Photo by Reinhart Julian on Unsplash
In this article, we will show you why a picture is worth a thousand words in digital marketing and how you can use photography effectively for your website, social media profiles, and paid online advertising.
We have been taking photographs for hundreds of years, but to take a winning show nowadays requires nothing more than a smartphone. Long gone are the days of carefully setting up the camera and the shot, only to have to wait a week or more for your snaps to be developed.
Thanks to digital cameras, whether they’re smartphones or standalone devices, taking great photos is much easier nowadays. This is excellent news for anyone looking to promote their business, increase traffic, and engage customers, as photographs are worth their weight in gold. Peerspace competitors are also adopting creative visual strategies to enhance their marketing, emphasizing the importance of high-quality imagery in staying competitive.
For those looking to enhance their photography tools further, using apps like PicsArt mod apk can provide advanced editing features and enhanced customization, helping you create more eye-catching visuals for your marketing efforts.
Why Photography is Important
Advertising and marketing aim to sell your products and services. This applies to all kinds of businesses, as well as educational establishments and charities. You can use photographs as part of a marketing campaign because they perform a variety of functions:
- They catch the eye of a prospective customer
- They help to make the most complicated of concepts simple
- You can use them to enhance a product or service’s appeal
- You can use them to pull together your ideas
The truth is that a good photograph can make a significant difference, elevating an average advertising campaign to a highly effective one. Why are photographs so important? They can tell a story, and a story is essential for customer engagement.
Believe it or not, it has been said that photography used on your website can increase conversions. Some say that increases can be as much as 161%. Photography can also help improve engagement rates, brand awareness, and brand perception. Let’s look at the reasons why in more detail.
Raises perception of quality
Three-quarters of online shoppers use product images to inform their purchasing decisions. In other words, they like to see exactly what they’re buying before they make a purchase. For this reason, the images you use must be of the highest quality. An average image will suffice, but high-quality photographs will further enhance user engagement. However, if you find that your pictures appear low quality or blurry, tools powered by AI, such as those that fix pixelated images, can help maintain the clarity and sharpness essential for a polished, professional look.
Photographs are very versatile
You can use photographs across a wide range of media, from your website to email banners, printed adverts, and, let’s not forget, social media.
Good-quality photographs or visual content are far more likely to get shared on social channels by a staggering 40%. Why does this happen? Our attention spans have shortened, and your audience prefers short-form content, such as memes, images, videos, and visually appealing options like affordable canvas prints for wall art that can quickly capture attention.
Photographs help to increase your website traffic
For photographers managing high client volumes, using a Photography Invoice Receipt Template ensures a seamless and professional approach to billing while maintaining financial accuracy.
An important tip here is to compress your images before uploading them. This makes the photos much easier and lighter for your website to handle without compromising the quality. If you don’t compress the images, they are ‘heavy,’ which slows down your website. For whatever reason, a website that is slow to load is more likely to be exited, and your visitors will bounce off to your competitors.
Improves brand identity
Photographs that utilize the best lighting and capture a subject from the most flattering angle will help convey your brand’s essence. They will also help establish your brand identity and showcase what makes your business unique.
When you want to include images on your website, using stock images is easy and very tempting. However, original, unique images can increase conversions by as much as 35%. Using your own photos also builds trust, and people are more likely to buy from you.
Use photographs to help customers visualize your products.
Photographs are aspirational. In other words, potential customers can visualize your service or products as a part of their own lives. You can use pictures to give them an idea of the benefits they can enjoy if they choose to invest in your company.
One of the most effective ways to help customers get to know your business and understand what you can do for them is to utilize photography.
How to Choose the Right Images for Your Business
When selecting an image for your digital marketing campaign, consider three critical factors.
Does it convey the right message?
Ideally, the image you choose should align with your content, resulting in greater engagement and better leads.
Does it complement your brand?
Everything you publish about your business should enhance your brand. If your business is in the financial sector, it should convey financial security and success. If, on the other hand, you sell fitness products, any images you use should convey strength and motion.
Is it going to engage your readers?
If your images are dull and unengaging, they will not capture your readers’ attention. Choose images that are crisp, vibrant, bright, and colorful. These have been shown to increase sales and readership by as much as 80 percent.
Before making the final decision, it’s essential to conduct some research. First, ensure that none of your competitors are using the same or a similar image. If you have opted for stock photography, there’s a good chance this might be the case. Second, choose your colors wisely and ensure they align with your brand. You can use them to enhance product photography or a service’s appeal
What You Need to Take Great Marketing Photos
Thanks to technology, you can now carry a professional-quality camera in your pocket or hand at all times. Not every business has the budget to hire a professional photographer or buy their own fancy equipment. It doesn’t have to be a problem because you can take great marketing photographs with basic photography skills and some inspiration.
Here are some tips to help you improve the marketing photos you publish on social media. Why should you worry about social media? Because 300 million pictures are uploaded to Facebook daily, an average of 95 million are uploaded to Instagram each day. That is a huge audience that no business can afford to ignore.
Use grid lines to create balance
One of the most basic photography skills to learn is the rule of thirds. If you are using a smartphone, enable the grid lines function, as this will help you improve the composition and balance of your photos. Never position your subject in the center of the image.
Find symmetry
If you can capture symmetry, it will elevate your image and bring it to a more professional level. A photograph that looks like an amateur has taken it will reflect badly on your brand.
Crop rather than zoom
Unless you use a professional camera, it’s better not to zoom in on a subject manually. If you zoom in, you risk compromising the quality of the photograph. Rather than zooming in, try to get a little closer to the subject if possible. Once you have taken the photo, use the crop function to get the image to your liking.
Framing your image
This is another essential skill to learn, and whenever you have the opportunity to frame your image naturally, you should take it. If you are not happy with the natural frame, you can always edit it out by cropping your image. Natural frames that work very well include fences, archways, bridges, and trees.
Add a unique perspective using reflections
It is possible to elevate a photograph with the help of reflections. For example, using the reflection of a coastline and maybe the sunset in a bus window is a more creative image than just a monotonous picture of a bus.
Use patterns to capture your audience’s attention
On many occasions, finding the perfect pattern is just a case of taking the shot from the right perspective and angle. The pattern may not be evident from any other angle, but it sometimes becomes apparent if you take a step back.
Use a tripod
If you use a tripod, it means you’ll be able to take pictures hands-free. It will also help you achieve your desired image level and eliminate any wobble. You can also use a tripod to extend the distance between the camera and yourself, allowing you to hold the camera comfortably and securely.
Add a human element with candid shots
Don’t fill your social media page with pictures of your products. People also make great subjects. Need more convincing? Photos with faces get 328% more comments and 38% more likes than those without faces.
Final Thoughts
Photography is the foundation of a successful marketing campaign and should be one of the first considerations when designing your marketing program.
Check out this post if you want to learn more about digital marketing.
