If you are like myself, you have a low attention span when it comes to advertisements. I’ve heard them all before, I have heard your tag line before, I know your brand’s song off by heart, and I know what your social media posts say time after time. The best way to really grab my attention, make me stop dead in my tracks, is to include powerful high resolution imagery. Imagery of beautiful scenery, a magnificent house, delicious food or simply of a cute animal. This is just it, some of us have grown up in the age of electronics and value this visual aspect of the online world. I know that if a clothing brand has poor imagery, I might not be as inclined to purchase from them. If you do not have professional photos of your business I will consider yourself slightly unprofessional.
And you might say to me, but Cindy … my business is based on referrals and I just don’t have time for that stuff. Well think about it like this, my generation is just entering the home ownership stage in our lives. Whether it is dual income or single. We are getting older and we have hard earned money to spend. My generation is also very passionate about visual with a large importance on artistic expression. I’m lucky enough to grow up in a generation that Is very artistic on social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and even Facebook. We care about what we post, and that might seem ridiculous to some but we genuinely care about our self branding.
With that being said, If someone were to come across a brand that isn’t fully developed or looks a little bit ugly. For example, a plumbing company with a small white car decal in Comic Sans, we are going to choose the company with the well crafted logo and branding scheme of course. Why? Because we care visually about with how we invest our money. And that’s just the ugly truth, looks in this case really do matter.
With that being said, you have the ability to change this. Investing in a camera is one way to really show case the product you are selling or your overall company. You could also hire a photographer to come take pictures for you, they will know the right angles, lighting and lenses to use. But wait … that seems expensive and unnecessary. Let’s look at it this way, if you were to invest your money into a Pool company with lack luster photos and iPhone pictures on every platform. Would you be interested? If you can’t even see the true workmanship of the project, would you trust them to come into your backyard and start working? Would you hire the photographer if you couldn’t not view high resolutions photos of her previous work?
Examples of my favourite companies using photography to their advantage.
National Geographic
This company grew up on strong, powerful imagery. It was the first of it’s kind. Now it is known for it’s high resolution imagery and has been going strong since 1888! Check out their Instagram profile.
This brand is also known for it’s strong imagery of Canadian landscaping, beautiful girls and the clothing that they sell. They are a young company but the photography that they use is beyond any of their competitors.
Nike and Under Armour
Both of these brands (they would probably be offended if they knew I grouped them together, shh) use photography to boost their branding experience. Some of these photographs are so detailed that you feel like you want to work out after you see them. Especially if they are of really fit Olympians or popular celebrities.
Starbucks
Starbucks has the photography world by storm. Not only do they have wonderful festive imagery on their own social media platforms, but they also have wonderful photos on everyone else’s social media! Something about those Christmas cups is just so photogenic, I can’t help but take an Instagram story of my Frappuccino.
Ripe Juicery
I am not vegan or vegetarian, but when I see Ripe Juicery pop up on my Instagram I want a green juice and a salad bowl. Why? Because they take great photos of their juices and delicious snacks. They understand that Instagram is essential to their growth, especially in a world so dominate on younger individuals selling
Having this level of photography on your website and your social media platforms is essential to not only show that you create stunning work but to also show your potential clientele that you are serious about your company. Even within the field of Real Estate, it is essential to have beautiful photos of every section of a house. You must create a visual feel before they enter it. They must feel like they live there without stepping foot into the house. With platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest becoming the most popular social media platforms in the world, you have to have great photos to endorse your services!
Do you need a professional photo of yourself? Come by on January 17th and visit us for a FREE Business Photo Session! This is a great opportunity to network, eat some delicious snacks and have a professional photo session. Listen… It’s time to change that LinkedIn picture of yourself… don’t worry, come see us this January! Check out our Facebook Event here.
