Perhaps it’s an over-used cliché to say that a picture paints a thousand words.

But does that make it untrue?

How do you regard photographs for your business? Do you have your own stock of images to use on your branded materials? Or do you simply search the free stock photo sites for something that vaguely resembles the message you’re trying to portray?

Let’s talk about the importance of images for a moment.

The importance of images in your business

Consider your business without images. Whether that’s illustrations, graphics or photographs. 

Boring, right? Uninspiring. Eminently forgettable.

Images capture people’s interest. You can write the most engaging, entertaining, informative words, but without at least one image to draw the eye and capture the interest, your words are in danger of being ignored.

And that’s not what you want, is it?

The truth of human interaction is that people are much more likely to stop and read an article, a blog, a social media post, if it has an eye-catching image. Especially if that image helps with the storytelling side of what they’re reading.

Photographs are all part of your branding and marketing

Providing images alongside the written word is a great way to build credibility as a brand. If your business sells products, it’s almost impossible to sell those products without great photographs of them. For service-based businesses, it becomes a little more challenging to take good images but portraying the benefits of your services is absolutely possible. 

The photographs you use for your business all form an important part of your branding and marketing. Ensuring the images you choose fit in with that brand is crucial to avoid confusing your audience.

It’s no good using pictures of your cat on a regular basis, if you’re trying to promote your wedding photography business – no matter how amazing the pictures might be.

Your photographs need to link in, very clearly, with your business offering.

Not only that, but professional and attractive brand images enable your audience to ‘get to know you’ a little before meeting you in person. We still live in a world where people buy from people, so it really helps to allow your customers and potential customers to see you as the face of your business, rather than hiding behind products, logos and landscape shots.

What is a good image?

That is such a good question. And one I get asked a lot.

It’s such a wide-ranging topic too so it’s difficult to give a definitive answer.

Good photos don’t always have to be taken by you. You could go for stock images there are so many available now from sites such as Canva. However, the risk is that thousands of others are also using the same images making it even harder for your business to stand out and that they don’t accurately represent your brand.

My advice, is to either try and take your own or to hire a professional brand photographer.

They’re more personal, they’re more likely to match with your brand, and you can stage them to fit in with your story, precisely too.

I advise all my clients to budget for quality images that clearly reflect their businesses rather than searching for generic stock images that don’t truly reflect who you are and what you offer.

Need some help with your brand photography? Have you seen my brand photography packages? I could help you achieve professional, engaging images for your business that can be used time and again to help bolster your brand. 

I’m looking forward to putting you in the picture.

Lauren