Why Ignoring Photography Will Cost You Sales

If you ignore photography, your business could suffer as a direct result.

Does that sound like a dramatic statement to open with? The thing is, it’s completely true.  Photography is one of the crucial factors of marketing and sales. As a species, we love to look. Images have a higher emotional resonance with us than words do. This means that if you want to drive sales, you need to appeal to that emotional resonance by using images in an effective way. That’s the topic that we are going to explore today.

Imaging is more important than ever in the current climate. You only have to look at the rise of social networks such as Instagram, where image sharing is king, to see that. Clients want to see high resolution images of your products before they decide to buy. They want to view every angle, and even see examples of use. Many big retailers are now offering interactive 360 views which allow the customer to move the image around however they like.

You can be sure that the companies who are your competition will be using images. Chances are that they are even using them well. If you want to compete, you need to offer the same - or better. Make sure that a potential customer can see with their own eyes why your product is superior.

Images are even more effective when they can be shared. Allow your customers to add your images to a Pinterest board, or share them on Facebook, and you will see a huge boost in exposure. Not only that, but sharing provides a visual reminder to potential customers. When they wish to save something for later, they can do so with an image. When they are able to make a purchase, seeing that image again will prompt spending behaviour.

It seems almost like a no-brainer. Why would anyone not focus on getting the best possible images for their products? The truth, however, is that some business owners ignore photography. They may use small thumbnails which are almost impossible to view. They may take low quality images themselves with a smartphone or cheap camera. They may even not use images at all. You can be certain beyond any doubt that those business owners are losing sales.

But there is a solution which can be very easy to come by. All that is needed is a small investment in a good photographer. Presenting any kind of products in a professional way will make them appear more valuable and more appealing. Book a session to have your images photographed, and then use those images on your website for better sales.

You can take it one step further, with advertorial or editorial campaigns. These tell a story about your products. They also introduce the customer to the usage of the products. Whether you sell clothing, accessories, furniture, or another type of goods, you can bring more awareness to your brand with a campaign. The best done or most effective will generate social shares and sales leads. They will give you something to use in advertising materials in the future, as well as making your website more interesting.

Investing in photography can increase your sales by a huge amount. Don’t just take my word for it - look at the statistics. Reports show up to twenty times more engagement with Instagram posts than Facebook posts, due to the image-based focus. Even two years ago, 59 of the top 100 worldwide brands were already sharing images there. Tweets with images get around 150% more retweets than those which contain text alone. LinkedIn posts with images get 98% more comments. We could go on - the statistics get more impressive the more you read.

So, if you have been ignoring photography until now, it is time to make a change. Start thinking about making an investment today - you may not be able to afford to wait until tomorrow.