The old adage of a picture is worth a thousand words couldn’t be more relevant in today’s fast-paced digital world.
93% of all human communication is non-verbal so it makes sense to appeal to the visual. Photography speaks to the best and most generous part of our human nature: the desire to share beautiful and interesting subjects with others. Artistic and professional photography gives your audience compelling reasons to engage and connect. Sure, these days you need to have the perfect website, that’s mobile optimised with a great SEO strategy in place. Yet without the artistry, there’s no connection.
Here are our top 4 reasons why photography still lies at the heart of the best marketing strategies.
According to social media, you now have just 7 seconds to grab a user’s attention.
The brain processes images far faster than text or data, so they really are the perfect vehicle to do that grabbing. Just be sure the image grabs attention for the right reasons!
Your overall aesthetic and styling will undoubtedly bring you new clients. However, you need to find the right edge to attract the right clients to your business. Antonio Federici wanted to make a stir when we created their advertising images, and they did just that – following the ASA banning of the advertising material, the brand became an overnight sensation back in 2015.
Great photography shows clients you care about the little details, you have great aesthetics and you’re a strong brand.
Photographs show personal stories. Your company is no different. Your multiple images should come together to form your specific brand narrative and depict your USP’s. If you want to compete with other businesses in your sector, you need to find angles that really individualise your company.
Stock images downloaded from the web don’t give you the individuality that your company requires. Aspirational photography showing your product being used by real people, in real situations, that suit your customer’s lifestyles, should mean you increase sales.
Photos provide the most subtle, yet powerful sales tactic. A great example of this is the success of photo-oriented ads on Instagram or Pinterest.
You’ve probably caught yourself clicking on sponsored content based on an image you’ve scrolled over? The same principle works on most media platforms. A captivating photograph and a clear Call To Action = action. The vast majority of online users will follow through with an action if the trigger is supported by visual content rather than just plain text.
Customers want to see things that are real, so making sure you have visual evidence of your product, service, employees or history, with clear and artistic images, means you’ll start to build trust. And it goes without saying, the more engaging the images, the more people remember you and share said images amongst their networks.
As any Marketeer worth their salt will tell you, emotions trigger purchase behaviours.
The world today is more visceral than ever. Consumers enjoy trends like ‘scratch cooking’ and creating homemade furnishings. We basically want to get touchy-feely with things. Photos enable your customer to do this and furthermore, share powerful images of emotion such as depth, wonder, humour or desire.
By building a library of bespoke images, your images will be yours and yours alone. This gives you a bank of assets to utilise in all kinds of ways, across all of your marketing channels from website to social to brochure. Your creative ammunition if you like. This allows you to shape your brand identity, promote your products or services and differentiate yourself from your competition.