The right imagery plays a significant role in the success of businesses around the world. In a highly visual society - the average person’s screen time is three-hours-and-twenty-three minutes - it’s essential that your brand stands out for the sake of your marketing effort. Without professional photography, you’re bound to fall behind.
Of course, it’s hard to see the benefits of something you didn’t even realise was vital. Sure, high-definition images are pretty and catch shoppers’ eyes, but there are other essential elements you want to prioritise. Plus, a camera and class combination is ten a penny today so you can do it yourself.
In reality, your humble skills are no match for experts that understand how to capture a product or service in its best light. But, it’s not only about the aesthetics as photography impacts companies in ways you would never assume. Here are four reasons your firm must hire a pro if it’s looking to be picture perfect.
Photography Builds Brand Identity
To define brand identity as your ability to shoot photos and upload them to your website is facetious. There is more to it than art, such as how you communicate and interact with your customers. However, the face value element is always going to revolve around the features that stick in peoples’ minds.
You can pick any major brand, from Apple to Nike and Coca-Cola, and the first thing you associate with them is their logo. Next, it’s their definitive items and products, such as a sleek, silver Mac or a vivid red aluminium can. Okay, SMEs won’t have that pull from the outset, yet it should be what you work towards as your primary goal.
The human brain concentrates on imagery, which is why it’s essential to give consumers something to remember. As a rule, you want the image, whether it’s product photos or a logo, to be remembered for the right reasons!
Images Save Money
And not in the way you think. Bad images will need redoing, although it’s amazing how many businesses keep poor-quality pictures on their platforms. No, the way professional photography cuts cost is through the rate of returns.
When shoppers receive items that don’t look like they did on the website, or there is something they didn’t spot, they send it back for a refund or an exchange. The latter is fine, but the former is bad for business since high return rates can damage business profits. After all, it’s essentially a lost sale. Thankfully, the solution is to post HD snaps on your website, especially if you rely on eCommerce sales.
By doing this, you advertise your products transparently, meaning that your customers get what they want and end up keeping their packages. Another excellent feature is a zoom in/out tool, and a video that showcases the item in action.
Photography Boosts SEO
Every entrepreneur on the planet has heard of search engine optimisation. For small and medium-sized enterprises, SEO is a godsend as it allows you to compete against bigger brands on a smaller budget. With a couple of choice keywords, backlinks, and powerful copy, you can land on Google’s results pages and improve traffic by a considerable amount.
There is a snag - everyone is doing it. Therefore, it’s imperative to either find a lane that nobody else has and exploit it, or master search engine optimisation for the sake of your business’s future. Both are valid options, but discovering an SEO-friendly loophole is easier than it sounds with HD images because you can optimise them with metadata. Using stock images isn’t as effective since you must credit the original owner and can’t be as colourful with your tags.
Search engines also score brands highly when they publish high-quality photos that engage consumers.
Images Add Trust
Without an element of trust, people that land on your website won’t purchase goods or services. Would you if you weren’t sure who you were dealing with, and if you thought you might be the victim of a crime?
Online sales are common, but shoppers are still wary of fraud, which is why building trust is critical. The good news is, an image or a video eliminates any doubts in a matter of seconds. Once customers see who you are and read what you’re about, or watch it, they’ll be glad to put a name to the face.
Images instantly settle nerves, and that means you’re one step closer to capturing a sale.
