Commercial Photography - Market Your Business With Photography
Use the power of photography to market your business and engage with your customers.
Running a small business in the current economic climate is a really challenge. We all know that to succeed you will need a website site, blog and these days post regular updates on social media platforms. However this alone is not enough. You might have a great site and worked hard to make it search engine friendly, but all this hard work can be wasted if the photographs let you down.
Small Business Photography: You don't need a model to be in your marketing photographs for your business. Have some fun and show customers who you are.
"A picture is worth a thousand words"
A over used quote I know but yes it really does. To prove this imagine you are looking for a local plumber and carry out the search. From these results randomly follow the links and check out each site. Only spend a few seconds on each page and bookmark the sites you like. Soon you will have a short list of websites that have caught your attention. Now think about these results. What made you bookmark these particular sites? Was it the interesting article or the great on page SEO? Neither because you didn't have enough time to read the article. You bookmarked these sites purely on how the page looked once it loaded. Of course without good SEO or interesting copy the website will not rank highly in the first place, so while its still very important I'll leave these topics to other bloggers (I would suggest you check out The Moz Blog its full of excellent advice regarding SEO). Your first impression of the site and how it looked, if it was visually interesting and had relevant with creative images determined if you liked it or not. First impressions play a big part in keeping visitors on your site. Which would you prefer to be bookmarked or forgotten about?
Stand out from your competition with a set of professional business photographs.
You wouldn't use a hand written sign on your shop door to attract customers. Create a professional look to your website with great photographs.
How do we all search the internet? Well if you're anything like me you don't rely on the first page result. You search using different terms, look for reviews, articles and over a period of time build up a short list. However when you start your search its the visually pleasing websites that you stop at and start exploring. So with this in mind do you really want to risk losing a customer in the first few seconds of them visiting your site? Your site has to look professional and have good images promoting your service or products. Don't rely on generic stock images or photographs taken on your smart phone. A website is the modern equivalent to a shop window. Would you put a hand written sign in the window of your shop to attract customers? No I hope not, so why rely on poor photographs on your website. Book a professional commercial photographer to visit your business and create some photos.
Advice on booking a photography shoot for your business
An experienced photographer will be able to work with you, offer advice and create high quality photographs. Draw up a list of photographs you want and work with the photographer to create a shoot list. Use their experience and creative talents to suggest ideas. Don't be afraid to be in the photographs. You don't need to book a model for the shoot as your customers will trust your business more if they see you and your staff in the photos. Here's some examples of the type of photographs you could have:
Staff Photo's
Ideal for you about page. The pictures can be as formal or as fun as you like, at a company called Smug Mug the staff all dressed up as superheroes.
Interior and Exterior Photo's
If you have a restaurant, hotel of small shop get some interior and exterior photographs taken. It will show customers what they can expect when they visit you. They will also be useful for you contact page and Google or Facebook business page.
Product Shot's
Whether you sell cupcakes or vintage cars a good photograph will help your online sales.
Services
Demonstrate the services you offer with a interesting photo. If you are a plumber get some pictures of you installing a boiler, fixing a tap or changing a radiator.
If you need help to promote your business with a set of creative commercial photographs, please get in touch. You can also find out more about my Commercial Photography service here.
Creative and professional photographs of your business and staff will bring your website to life.
Business Services Photograph: Shot at night I used the lights from the vehicle to show these workmen using the machine.
Staff Photograph: This photograph was taken for a corporate client in London. I spotted the door way on my arrival to the offices and managed to use it in this photo after taking the more traditional boardroom shots inside.