All A Start Up Needs to Know About Photography in Marketing

According to a survey by ROI Research content on social media with relevant images gets 94% more views then content without relevant images. Another important stat is that people’s willingness to read a webpage increases by 80% if it has coloured visuals. Why is this important to your business? Simply put, based on these stats, images will not only increase the views on your social media posts but also increase traffic to your website and increase the number of people reading text on your site too.

If you have decided that your business needs some imagery then, generally speaking, you have three options:

– Buy stock images

– Take photos yourself

– Hire a professional

Buying Stock Images

Many people assume that images found on a search engine are free to use however and wherever they wish. This is not the case. Within the UK there are a set of copyright laws that exist to protect people’s rights. Whenever anybody takes a photo, regardless if you are professional or amateur, that photo is automatically your copyright and nobody should use that image without first acquiring the rights to do so.

The same applies when you want that generic office stock photo – in order to use it, you must first purchase a license. Generally, you will find the easiest place to purchase a stock photo is from a stock photo agency, such as Shutterstock or iStock. The quality of these photographs is usually fine but has obvious problems – the photographs will not be of your business, rather they will be generic and used by other companies. So you have to make a decision on how much you value individuality within your marketing stragerty.

Taking Your Own Photos

An alternative to purchasing stock photos is to take your own photos. This is becoming an evermore popular option with the improvements that are constantly being made with mobile phone cameras and the falling prices of digital cameras. If you do decide to go down this route, then think carefully of what is in your photo before taking it. If your are photographing your office, try to get all your lines straight and take photos in a landscape orientation rather then portrait so you can emphasis the width of your office. If taking photos of your staff, try to utilize the available light to your advantage – generally speaking, your phone or digital camera will perform badly in poor light conditions.

A photo taken on my iPhone

Hiring a Professional

The third option is to hire a photographer. This option obviously involves the overhead of having to pay a photographer, but, you are more likely to see results that will enable your business to stand out from the competition. A professional photographer will be able to produce quality results in a variety of environments and will come with a skill set and knowledge that is earned through experience. A good photographer will be able to work with you, understand your requirements and also make suggestions on how to produce imagery that will best market your business.

When you hire me I will offer you a reliable and efficient service. You will not be tied down by having to purchase different licensing rights and you will be free to use the photos in your marketing as you wish. You will not be constrained by the sub standard quality of a camera phone or consumer digital camera. If you’re interested in booking me, please head over to my contact page and get in touch.

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