* This is a guest post written by Fashion Photographer, Olivia Bossert.
Don’t let your brand and website down with your photography & imagery!
So, you’ve spent lots of money on a beautiful website. It’s perfect, exactly how you want it to look. Your branding is on point, everything is flowing beautifully, and you can’t wait to share it with your customers.
There’s just one catch… Your photos are not quite up to scratch.
Don’t worry, I see it all of the time. Beautifully designed websites, but awful photos. You’re not alone.
Many people skip over investing in photography because they think that they can get away with any old image. After all, why would you invest in something that you can just take with your smartphone?
I’m hoping that today, I can change your mind. Below are 5 reasons why you should invest in brand photography…
1. Stock imagery isn’t the answer
A lot of people who build new businesses and websites turn to stock imagery. I can understand why. There are millions upon millions of images in stock libraries, both free and premium. Some are wonderful, some are awful.
If you can find gorgeous stock images, what harm is there in using them on your website?
In theory, there isn’t much harm. But stock imagery won’t:
Elevate your brand
It won’t make you stand out from the crowd
It won’t be individual to your business
In the age of the internet, the one thing you should always be striving for is to be individual!
Olivia’s photography for Crew Clothing
2. That selfie won’t do you justice
The amount of times I’ve been onto the “About” page of someone’s website and seen a blurry, low resolution selfie as their Headshot astounds me. Sometimes, even photographers have these are their headshot. Why?!
If there is ONE image you should invest in above all for your business, it’s in a gorgeous headshot. The “About” page is always going to be one of the most visited pages on your website. Why? Because people love to get to know the person behind a business. They want to be able to relate to you. They want to see your face.
(Further reading: 11 Tips for Writing Your About Page)
The goal in everything we do as business owners is to try and improve the “know, like and trust” factor between our customers and ourselves. One of the quickest ways to do that is to show your face.
So don’t skimp on this. Invest a bit of money into having headshots taken by a brilliant photographer (I offer headshot photography… just saying!).
Example of Olivia’s headshot work and professional brand photography
3. First impressions are everything
They say that a photograph says a thousand words. That is a saying for a reason… because it’s true. When people visit your website for the first time, if they are greeted with beautiful images, they’ll be far more likely to hang around for a while.
However, if they see images of low quality, with no personality, or which are very off brand, they’re far more likely to click away.
Olivia’s brand photography for FUN:D Clothing
4. You want to Stay consistent
One of the fundamentals of branding is consistency. Using the same colours, and fonts throughout your website, social media, marketing collateral is all key.
And guess what? The same thing applies to your photographs.
(Further reading: 5 Ways Inconsistent Branding Can Be Damaging to Your Business.)
There is a reason that all of those Instagram accounts you see with huge followings featured very similar looking imagery. They look consistent, and nothing attracts people more than a consistent looking grid! The same applies to your website.
Photographers tend to have a style that they stick to naturally. Working with a professional photographer, rather than using stock images shot by many different photographers, or images you’ve taken yourself over the years, ensures you remain consistent.
(PSSt! If you want to learn more about taking great photos for instagram, check out My ebook!)
Most small businesses can’t afford a photographer to take ALL their imagery for social media content - especially for Instagram, which is very image focused. It’s wise to invest in a professional for your website photography, but if you’re on a budget, there are a number of ways you can improve your own skills to take better photos of Instagram! My ebook covers all my best tips for this, for just £6.99.
IN THIS 40+ PAGE EBOOK, YOU’LL FIND:
how to set a goal for your Instagram account
how to work out who your dream follower is
understanding your brand
the basics of smartphone photography
the basics of DSLR photography
understand of composition
understanding of light
how to create an Instagram theme, and whether you need one
how to edit your images
popular themes to photography for Instagram
how to shoot a flat lay
Plus, a bonus chapter at the end featuring all of the camera gear that I use.
5. You can speak directly to your ideal client
Similar to consistency, is the idea that you want to always keep your ideal client in mind. Hopefully you’ll have spent some time really honing in on who you want to attract to your business. (If you haven’t, I recommend doing so). Knowing who your ideal client is, you should have a good idea of what kind of things they’re drawn to - including imagery.
Keep that ideal client in mind when you’re planning your photoshoots, and ensure that the images you have taken will be images which will attract them.
Olivia’s brand photography for Quiescent
About Olivia Bossert
Olivia is a fashion photographer, blogger and podcaster working with brands and businesses throughout the UK such as Barbour, Joules, White Stuff and Crew Clothing. She helps them to grow their audiences, sell their products and inspire their followers.
Her photography has been described as fresh, calming and romantic... with a bit of adventure mixed in, and also helps everyone from brands to creative start ups boost their social media followings. If you're in need of images for your next ad campaign, want to up your Instagram game, or want to capture your new collection in an imaginative and original way, go ahead and get in touch with her!
