Many business owners and marketing managers that we speak to say they take their own photography. The reason for this is always the same – it can be done using a smartphone and it’s free. Fair play, saving money is great, but taking a DIY approach to commercial photography is a false economy that prevents you from achieving greater things.
Why do you need photography?
Start off by taking a moment to think about why your business needs photography in the first place. Chances are that all of these will apply:
- Brand exposure and awareness
- Digital and offline marketing activity
- PR and outreach campaigns
- Internal comms, such as HR files and induction guides
- Profiles/listings in networking groups and business directories
- Signage for your premises and any events you attend
Now think about whether the images you’ve taken yourself really do your brand justice. Do they leap off the page and dominate the screen? Do they make people want to get in touch, buy your products and services, apply for roles at your company and share content with their friends? To be blunt, are they mediocre and missing the wow factor required to cut through the noise and initiate valuable conversations?
Composition is key
The role of an expert photographer isn’t to simply point and click. Capturing the perfect image takes intense concentration, patience, creativity and precision. It requires a keen eye, an active mind, a steady hand, and on some occasions a backbone befitting an award-winning contortionist. Only then will the final images do you proud and take your promotional activity to new heights.
Break the mould
A photographer should be confident yet accommodating, bold as well as logical, professional whilst unafraid to experiment. When you hire VIP Creative, you’re investing in a photography team that works to your brief and simultaneously applies innovation to surpass your expectations.
Don’t settle for images that look okay – your business is so much more than that, as it’s founded on knowledge, expertise, dedication and integrity. Every photo you use should reflect this ethos and set you aside from the competition.
Brand consistency
It happens a lot. A business will use a different style and quality of images across multiple channels without considering how this negatively affects their brand. Visual consistency is crucial to businesses of all sizes, as images convey information much more quickly than text. If you use one type for your website, another for social media and something else entirely for PR features, it becomes confusing for your audience and can cause messages to fall flat.
When you take the time to have a professional photographer visit your premises and create a wide-ranging image portfolio, you have everything you need to standardise your brand whilst greatly increasing its impact. Staff headshots, product photography, office scenes and industrial environments, shots of interiors and locations – they all work in unison to create a clear representation of what your business does, how it operates, its workplace culture, and why the consumer should choose it over others.
Give your brand the VIP treatment
It’s time to make your photography work in line with your marketing, lead generation and sales strategies. Give us a shout through our contact form to find out how VIP will align your brand and help you to smash new targets.
