happens!

In this blog post, I'm going to share my top five tips on how to produce great digital content for your business that will captivate your audience and increase bookings. Let's get started. 

Tip 1: Invest in your content

Your photo and video content is like a window for your customers. It allows them to have a snapshot into your business and what they can expect on booking.

Because of this, your content matters and is worth investing in. In fact, around 40% of your marketing budget should go towards content creation.

This can include buying tools, such as a camera or high-res camera phone, editing software or in hiring a professional photographer or videographer for a day shoot. 

But you should also invest time and thought into your content. Make sure you're not letting any opportunities for content pass by, and take care in what types of images you post. More about that later.

Either way, your company's reputation largely rests on the content you put out into the world, so you'll get out of it what you put in.  

Want to leave it to the pros?

As part of our gold package on Cavago, we offer our hosts a photoshoot on us! For just a little extra commission per booking, we'll organise a shoot with a professional videographer and photographer at your facility to guarantee an influx of new business and a scroll-stopping bank of marketing content. 

Tip 2: Resolution matters 

When building your host page, we recommend an ideal minimum resolution of 800KB, but ideally over 1MB. This means the images will be clear, crisp and adaptable across platforms. 

Standard smart phones are more than capable of producing images of this quality. However there are ways that you can prevent an image or video from losing resolution along the way...

• Images and videos can distort and lose quality when sent through third-party apps, so avoid sharing photos using platforms such as WhatsApp. Instead, send as an email attachment, through DropBox, Google Drive, WeTransfer or similar. 
• Avoid stretching your images by enlarging them over their original size.
• Avoid using the zoom function on your smart phone, as this can often lead to blurry images

When it comes to video, the same rules apply. However, the minimum resolution is HD, which is between 720p and 1040p. 

However, if you want to go that next level up, you might want to consider filming in 4K. This is becoming the industry standard, and can be achieved with a standard smart phone by adjusting the camera settings. 

4K is four times the resolution of full HD content and offers studio-quality results while still being supported by most channels, such as YouTube. Your videos will look realistic and crisp, whether you're making a website banner or Instagram story.

Tip 3: Adapt to different platforms 

There are lots of different social media platforms available to businesses, and each one requires a slightly different aspect ratios. That's why it's important to capture and edit your photos and videos according to intended use. But there are three key sizes to bear in mind...

• Landscape, also known as horizontal orientation and 16x9. This is a video or photo that's longer than it is wide. Commonly used for YouTube, Facebook posts and web banners. Hold your phone sideways to take content like this. 
• Square, also known as 1x1. This is the common size of Instagram posts and carousels. You can edit photos in-app to suit this size, or on your phone. 
• Portrait, also known as vertical orientation and 9x16. This is a video or photo that's taller than it is wide. Commonly used for TikTok, Reels, Stories and YouTube Shorts. It will help maintain the quality if you film with the phone upright from the get-go, rather than editing it later. 

NOTE: It can significantly reduce the quality of your footage if you try to scale a landscape video to portrait due to the zoom function on your phone. If you wish to convert one to the other, the best option is to invest in a specialised desktop editing app, such as the one I use, Wondershare Filmora. 

Need a helping hand?

When you sign up to Cavago as a host, myself and the rest of the marketing team will be on hand to support you with the marketing of your business.

Plus, we will create content to share across our own channels to promote your facility when you sign up with the gold package. 

Tip 4: Pay attention to details

When it comes to the subject of your image, don't let any of the finer details slide. 

Think of your audience. Is there anything in the image or video that could put a customer off booking with you or lead to negative comments on social media? 

When it comes to the horses, make sure they're as clean and tidy as possible and wearing well-fitting tack and equipment. Try to avoid shots of horses with mouths open or ears back and time them when they're relaxed with their ears forward. We all know horses move around a lot and can be unpredictable with their facial expressions, so take multiple images so you can select the best ones to use later. 

In a landscape image, make sure the area is clean and clear and use natural lighting to add a professional glow. 

Tip 5: Make it unique to you 

My final tip? Make sure your content shows all the best parts about your facility!

Don't forget, you're trying to sell your business to potential customers, so take photographic and video evidence of all the unique and exciting features your business has to offer. 

Whether that's beautiful guest rooms, stunning panoramic views or excellent riding facilities, don't leave any stone unturned. Giving guests a vast array of images and video content to sift through will help them know what to expect when booking and may be the deciding factor on whether or not they press 'book'. 

For an ultra personal touch, speak to the camera! Explain to your following why they should book with you or better still, interview a delighted guest! Having a real person to connect with will not only improve your credibility but also makes the perfect addition to your stories on social media. 

Sign up your facility on Cavago today for marketing support, content creation and much more! Check out our packages now.