The importance of using professional photographs on your company website
Just because there is a camera on your phone, it doesn’t mean you are a good photographer.
Yes you can take some great personal snaps, but when it comes to using images on your company website your phone is not going to cut it. You need to source a professional photographer to take the photos for you using a high-quality camera.
The images used on your businesses website are reflective of the quality of your business. In the eyes of the consumer, if you have low-quality images the customer immediately associate your business as also being low quality. This association is made instantly and it is near impossible to rectify.
In their mind if you are not willing to spend the $$$ and effort on the photos you use to market and advertise your business, are you going to put the time and effort into your products and services?
Professional photography can go a long way to enhancing the perceived reputability of your business and its website. Here are the three main alternatives for sourcing professional photos as a replacement to pictures you have taken yourself.
Stock photos
Pros:
If you are just starting out or you don’t have much of a marketing budget to splurge on a photographer then stock photography is going to be your best bet. Whilst stock photography is extremely cost-effective, it is also readily available with multiple online stock photography companies offering package deals at competitive prices. These photos are also not company specific so no one will know that they weren’t actually taken in your business.
Cons:
Because these photos are easily accessible, there is the possibility that other businesses (your competitors) may also be using the same photos on their websites. This will limit your ability to stand out if an online customer is looking at multiple companies online.
Stock photos also have a tendency to be a bit lame and cheesy and could also have a negative impact on your online customers impression of your business and its website.
Hiring a Professional Photographer
Pros:
Photos of your business or products for your website can be the most impactful on your company website. The images taken can be tailored to your business and the authenticity and originality of your photos will promote a sense of reliability and professionalism with your potential customers online. Having professional high-quality images will not only give an accurate depiction of your company environment and your staff, but can also be used to showcase your best work, your range of products or communicate the experience customers will have when they use your business.
Cons:
Hiring a professional photographer to take photos for your businesses website can end up being a big expense. If you are going to go with this option, I highly recommend doing your research. Have an exact idea of the number of photos you want to have, what will be in the photos and where they will be taken. Then you can give this information out to multiple photographers and get quotes for their work. Also check out their previous work to see if their style and quality of work is appropriate for what you are looking for on your businesses website.
Get a mate to help out:
We all know that one friend, or at least might know a friend of a friend who fancies themselves as a bit of a novice photographer. They may have a half decent digital SLR camera and may have done some amateur photography courses. If you are strapped for cash it might be worth giving them a call and seeing if they wouldn’t mind helping you out. You can pay them on mates rates and they should at least be able to take some nicer photos then you would be able to on your phone or point and shoot camera. They probably won’t be the same as a professional photographer but they will be a whole lot cheaper and they will also be personal to your business rather than just using stock photographs.
If you are designing a new website for your business, Promotoon thoroughly recommends you use professional high-quality images on your website. The images you use plays a huge role in how your potential online customers perceive the quality of your business. It can be an after though,t but as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. If you have poor quality images on your website, it doesn’t matter how good, cheap or how you describe your business in text, your online visitors will disregard you website and business as sub-standard.
