Remember when people used to say that a picture is worth a thousand words? Well that expression still holds true today and with the latest advancements in social media it’s even easier for companies to attract new business through photos submitted by fans.

Every day businesses are constantly on the hunt for more “Likes,” followers or check-ins, and although these stats are important, this obsession with numbers oftentimes causes account managers to overlook one very important social networking element… photos! I’m not saying that you should hire a photographer and post pictures that will very obviously depict your business as perfect, but instead, encourage fans to share their real life, real time images of your brand or business on social platforms. After all, if a picture really is worth a thousand words, then a great photo can have more value than a comment, “Like” and check-in combined.

Although user generated images are an excellent addition to any brand’s marketing, there is no denying that this feature may benefit some businesses more than others. Fan photos are particularly advantageous for restaurants and hotels because properties can gain a lot of exposure from a variety of pictures highlighting rooms, events, facilities and window views submitted by guests, that is as long as the images create a positive representation. Visuals show a side of a business that words simply can’t describe and for an industry in which customers rely heavily on visual appeal to make purchasing decisions, having pictures from trusted sources can be the last deciding factor. This is why the popular social startup TopGuest now rewards users for both checking in and taking photos at their favorite properties.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that comments, posts and actions aren’t important. If anything, a social strategy should strive to integrate each of these elements to paint the perfect picture of your business because people view and consume information in many different ways. Fortunately, popular social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare are constantly innovating their products to make photo sharing as simple as possible, so now it’s just up to businesses to use this technology to their advantage. This can be done through photo sharing contests, enticing incentives or simply by spreading the word to users. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get your fans ready to say, “Cheese!”