Stock photography. You know it when you see it, right? In a former job, I chose a specific stock model for a project and found all sorts of photos of her in different poses. She was so prevalent in the project that I gave her a name: Jill. All my coworkers knew “Jill.” And we started seeing her EVERYWHERE. We’d text pictures of “Jill” we found “in the wild”: Jill on a billboard for Kroger. Jill in a cruise advertisement. Jill having dental work done.
When you want your business to stand out from the crowd, you don’t want a Jill. You want to be authentic and represent your business, your customers, your products, and your services as they really are. That’s where custom stock photography comes in.
Custom photography tells people what to expect
If you just use a generic picture of an ice cream cone, it’s not going to look like YOUR ice cream cone. If you use a generic picture of a shelf of products, it’s not going to be YOUR shelf with YOUR products. If you use a picture of a model enjoying coffee, it’s not YOUR customer enjoying YOUR coffee. People want to see what your products look like, what your storefront experience is like, and what the people they’ll interact with look like.
Custom photography sells your products and services
You don’t want to use pictures of someone else’s products or someone else’s work to sell your own. But you also don’t want to have images that show your products and services from the wrong angles or in less-than ideal lighting. That’s where custom photography comes in. Have stock quality images, but of your actual products and services! Not only is this important for your website, it’s important for social media. Nearly 80% of users make purchase decisions with the help of pictures and posts on Instagram.
Custom photography helps you connect with your audience
Customers like connecting with a brand, not just a business or products. A great way to connect is having a chance to see the people and personalities behind the brand. When you have custom photography, you get to show a side of yourself and your business that’s unique and full of life. Your brand personality can be reflected in the images you have–if you’re lighthearted and fun, your stock photos can have the same feeling!
If you’re ready to say goodbye to generic stock photography and hello to a gallery of images that are uniquely yours, send us a message! We’d love to set up a meeting to get to know your brand and build a shoot perfect for you!
