The Importance of Photography & Visual Arts in Digital Marketing
In this article we are going to show you how a picture is worth a thousand words in digital marketing and how you can communicate well with quality photographs for your website, social media profiles and paid advertising online.
In the age of digital cameras, whether it’s one that came with your smartphone or light weight mirror less cameras, taking great photos is much easier nowadays. Which is great news for anyone who wants to promote their business, increase traffic and engage customers, because photographs are worth their weight in diamonds.
Why Photography is Important
As a brand looking to build credibility and online presence, you might have wondered what good professional photography is about. Whilst opinions about this may vary, the fact remains that photography in digital marketing plays a key role.
You might still have your reservations as to how it’s applicable to your brand specifically. To this we say – irrespective of your business niche and industry, visual elements and communication can make a world of difference.
Modern marketing strategies leverage visual content to boost your customer engagement and reputation. This showcases the relevance and importance of photography in marketing for businesses across the globe.
The aim of advertising and marketing is to sell your products and services. This applies to all kinds of businesses and also for educational establishments and charities. You can use photographs as part of a marketing campaign because they perform a variety of functions:
- They catch the eye of a prospective customer
- They help you to make the most complicated of concepts simple
- You can use them to enhance a product or service’s appeal
- You can use them to pull together your ideas
The truth is that a good photograph can make a significant difference in raising a average advertising campaign into an extremely effective one. Why are photographs so important? Because they can tell your story and convey your brand or message efficiently which is essential for customer engagement.
Believe it or not, it has been said that quality photography used on your website can rapidly increase your conversions. Some say that increases can be as much as 161%. Photography can also help improve your engagement and brand awareness, and brand perception. Let’s look at the reasons why in more detail.
Raises perception of quality
Three quarters of online shoppers use images of products to inform their decisions. In other words, they like to see exactly what they’re buying before they make a purchase. For this reason, it’s crucial that the images you use are of the highest quality. An average image will work well, but good quality photographs will enhance user engagement even further.
Photographs are very versatile
You can use photographs across a wide range of media, from your website through to email banners, printed adverts and let’s not forget social media.
Good quality photographs, or visual content, are far more likely to get shared on social channels, by a staggering 40%. Why does this happen? It is because our attention spans have shortened and your audience prefers short form content, in the form of Shorts, reels, memes, images, videos etc.
Photographs help to increase your website traffic
If you use photographs on your website, it is likely to receive as much as 90% more traffic than a website that features no images. This is because the images help the SEO value of a website, by way of the description and alt tags, which help search understand what your website relates to.
An important tip here is to remember to compress your images before you upload them. It makes the images much easier and lighter for your website to handle, without compromising the quality. If you don’t compress the images, they are ‘heavy’ which slows down your website. A website that is slow to load, for whatever reason, is more likely to be exited and your visitors will bounce off to your competitors.
Improves brand identity
Photographs that use the best lighting and capture a subject from the best angle will help to capture the essence of your brand. They will also help to establish brand identity and show what is unique about your business.
When you want to include images on your website, it is easy and very tempting to use stock images. However, original, unique images can increase conversions by as much as 35%. You also build a level of trust if you use your own images and people are more likely to buy from you.
Use photographs to help customers visualize your products
Photographs are aspirational. In other words, potential customers will be able to visualize your service or products as a part of their own life. You can use photographs to give them an idea of the benefits they can enjoy if they choose to invest in your company.
One of the most powerful ways to help customers get to know your business and what you can do for them is to use photography.
How to Choose the Right Images for Your Business
There are three critical factors you need to consider when picking an image for your digital marketing campaign.
- Does it convey the right message?
Ideally, the image you choose should fit your content as this will result in greater engagement and better leads.
2.Does it complement your brand?
Everything you publish with regard to your business should enhance your brand. If your business is in the financial sector it should convey financial security and success. If, on the other hand, you sell fitness products, any images you use should convey strength and motion.
3. Is it going to engage your readers?
If the images you use are boring and drab, they are not going to engage your readers. Choosing visuals that are crisp and vibrant, bright, and colourful, These have been shown to increase sales and readership by as much as 80 per cent.
Before you make the final decision, there is a little bit of research you need to do. First, you should make sure that none of your competitors are using the same or a similar image. If you have opted for stock photography, there’s a good chance this might be the case. Secondly, choose your colors wisely and make sure they fit your brand & its image. It is something you can use very effectively to make your brand stand out from your competitors.