Attractive, well-produced images are a priceless tool to help
your clients connect with you.
Make
a lasting impression with images that convey the friendliness,
warmth and
professional
trust you bring to your work, plus build brand awareness of your company
and its mission, values and belief. Good business images are
a necessity, not a luxury!
I.
Review your Strategic Marketing Plan to assess
how your images are supporting
the
Plan . Use the Fortune cookie method. Do you read fortune cookies and always
add
the words "IN BED " to your fortune? Well, try reading your marketing
plan and
always
add the words "WITH IMAGES". For instance,
•
define what your company is. WITH IMAGES
•
identify the products or services that your company provides . WITH IMAGES
•
identify your target buyers/end users . WITH IMAGES
•
describe the unique characteristics of your products or services
that distinguish
them from the competition. WITH IMAGES
•
describe how advertising and promotions will convey the unique
characteristics
of your products or services . WITH IMAGES
•
illustrate your brand and/or identity (e.g. biz cards, brochures,
website) . WITH IMAGES
You
will find that there are strategies that are not supported with
high quality images.
II.
IF YOU HAVE IMAGES, inventory your current images.
Ask yourself:
•
Do these images tell our story?? Do these images project
our current image?
•
Are you relying
on one, single portrait when you really need three-four images
with
different story telling qualities as well as a different facial expression and body language to breakdown the
fear factor and let your
prospects "know" you and yours associates?
•
Are these images: dated, acceptable quality, hold the viewers
attention, have IMPACT?
•
Do you receive compliments? Do people ask who is in the photo?
III
. IF YOU NEED NEW IMAGES, ask yourself these
questions:
•
What is the end result of having the images created?
•
Where are they going? Are they in print? Are they on a website?
•
How long will these images be used? Updated frequently? Updated
annually?
•
What budget can be allocated to new images?
Remember
that you get what you pay for. As a creative professional you
are in a good position
to
create many aspects of your marketing campaign en solo. However,
it may be worthwhile to
call
in a professional for the things you cannot do with true finesse.
PAGE TWO
Condensed
excerpts from internet research on "using photography in advertising."
1.
Source: "Eye-Catcher or Blind Spot? The effect of Photographs
of Faces on E-Commerce Sites,"
Jens
Riegelsberger, M. Angela Sasse & John D. McCarthy, University
College London .
ESTABLISH
TRUST
A
major challenge in today's marketplace is persistent lack of consumer
trust. Information
access,
identity thefts and e-commerce fraud are just a few examples of
common fears and threats.
As
independent business persons we need to find ways to present ourselves
as trustworthy and professional in our website and in our marketing
materials. Research studies on the effect of photographs of people
on an e-commerce site found that a photograph significantly increased
the perceived trustworthiness of the site. Further studies demonstrated
that photos of authors
can
increase the credibility of articles in on-line magazines.
ATTRACT
ATTENTION
In
measuring study participants visual attention on website pages,
the first time a participant
viewed
a product selection page, the majority of them looked at the area
where there were photos, whereas the majority did not look at
the text only areas. Photos of faces do attract visual attention.
They
can be used as a means to signal trustworthiness.
DISPLAY
A VARIETY OF IMAGES, NOT DUPLICATION
Results
suggest caution if one single photo is used repeatedly on several
pages of the site
as
it will be largely
ignored by the viewer and eventually can irritate the viewer.
2.
Source: "Attract Clients with Your Business Card," Bill Lampton,
Ph.D.,
www.businessknowhow.com
DISPLAY
YOUR PHOTO ON YOUR CARD . Prospective clients remember
most easily the business cards with photos on them. Caution: be
sure to use a current photo, no more than five years old. The
person who uses an outdated picture raises suspicion. What else
about them is obsolete or misrepresented?
3.
Source: "Making Yellow Page Ads Work for Your Small Business!,"
David Frey
www.businessknowhow.com
ADD
ACTION PICTURES . Nothing can turn a mediocre ad into
a great one faster than the right picture. The whole reason you
want to use a photo is to obtain some kind of emotional response
from your reader and to catch their eye.
For more information or to give you a free consultation call us today 612 - 481 - 2370.
