I want you to stop what you are doing for a minute and take a look out your window. Better yet, take a step outside, breathe in the fresh air and take a good look around you. Does nature surround you? I hope so! It’s beautiful, isn’t it? There is something about nature that embodies perfection. It therefore predisposes us to enjoy and crave perfection in our lives as well, regardless of what form it might take. Be it in food presentation, architecture, or even in ourselves, people are often riveted by things that are smooth, clean, sharp and beautiful—in other words, perfection.
The sentiment is no different when it comes to viewing video and imagery. How many of us like to choose our cellphones based on camera quality? We want high-resolution pictures that show up every strand of hair on our skin or freckle on our face. Why? Because the more realistic something seems, the more we attach feelings of trustworthiness, originality and authenticity to it. It’s why movie theatres created the 3-D and 4-D experience for their customers. It’s why virtual reality is such an exciting activity. And it’s why high-quality imagery is essential for grabbing your audience’s attention from the get-go!
If you are of the opinion that high-quality images are nothing special, or not necessary for elevating your business, I will give you 3 reasons why using high-quality images in your business will actually set you apart from the rest of your competitors.
Customers See You Before the Competition
Immediately capture your audience’s attention as soon as they lay eyes on your ad, with a superb image. People are often bombarded by so many texts and images on social media that it is easier to just keep scrolling until something particularly interesting catches their eye and stops their scrolling finger in its tracks. That could be your photo! Ensure your images are not only high-resolution but tell the story of your content using colour, attitude and finesse. Make it big and bold so that it cannot be missed and potential customers will feel compelled to stop and read to find out more. In contrast, post a small, slightly fuzzy, not very relatable photo, and I can assure you that your readers will just keep on scrolling. Nothing of interest here!
Look Professional, Embody Quality
What image comes to mind when you hear the word ‘professional’? You will probably think of someone in a crisp, sharp suit smiling at you and ready to help. But a professional look extends to the lighting used, composition, and an eye for detail in the foreground and background elements of the photo. It is, therefore, crucial to ensure that your brand also exudes professionalism in everything it presents. As consumers, we often see the company images even before interacting with an employee of the business. Using high-quality photos in your marketing strategy will make your business look professional and lead people to believe that it must also offer high-quality products and services. However, poorly shot imagery used to advertise your business looks lazy and shoddy and will signify to your customers that your products and services must also be pretty ‘meh’ as well.
Imagery Sells the Story of What Your Brand Represents
Imagery is not only about how high the resolution of your picture is, but also has to do with composition. These two factors alone can tell people what they need to know about your business. The use of low-quality and poorly composed images will give people the impression that your business did not invest the time or resources to communicate its story well. Remember the old adage, a picture tells 1000 words, are you sending the right message?
In your marketing, use your image to convey your brand personality attitude and story to increase your credibility in the eyes of your audience.
Put it Into Action!
There are various ways a business can choose to incorporate high-quality imagery into its marketing strategy and stand out from the rest. Hiring a professional photographer is one place you can start. However, there is also the option of utilizing free high-quality images from stock image websites, or even through using apps that help improve the resolution of current pictures you already have and may still want to use.
Now that you understand the importance of having really great high-quality images, the next step is to understand how to effectively use them in your advertising strategy, which you can read about in my blog post, The Dos and Don’ts of Effective Advertising. You should now have no excuse to use any other images but high-quality ones for your business.
Disagree?
Let’s talk about it in the comments!