Being unique and humorous does have its place…But it’s good to think INSIDE the box too. Image credit left and right.
Gone are the days of women laughing at salads and staged images with white backgrounds! Companies all over the world are making the shift to authentic lifestyle images that reflect modern culture. An ideal image will be relevant to your audience, show authentic (and varied) human experience and add a fresh look your website or social media channels. Let’s take a look at an example of imagery done right. All images are from https://www.istockphoto.com/
Showcase Your Product (With a Human Element)
Customers want to feel that your product will seamlessly fit in their busy lives. One way to communicate that idea is to feature business in motion – how is your product made? This is also an opportunity to showcase hand-crafted or artisan items (think behind the scenes shots). Whenever possible plan your images to reflect the lifestyle and personality of your company. Be mindful of background elements, color contrast, image quality, and tone as you look for or take images.
A Fresh Look at Corporate Portraits
The goal is to show your staff as people who are passionate about their careers. Look for creative and casual (but not unprofessional) ideas to showcase what makes each team member unique.
If your business thrives from person-to-person connections (especially in small business), it is imperative that customer service and especially senior level staff are shown on a company website, on social media and in press releases. This allows for name and face recognition for your customers. In an article in Adweek, Justin Lafferty notes that “According to a new study by G/O Digital, when people want to find out more about a local small business — they check Facebook more than any other social channel.” It has never been more important to establish a personable, customer-centered online presence ready for customers to research.
Try a New Perspective
One of the most common image cliques are boring, staged and what look to be unproductive, meetings. Whether you work in a traditional business or creative setting, there are opportunities to show a unique perspective of your workplace and the way you do business. Focus on group discussions and individual work to showcase your day to day operations.
Strive for Authenticity
Authenticity is the (new) name of the game! Model the human connections that make your business special. Show images of teams having fun together, laughing, working hard and greeting customers. Most of the images will be candid (subjects not aware of the camera) and that is perfect! Not all of life’s little moments are perfect smiling photos, they reflect how people actually live and work.
Part of following these guidelines lies in either investing in a stock imagery account or hiring a photographer to capture high quality images of your office space/staff/events. If you (the business owner) are taking a more DIY approach to imagery use these tips to start taking creative photographs that show customers who you really are as a business. They will thank you for it!
Author, Laura V. Boston
The C3 Group