How often have you hopped onto a website to look for an item or service you are interested in, only to be met with the cliché stock image? The generic and anonymous people shaking hands, the stereotypical model wearing a microphone headset or the perfect dessert photo that really isn’t on your menu. It feels impersonal and while generic pictures might look nice, they fail to represent the true essence of your brand and your clients – and potential clients – can feel it!
When users land on your website, they want to connect with your brand on a personal level. Exceptional website imagery is crucial for creating that emotional bond within just a few seconds. Without a doubt, images invoke better content comprehension. Research shows that when people hear information, they’re likely only to remember 10% of what they heard three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with the same information, people retain 65% of the information three days later. That’s a significant difference in recall that is absolutely going to be a key factor in purchasing decisions!
Photography sparks a connection
Enhancing user experience increases page views, and retention and decreases bounce rates meaning you have a greater chance of capturing the attention of a potential client, leading to better conversion rates. The user experience is improved as great photos present information in a more digestible way, and appealing images spark emotions. It's important to show clear, well-lit, sharp emotive images of your product, service or staff and utilising the skills of a professional photographer to take your photos will give you complete control to communicate the personal side of your brand's voice.
Why are we talking about emotive responses to your products or services? Phillip Adcock, a specialist in consumer behaviour, shared the impact of emotions versus rational thinking on purchase decisions:
- Emotional reactions occur 3,000 times faster than rational thought.
- The emotional centres of the brain process sensory input five times more swiftly than rational thought.
- The persuasive influence of emotions compared to reasoning stands at a ratio of 24 to 1.
An emotional response to a product isn’t just linked to individual consumers reacting to an emotional ad (think Qantas ads that make people cry as the airline reconnects families). Emotional responses undeniably influence B2B purchasing decisions, and compelling imagery plays a significant role in evoking these emotional reactions.
Be original
By using images of your own people, products and business, you get to maintain your originality. Stock images are useful (at times) but they are broadly accessible to EVERYONE and that means that the cool little picture that sort of resembles your office will certainly have appeared in a multitude of places – on websites of competing businesses, in media stories, on social media… you get the idea. Consider also that the image you like may have been used globally and not always in a positive context. Be aware that a Google image search may link your business to that negative story due to your use of the same stock image!
The power of brand positioning
Check out what our friends over at Le Bar Supper Club have been doing with customised professional photography. The exceptional use of tailored images throughout their website and Instagram showcasing their beautiful food and beverages positions them as a premium venue and evokes an emotive response from consumers looking for a night out that delivers a unique and special experience.
3 quick tips
Whether you use the services of a professional photographer or you shoot some of your own images, we have a few practical tips to making those pictures work harder for you:
- BE SEO FRIENDLY: Always name your images with a user-friendly image name associated with your brand rather than ImgABC123.jpg. Doing this will ensure that your content is more likely to be recommended by Google.
- OPTIMISATION: Ensure that the file sizes of your images are optimised and sized for the site. If they are too heavy, your site will quickly struggle to load; if they are too small, they will look pixelated and soft. Properly optimised images will improve website rankings as search engines consider visual content when determining relevance and user experience.
- CROPPING: It’s essential that your images are cropped correctly to fit the different real estate on your website and that they are also dynamic, so they work on all devices, meaning they can be clearly viewed on mobile, desktop or tablet form.
If you’ve checked out our website in the past, you might have noticed that we have recently had a refresh and have upped our game in terms of imagery with photos of our team now taking pride of place. (And yes, we are updating our avatars in our team bios with fresh new photos soon so watch that space!).
HR Staff n' Stuff can help
In going through this process, we realised that many small and medium businesses feel that they can’t accommodate professional photography fees and feel they are stuck with bland stock images to represent them. Before you dismiss the idea of having a website that really represents your business and your brand, HR Staff n’ Stuff now offers photography services that we believe are extremely well-priced making bespoke photography far more accessible. If you are thinking about headshots of your team, fresh new images of your products or a complete overhaul of your online presence, drop us an email or call us to chat about how we can help.
Remember, you never get a second chance to make an excellent first impression.
