Original stock photos can make or break your marketing. A poor stock image can damage your brand or simply not attract the attention you need. Find out why original stock photos can help build your business. Authentic commercial photography can make or break our marketing communications.

Images invite our audience to dig deeper into our content. They make us laugh and cry. They explain. They entertain. They provoke and inspire. Photos and graphics add meaning to our words. They also have a practical purpose. Images break up our text-based messages and make it easier for people to read the messages we’re providing. We use original stock photos on our website, in email newsletters, in printed brochures, in our social media.

Here’s proof why your marketing needs original stock photos:

• Adding images boosts engagement on your social media – on Facebook it increases engagement by 2.3 times; on Twitter, tweets with images received 18% more clicks than those without images and 150% more retweets.
• Articles with images get 94% more total views.
• 60% of consumers are more likely to deal with and buy things from organisations that have images on the local search results.

Stock photos versus original stock photos

With so much riding on having a good image in your communications, it’s no wonder there’s been an explosion of online photo libraries chock-full of stock images. Stock photos are a convenient way to access thousands of photos directly from your laptop. Certain services, such as Pixabay.com, Kamboompics.com and Unsplash.com, offer free stock photos. Of course, there are a few rules when using these images. Usually you need to attribute the photo to the image creator and there may be other limitations on how many times you can use it. Then there are paid stock images.

Services like istockphoto.com and Shutterstock.com offer limited rights access to hundreds of images. There’s no doubt, that if you’ve got a limited budget and you need an image in a hurry, stock photos can be very useful.

But there are a couple of downsides to stock images:

• Haven’t I seen your face before?

You often see the same old faces pop-up time and time again. Certain stock photos are very popular. The trouble with this is that you tend to see them everywhere, which can detract from your own branding. This is a real problem if an image is used by competitors in your industry.

• This is not the image you’re looking for

Though there seem to be loads of images to choose from, sometimes you have something very specific in mind – and that might be hard to find. For example, with ‘people’ shots, you might be trying to include a diversity of faces that’s simply not available. Or you’re trying to avoid that fake ‘samey’ look. You know the photos I mean. There’s that ‘random group of executives in a suit staring at a whiteboard’, the ‘smiling customer service women’ or the ‘active older couple’ that you see everywhere once you start looking!

What about creating stock photos yourself?

Equipped with a smartphone, everyone’s a photographer these days, aren’t they? There’s no doubt that, if you’re on a budget, taking some of your own photos is a great alternative. If you’re a small business, perhaps you simply don’t have the cash. And you might even become a better photographer as you go along. But let’s face it, professional photographers spend years perfecting their craft. If you’re going to ‘hang out your shingle’ and start your business on the right foot, nailing the right images for your communications upfront could make a huge difference to your overall business image.

4 Reasons why using a professional photographers is essential

1. The right image helps build trust

In some ways, it’s all about trust. The basis of building your business is encouraging people to know, trust and like you. Once you’ve achieved those goals, people are happy to give you their time and their money.

2. Builds your unique brand story

Having original images can help you stand out from the competition and make you look more credible and professional. It means you make a good impression from the moment someone is in contact with your organisation. Poor quality, amateurish photos are simply not going to reflect well on your business.

3. You need to personalise your stock photos

There are some photos that must be personalised. They include photos of your team, your workplace, your products or projects. Having professional headshots on your ‘About Us’ page of your website is essential. It helps people connect to the people they may be speaking to in the near future.

For online retailers, high-quality product shots are a must if you’re going to convince buyers to part with their cash. Showcasing your best projects is an effective way of communicating your achievements.

4. Professional photos can be cost-effective

Investing in your own quality photography means that you own those original photos. There’s no royalty to pay. And if you’ve planned it well, you can use those images again and again. In that way, having original photos can be cost-effective.

Having a professional photographer can also save the time and hassle you’ll spend searching for the right image or setting-up to take your own images.

A great logo helps people recognise your company, it’s products and services. But a logo is just one part of what it takes to build an effective brand.

What’s the difference between a logo design and a brand?

So, you’ve started a company. Apart from registering your ABN and nabbing a web address that makes sense, usually one of the first things people do when starting their company is to create a logo. Your logo is going to appear everywhere. On your website, your business card, your social media pages, your promotional caps – perhaps even on your car.

Logos are important. They may be part of your business life for years, so it’s worth getting a professional to design them. (And you often get what you paid for.)

What makes a good logo?

• It should be memorable. A good logo will help people easily identify your organisation.
• It should be unique (well, at least as different as possible from another organisation’s logo, especially if they’re in the same line of work).
• It should be simple and easy to reproduce. Make sure it still looks ok both small and large, in colour and black and white.
• Your logo should reflect your brand and your organisation’s values.
• It should also reflect your audience, using imagery that they can relate to and understand.

Branding vs. logo design – aren’t they the same thing

A logo is one part of your visual branding. A very important part, I’ll admit. But there’s a lot more to branding than just imagery. When it comes to defining “what’s your brand”, let’s first look to the marketing experts.

Marketing ‘guru’ Seth Godin says:

“A brand is the set of expectations, memories, stories and relationships that, taken together, account for a consumer’s decision to choose one product or service over another.

If the consumer (whether it’s a business, a buyer, a voter or a donor) doesn’t pay a premium, make a selection or spread the word, then no brand value exists for that consumer.”

Bernadette Jiwa, bestselling author and voted one of the Top 100 Branding Experts to Follow on Twitter, describes in her book Marketing: A Love Story, what she considers are 10 things a brand does:

1. Creates meaning around your product or service.
2. Determines what you sell, where and when.
3. Dictates the price range you can sell it at.
4. Influences the kind of customers you can sell to.
5. Changes how people feel about commodities.
6. Sets expectations.
7. Affects the kind of staff you can attract.
8. Demonstrates your values.
9. Shapes business models.
10. Enables loyalty, connection, belonging and love.

Branding is more than just a logo

According to Jiwa (and many others), branding is all about how you make people feel about what you’re offering. It helps you stand out from others. It communicates your value to your audience.

Think about logos like Nike, Apple and Coca Cola. These companies have spent millions building their brand and spreading their logo around the world. As soon as we see those logos, we have a mental image of what to expect in the products and services those companies offer. We ‘get’ how they are different from their competitors. We understand what they’re promising.

And that goes beyond what the product or services do. An effective logo helps people recognise your company/product/service, but it’s just one part of a whole marketing strategy to promote what you do and build a connection with your audience.

To find out more about how to brand your organisation, product or service, get in touch.

Your profile image is the first thing I look at when I meet a new client who’s seeking help with social media. Why? Well, I want to make sure that my clients have a powerful portrait that is a true representation of who they really are. A professional business portrait can open many doors for you.

What not to wear for a Business Portrait photoshoot

• Don’t overdress
• Don’t wear busy patterns, squares and stripes
• Don’t wear a T-shirt unless that’s the kind of look you’re looking for
• Don’t wear a big watch or jewelry
• Don’t wear heavy make-up, face powder or foundation with shine.

Business Portrait = personal brand

I’m certain that you’ve heard this before – make a great first impression, as you might not get the second chance. Use your Business Portrait as the extension of your personal brand. Your profile picture can reinforce who you are and allow people to connect with the “real” you before they see you again or meet you in person.

Leave me a note or ask me a question if you want to know more about how to prepare for a Business Portrait photoshoot.

Today, business branding goes hand-in-hand with telling a compelling story via text or images. Your brand needs to communicate the set of ideas that a company or a product stands for in people’s minds.

A brand is a projection of what we believe is reality; it can make a positive social impact on people and the planet. Today, businesses are shifting from focusing exclusively on profit to having a bigger purpose and making a positive social impact.

“In the beginning it was just about the BUSINESS – now it’s about the BRAND.”

RICHARD BRANSON

Effective business branding

Strong business branding can take your business to the next level. A brand can be very powerful — how a brand is perceived can establish a good or a bad position in people’s minds. Today, business branding is complex and includes the following:

1. Building a community
2. Creating a sense of belonging
3. Establishing a positive experience around a product and service.

You as a business owner must establish the clarity around what your brand stands for; how your brand is managed day-to-day and much more. If you invest time in defining your brand, and what you want your brand to be you will increase your brand equity (value) over the long term.

Business branding – Questionnaire:

1. I am clear on my business’s uniqueness (Unique Selling Proposition)
2. I can define my target groups
3. I have ready-to-go messages for each target audience
4. I have done a SWOT Analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats).

Results

WELL DONE – if you could answer, “yes” to three questions

NEED SOME GUIDANCE – if you said, “yes” to two questions

HELP ME! – if you said, “yes” to one or fewer questions.

Business branding is no longer just about your name and your logo — it’s also about knowing your organisation’s place in the world; building your community and providing your customers with a positive experience that is worthwhile sharing.

I hope this blog helps you to shine some light on the crucial components of the current trends of business branding. I’d love to hear what caught your eye? If you need to know more about my branding services go to branding and logo design.