People say a picture is worth 1000 words.
However, in marketing, a picture has a very different purpose than written content, and both are highly important. A great image matched with well-written copy is absolute business marketing genius. Copy and imagery work together to build your brand identity, which brings together several strategic elements that relate to what you do, why you do it, and how you do it differently from competitors. In other words, your brand is more than just a cool logo. Every piece of content you create, both visual and written, serves a purpose for SEO.
So, how do you get your pictures to tell your story?
You don’t need expensive equipment.
You don’t need to go out and spend your hard-earned money on equipment; you can easily utilise what you already have to take great photos. Just using your smartphone and photo editing apps will create a high enough quality image for your business marketing and still look professional. Photographers will spend the money on a good DSLR camera because it gives them more control over the image in pre and post-production, but they are often chasing higher quality images than you need for general use.
What should you capture?
Most people are surprised at what I take photos of for my clients! My biggest tip about what to take photos of is to shy away from capturing inanimate objects (aka products). If you want to show products, show people using and enjoying them. A solo product shot is ok now and then, but people tend to just see them as ‘sell, sell, sell’ and just scroll past.
Here are my top tips:
- Take photos of people’s emotions, for example, their faces, smiles, laughter, focus etc.
- Use candid photography. Stand back when people don’t know the camera is out and take photos when they are not aware. Always make sure you have their consent to use their images – read below.
- Show movement. There are lots of ways you can do this, but shutter speed is the best way. For example, show blurry legs to illustrate someone running, or capture a crisp car image with a blurred background.
- Show the details by zooming in. For example; images for a locksmith could zoom in on the pins in the lock to show people what it looks like.
When to capture photos
In all honesty, I could give you a speech about being artistic and finding your golden hour when your business is draped in sunset light, but realistically – whenever there is an opportunity to take photos, you should. I also advise you to take multiple shots from different angles. Then store them for what photographers call “stock images” ready for when you need them.
Capture the story
Marketing is all about inviting people into your story, so your photos need to do just that. Try stepping back and taking photos from an outsider’s vantage point, and allow people to interact without noticing the camera. Getting up high and taking birds-eye photos of people working can be a good way to invite people into your story too. I do recommend you avoid the “say cheese” and fake smiles.
Before you post your photos
If you haven’t read our blog on Copyright, then I recommend you take a look to ensure you don’t break any rules around image use. Capturing photos by the candid camera is great, but you still need permission from the subject to post the photo. Don’t let that worry you, we give you all the tools in our blog to help you capture and publish photos safely and legally.
So there you have it – you have the tools, the time and now the resources and understanding on how to take photos for your business. If it still all seems a bit daunting, you can hire a photographer to do the work and present you with a beautiful portfolio of images ready to go for your business marketing. It may not be as expensive as you think! Contact us to find out more about CLP’s photography service.