With the rapid growth of technology, it is easier than ever to take a photo and publish it. This accessibility has made it effortless for small businesses to photograph their own images. With cameras found on nearly every phone, and computers in every home, small companies can create their own marketing material, websites, and photography. However, this does not always mean doing it yourself is the best option for your business. A recent article I read, from the National Federation of Independent Business, lists 3 benefits of professional photography.
Turn browsers into clients.
Today’s market is very visual and prospects are searching online to find a company or agent to hire. Unfortunately, many companies don’t get the chance to sell their services face-to-face. That said, customers have become quick to judge a business based on the visual media it presents, that means good photographs are crucial.
“Bob Shirilla, owner of Simply-Bags.com and Keepsakes-etc.com, hired a professional photographer to photograph his products, the new images on his website created immediate results.
‘It affected my conversion rate and my bounce rate,’ Shirilla says. ‘Customers that used to come to the home page and leave are now shopping around on the site.’
Justin Lugbill, chief marketing officer for the interior design firm Lugbill Design, says professional photography has brought more leads to the company.
‘We started getting comments like, ‘I liked this picture on the website, can you do something like this?’ he says.’”
As a result, by using professional photography these companies saw notable results. Browsing customers were driven to their site and stayed to shop around. In turn, these companies gained a return in their investment.
Provide publicity and exposure.
Professional images can be used in many ways to promote a company. Depending on the licensing agreement a business has with the photographer, companies can grow leads and gain exposure by sharing the images on other sites.
“Lugbill says it’s helpful to have professional photos when opportunities for publicity arise. ‘[We give] the images to bloggers and websites,” he says. “They create a more high-end, finished look through all of our media, whether it’s local news or guest posts on the HGTV website. The photos have helped us not just gain leads, but also get exposure.’”
Therefore, by using the images in a publicity format companies can gain exposure on other websites. This not only places the company in front of more people but is likely to provide new prospects.
Compete with “the big boys.”
The truth is, the market is full of companies of all sizes. Without proper marketing it could be hard for smaller companies to gain traction and compete against well established firms. However, by investing in a website, professional images, and appearance a company can create a brand and provide something that no other association can.
“For Shirilla, whose websites appear in search results next to mega-retailers like Amazon and Macy’s, professional photography has also helped him level the playing field so he can compete with larger companies. ‘The way to win is to make your products look better,’ he says.”
In conclusion, by creating a brand with professional images a company can appear much larger. “Sarah Boisvert, co-founder of Potomac Photonics and current CEO of Greenwood Tech Strategies says ‘It’s something that projects not just professionalism, but also that we’re actually a larger company than we really are.’”