2012 saw the rise of photos or graphics in social media more so than any other year -- with picture usage and sharing growing across Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, and Pinterest.

In March, Facebook changed to its Timeline layout, giving us a more visual method of storytelling that encouraged users to tell their own stories through photos and videos, instead of simple text updates. Within just six months, Instagram use increased by 1179%.

Below are some great examples of campaigns we have worked on that demonstrate the power and effectiveness of photos on social networks. 

Earthjustice--As part of their Mountain Heroes campaign to  oppose mountaintop removal coal mining,  Earthjustice recruited many celebrities, including actor Woody Harrelson, to show their dedication to protecting the environment. This photo quote received the most Likes and Shares for any post on Earthjustice’s Facebook Page at the time of posting.

Friends of Quinn--Friends of Quinn is a an online community and system of support for young adults with learning differences, and as part of Dyslexia Awareness Month in October 2012, Friends of Quinn uploaded a photo of actor Orlando Bloom, who openly has dyslexia. The quote offered both support and inspiration to others with similar learning styles, and was the most popular post on the Friends of Quinn Facebook Page at the time of posting.

OUR Walmart--works to ensure that all associates of Walmart are respected regardless of age, sex, race etc.. It is designed to be a forum where these associates can talk and connect, in the hopes of solving problems at Walmart and also create a stronger sense of community. Fission was not directly linked to this campaign, but we have worked with OUR Walmart in the past. This photo quote is a great example of an extremely popular post on facebook, which so happens to also be a photo quote.

The three examples above are of photo quotes from different campaigns, each of which were the most successful posts on their facebook page. Photo quotes as a means of persuasion have proven extremely effective in campaigning via social media. Quotes have always been a useful method of instilling inspiration or showing the support of prominent figures for a given cause, and taking these quotes and laying them over an appropriately thoughtful portrait or image can give the quote a more powerful resonance with supporters (not to mention it takes up more space and thus is more likely to be seen!). Ideally, seeing the face attached to the quote will allow viewers to visualize the speaker and make the quote seem more genuine.

Photos have become so popular in the world of social media campaigning because posts with pictures generate twice as many likes than those without. Studies show that users are more drawn to visually-based content because it encourages a stronger reaction in its viewers in a shorter amount of time.

For more information about the power of visuals in social media, see these two incredibly useful infographics: “The Power of Visual Social Media” and “The Facts and Figures about the Power of Visual Content.”