Use Real Photos for Real Engagement

Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Stock photography has been part of marketing now for decades. While commonly used, did you know that stock can actually disengage visitors, customers and prospects?

Stock photographs can appear staged or fake. Why? Mostly because they are. Unfortunately, that perception can rub off on your business image unintentionally and subconsciously.

To succeed in engaging buyers, you will benefit from being authentic, original and on occasion, completely unique. What is more original than photos of your workplace, your product being used, your service staff working together in a candid photo rather than a staged one? But those aren’t the only alternatives to professional stock pictures.

Here’s something to think about: Conversion rates (how many people click on actions you suggest they take) for pages using stock photography actually fall behind the same pages designed with original and compelling photography by as much as a third. That is a huge difference in engagement!

This is not to imply you want to substitute any old photographs in place of your existing stock shots. Of course, you will want sharp, well-framed, interesting, composed, and balanced photos that add interest. They do not even have to pertain strictly to your subject matter. Sometimes a good background image that is related to your audience is calming and familiar and will draw out positive, connected feelings. Some imagine the purpose of images in brochures and on digital platforms is to guide the thinking of the viewer through the emotions of the people in the photo. If you want them to think your products or services work well, then some happy stock photos of people who are models are all that is required to do that, right? Well, probably not so much.

So, each day we are all inundated with stock images. A photo of the happy older couple gleefully going into the rest home. Happy workers jumping simultaneously into the air they are just so doggone pleased to be working on that day for that employer. However, many aren’t buying it. If your audience is not, then you aren’t spending your efforts or dollars as well as you could. So what can be done to make some much more authentic engagements with the people you hope to build a business relationship with?

See our blog on ten types of photos to consider instead of stock when filling your website or designing your next brochure. These ten types of alternative may give you opportunities to get more engagement. More engagement translates into a more trusting relationship - and ultimately can lead to more sales.