We all know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover – but when your customers are looking for a business to solve their problems, that’s exactly what they do. They search online, click on the search results and come face to face with your website. One the page is loaded, do they see a boring generic screen with options, or do they meet the warm, smiling faces of the team that can help? That’s the difference professional photos, or better yet, videos can make for a business. Having high-quality images will help potential customers to your business and the people who work there.
Using quality, professional photography and video content across your website, social media and other digital channels not only catches the reader’s interest but also improves your visibility online. Images and video content are one of the most valuable tools for getting better results from your content. Visitors are 80% more likely to engage with content if it’s paired with an image and 64% more likely to remember what they read or heard.
So there you have it. You need images to promote your business. Now the question is – where should you get them?
Once you decide to invest in quality images, you have three options: You can use stock imagery, take the photos yourself or hire a professional photographer. We recommend the latter. Original photography is more authentic and successful for businesses.
No matter who your customers are, professional photography is an important asset that will contribute to your business’ success, and here are 7 reasons why.
1. Professional photos establish your brand’s identity.
Imagery is an indispensable part of your brand and how your business communicates itself to the public. Is your business corporate, witty or fun, video and imagery give you a chance to really showcase your brand’s personality. Plus, no matter your personality, it shows you are serious about quality and professionalism.
2. Professional photos grab the attention of your customers and give a good first impression.
As mentioned above, images on your website and social media are often the first impressions of your business. So, it’s absolutely vital to have your best foot forward to make your business stand out.
3. Professional photos give an authentic visual representation of your brand.
People connect with people, so using photos and videos of your actual staff, office and business gives customers a chance to form a connection with you, before you’ve even met. The importance of this cannot be overlooked, especially in the professional services industries such as finance and medicine, where trust and connection are important to retain customers. You could always use stock photos, but because they don’t show your actual product, service or business, it won’t come across as authentic to your customers. You can see an example of this above which showcases the great staff at National Construction Management.
4. Customers can get to know you.
When customers visit your website, they want to get to know you, what you do and why you do it! It’s been proven people are more likely to do business with someone they know and trust. Stock photos don’t help them do that – even worse, they could give people a false impression of what you offer. The best way for potential customers to get to know your business is by showing them actual photos of your business, your team and what you do.
5. Stock photography feel inauthentic.
The biggest drawback of using stock photos is that they can be bought and used by anyone, so the chance that another company is using the same image is high. Furthermore, if a photo on your website associated with a business the visitor has had a bad experience with, those associations can influence how they view your brand. We’re not saying you should never use stock photos, there’s just a time and a place for them.
6. The quality of professional photography is incomparable.
No matter how good the camera on your phone is, you simply can’t beat the quality produced by professional photographers. Years of experience, coupled with the great quality gear they use, guarantees the final images are high quality and perfect for the platforms you intend to use them on, whether it’s your website, Facebook, LinkedIn imagery or more.
7. Professional photos give your business a competitive edge.
High-quality images stand out from the crowd and make your business unique and professional, which can be the difference between someone clicking your Ad on Google, engaging with your social media or enquiring through your website. It can lift the quality of a business more than you know, which means higher quality services and higher quality customers; and who doesn’t want that?
Corporate photography can set the tone for your whole business, showing your potential customers that you are committed to providing them with professional service and quality products. If you value your brand, you should hire a professional photographer to help you with your business growth.
We all know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover – but when your customers are looking for a business to solve their problems, that’s exactly what they do. They search online, click on the search results and come face to face with your website. One the page is loaded, do they see a boring generic screen with options, or do they meet the warm, smiling faces of the team that can help? That’s the difference professional photos, or better yet, videos can make for a business. Having high-quality images will help potential customers to your business and the people who work there.
Ready to book a professional photo or video shoot for your company? Or just want to learn more about the benefits of professional content and how it can effectively promote your business? Contact the team at Pepper Productions today and let’s work together get showcase your business! We’re a Sunshine Coast based production company who are backed by a full, in-house digital marketing team. This means we can produce your video with specific marketing goals in mind, and effectively promote it across all platforms for the best results possible.
