With an ever growing number of e-stores and website being built, competition is getting hotter and hotter! There are a number of things you can do to make sure you’re standing out in your profession, the one that I want to focus on is the use of images online. Why ARE images so important?
Clear photographs of your product are more likely to generate a sale
Eye-catching, well executed images attract your target market
Continues the identity of your brand helping to create an identifiable business
Think of your website as an online “shop front” – whether you’re trying to sell products, or the services that you offer. You want to give your potential customers a great first impression of your business. One way to do this is to make sure the images on your website generate impact – for all the right reasons!
“An images speaks a thousand words” - a quote that I think really sums up my next point: eye catching images will draw customers in; they’ll create a response in their head based on what they see. First impressions are everything and you want it to be a positive one. Before they’ve even started scanning through the text on your website or social media profile, they’ll notice the images used on the page. Lifeless, dull or even blurred images would instantly de-tract anyone from looking further in to what you can offer.
The purpose of images on many websites is ultimately, to inform, thus generate a sale. It’s particularly important if you’re selling a product that the viewer can connect and “interact” with the item. Informative, accurate images will allow the client to make an informed judgment on whether the product or service is right for them. Remember they can’t touch or feel the product so you want them to have a clear expectation on what they will receive, based on the images you provide. Boring, unimaginative, blurred images will do you no favours in selling what you have to offer.
Presentation is key; ensure you’re appealing to your target market: if you’re selling a bespoke or high end product, you want the images to reflect this.
Make your images exciting! There of course is a place for products placed on a plain background, but this really does generate no response with your customer. If you are selling a product, how about photographing the product in use or in an environment familiar to the intended user? If you offer a service, ensure the image captures a feeling, response or reaction. Generating an emotion, particularly with a service is a great way to ensure a booking! There’s thousands of people selling rugs, a million ways to photograph a hoof pick or pair of johdpurs – what will you do to make sure customers are choosing you?
Grab their attention, make them curious, make them want to learn more about your product or service. Ensure the photographs are informative – if they are left with questions un-answered they may feel they can’t commit to the sale.
So, hopefully now I’ve started to convince you as to why professional images on your website can be so important. Let me show you something: have a look at these two images below. Which one immediately grabs your attention? Which one makes you think “I’d definitely buy one of those?”
Choosing the right photographer for you is another topic to cover at some point, but any professional photographer will be full of imaginative, innovative ideas to help you show off your work in the best possible way!
As you can see - this image is striking and slightly unusual but also it shows off exactly how the product should be worn and fitted. Accompanying this image on the website will be close up images of the browband to show off it's key features.
Once you’ve had these images taken by a professional, you’ll instantly understand why it’s so important! The next step is knowing how to make the most of using these images, effectively!
Recently I carried out a mini experiment on social media - I asked business pages to post an image that they'd taken at a set time. Then twenty four hours later to post an image that I had taken, with a similair caption. Overwhelmingly the images that I had taken had a significantly better presense and interaction than those taken just on a phone or from a stock site!
And remember - it's not just products that need beautiful images - if you offer a service, images are too just as important!