Think of the internet as a dating site

The internet is a giant match.com, and your website is your "listing". You're competing with other businesses to attract people who are deciding who to "ask out" (someone they'd like to do business with). They're searching, and they're comparing you to others. They have MANY to choose from.

If you were on a dating site what would be the first thing you'd look for?

If you're like most people, you'd check out their photos. What if they didn't have a photo? Would you think they had something to hide?

What if you saw a photo of Angelina Jolie or George Clooney on someone's listing? What would you think then? Could you trust them? That's what happens when the photos used aren't theirs. They're called stock photos.

Most people compare the photos, then if they like what they see they read to find out more.

If you want your website to attract new business, great images are vitally important. It's foolish to skimp on photography because we buy with our eyes. Your website is being compared to others. Lots of others.

You need images that attract, create desire and inspire trust. If you don't have them, they won't even read about what you have to offer. They'll just leave your site and go elsewhere.

Painful, isn't it?

Stock photos make you look the same as everyone else.

They give you a website that says as Seth Godin puts it: "We're the same, we're the same, we're. . ."

He goes on to say: "Sometimes, we try so hard to fit in we give consumers no choice but to seek out the cheapest. After all, if everything is the same, why not buy what's cheap and close?"

You need images that show your uniqueness. Stock photos can't do that.

How much should you budget for your photography?

This is a key question that buyers need to ask themselves before hiring a photographer.

A skilled photographer may be able to create a much better image in 5 minutes than a less skilled photographer could create in an hour. Nevertheless, every image, every piece of art, is going to reflect the thought, time and energy that goes into it.

It's said that Leonardo da Vinci spent 4 years on the Mona Lisa. Now, I'm sure that that wasn't continuous effort. It probably sat in a corner for a while and he'd look at it and think "That fingernail could look better" and then change it. At the same time, he was a great sketcher. Are his sketches as good as his paintings? Of course not. He put much less thought, time and energy into them.

Likewise, with photography, I can crank out a quick snapshot or spend a day or more creating a single image between photography and Photoshop.

When my clients come to me and ask for a quote, the major question in my mind is "What is the proper amount of time that I should devote to each image?" What drives my decisions (and the buyer should also be thinking of this) is "What approach is likely to give the buyer the highest return on their investment?"

If a company's use of a photo is for internal use then they should probably take their own photos or buy cheap stock photos. They just need a "sketch".

But if a business wants images that will attract customers, enhance perceptions and increase sales then it's a whole different ball game. They should spend enough to ensure that their marketing materials and websites are effective. People compare websites and brochures to decide where to buy. Because we buy with our eyes, the importance of the photos can hardly be overstated.

However, you don't want to overspend on photography either, you want to maximize your return on investment.

You need to figure out:

How much profit is involved in an average sale?

How many times a year does an average buyer make a purchase?

How many years do we keep an average customer?

Multiply those three numbers together and you get the value of an average customer to your business.

With that number in mind, you can make a much more informed choice on what you should be spending to get new customers and how much you should spend on photography.

Think of it as buying a customer. If an average customer has a value of $2500 to you would you be wise or foolish to try and save money by hiring a cheap photographer? If the photos that they took brought in just one less customer a year, your savings would be more than wiped out - those photos would be costing you more in lost business the longer you used them.

Another way of looking at it is this - if you go with a cheaper photographer, the most you stand to gain is the difference in price from the better photographer. The amount you can lose from lost sales may be much greater. They may make your marketing ineffective. If you go with better photos, the most you could possibly lose is the difference in price from the cheaper photographer, but the potential upside from increased sales they bring is unlimited.

The better you understand what new customers are worth to you, the better you can communicate to your photographer how good the images need to be to accomplish your goals. Let him or her know what you're trying to accomplish with your photos. Then you'll get an estimate that better reflects the type of image you should be using.

Use photos that show your uniqueness.

Your sales copy, headline, and photos are all made stronger the more unique they are.

We are surrounded by a sea of companies all trying to get our attention, and most of them are just copying what most in their industry are doing because they haven't thought things out.

If your headline and sales copy could be used by your competitors, you're not giving buyers any compelling reason to buy from you. You must emphasize what makes you different.

Likewise, your photos must do the same. They should convey some of the "personality" of your business, and it must be obvious to the person viewing them that these photos are of real people and show your real facilities. That's the only way to foster trust, which is exactly what stock photos do not do.

Your photos should also have captions whenever possible, as they're read much more often than sales copy. This way you can communicate many of your benefits whether all of your sales copy is read or not.

Do your photos communicate your brand message?

Photos have the ability to create in the viewer a sense of emotional connection with your brand. They help them to visualize themselves experiencing your brand. They provide that all important first impression.

It's been shown time and time again that we no matter how logical we would like to think we are, our decisions are almost always made on an emotional level. We then look for logical reasons to support the decision that we've already made - often by first impressions.

It's imperative in this overcrowded marketplace to stand out and be different. You must stand for what makes you unique. Then you must then communicate this uniqueness every way that you can. This includes your photos.

Always remember, we buy with our eyes.

Are your photos on message with your brand? Are they unique to you? Do they inspire trust?

Could a competitor use them? If so, then they're too generic.

Your images should communicate qualities that you want buyers to associate with your business. They must be of professional quality and consistent with each other in style, a style that is consistent with your brand.

You can't do this with stock photos.

The role of marketing.

To understand the role of marketing it's essential to understand the way that buyers decide what and where to purchase.

First, a buyer recognizes that they have a need or desire.

Then they seek out information: they have questions. Marketing's role is to educate buyers about what needs your product or service fills and the special advantages that you offer. You can't appeal to all buyers in all ways (you can't be seen as the top quality provider and also the low cost provider). You must carve out your own niche that appeals to a segment of the buyers and then educate them. You must answer the question "Why should I buy from you?".

Your marketing should act both as filter and funnel. It should filter out the buyers who you aren't meant to serve. It should funnel the rest to either buy or contact you for more information (in a frame of mind that's predisposed to doing business with you). Then it's the role of sales (one on one selling) to fine tune the presentation to their specific needs.

If your marketing doesn't educate, if it doesn't clearly explain why they should choose you, then it's not doing its job. You'll lose sales. They'll leave your website in a second to look elsewhere.

Photos are an excellent way to educate. They speed up the process since the brain understands the information in a photo so much faster than text. They provide a way for clients to connect with and relate to you. But only if you use images that are uniquely yours.

If you use stock photos you'll look no different than everybody else. They don't educate and inform. Buyers will wonder what your hiding. Stock photos undermine trust, and without trust you'll lose sales.

Stock photos are the new clip art.

If you're trying to differentiate your business from the sea of look-alikes in your industry you must understand that stock photos aren't going to cut it for you. Stock photos are the new clip art. That's all they are. Most are crap. Any competitor of yours can use the same images (along with any other business in any other industry) and there is nothing strategic about them.

I realize that I have strong opinions about this and motivation for doing so, but I really believe every word that I'm saying. I believe that stock photos have only very limited applications and are are a smart choice in only very limited situations. (They're excellent for making sub par businesses look as good as an average player in their industry.) To show my sincerity in all this, I've never submitted a single image to a stock photo agency in my entire 35 years in business as a photographer. During this time, many other photographers were telling me that I should be doing this to earn additional income. (And I could have really used the money at the time.)

Use them at your own peril. Most people can tell that they're stock. They don't inform. They don't make you look unique. They don't inspire trust, they undermine it.

In short, they make you look second rate.

What does your website say about your business?

For many businesses, their website is the primary place where new prospects get introduced to the company. Search engines have replaced the yellow pages as the place buyers turn to for information when looking to buy products and services.

Your website creates the first impression they get of your company, and first impressions are powerful and lasting. It must be relevant, easy to navigate, convey quality, instill trust and show what makes you different from others who provide similar products or services. If it doesn't it's as easy as a mouse click for them to go elsewhere.

So what does your website say about your business? Does it make you look like an industry leader or like everyone else in your industry? Does it clearly and concisely explain the benefits you offer over your competitors? Does it show your staff, your facilities and your products in their best possible light? Do you come off as first class or third rate? Do you provide social proof - testimonials of how others have benefited by doing business with you? 

Using a template makes you look like everybody else and makes you look second class. Stock photos also make you look second class and erode trust - people will wonder what you're hiding. Everybody knows they're stock photos. Who do you think you're kidding? Using photos that aren't professionally done makes you look cheap and doesn't make a good first impression.

Website traffic isn't enough

So many businesses spend a fortune on search engine optimization (SEO) and Google ads thinking that if they increase their traffic that the business will just flow in.

So naive.

Traffic is important, but that's not nearly enough. You have to clearly answer the reason why people should do business with you while at the same time conveying quality and building trust.

A website only as strong as it's weakest link. Design, copy, graphics and photos must all work together to reinforce a cohesive message, show what makes your service or products special and give compelling reasons to do business with you.

If you use stock photos and/or templates you'll just look like everybody else. You'll never build trust.

Visitors aren't captive like they are in a sales showroom. On the web, they're only a couple of clicks away from your competitor. 

If your website isn't generating sales or at least leads, you'd better re-think it and change it.

Build your own stock library

If you're using stock photos, your marketing is probably ineffective.

Stock photos don't differentiate you from your competition and don't build trust, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't build your own stock library of images to draw from for whatever communication or marketing needs you have.

By investing in images created by a photographer that sells his or her images royalty-free, you can build an excellent library of images that will generate sales for years without additional fees. They'll communicate exactly what you want, and they'll be exclusively yours.

Unlike stock photos, they'll build trust and create the perceptions of your company and what you offer that you desire. You'll be seen as different than your competitors and the photos can and should be chosen to communicate what makes you special and how that benefits customers.

Photos of facilities, processes, key people, workers, happy customers,  products and products being used. They're tremendously useful to tell your story and show the benefits you provide.

They help you build your brand.

Use them for your website, brochures, sales sheets, trade show booth, for decor and for direct mail. By reusing and repurposing them you'll save money and maximize the return on your investment.

Could your competitors use the same images you're using?

Are you using generic images that your competitors could use? If so, you're making a BIG mistake. 

Think of it this way. . . would you use copy that would work equally well for your competitors? Copy that if they just changed the name of the company or product would work for them as well as you? 

If you use copy that makes you look just like everybody else, you're giving the reader no compelling reason to buy from you (unless you're the cheapest). You're communicating no clear benefit over your competitors. It's the same with your photos. Stock photos don't cut it.

Use professional photos of your staff, facilities, products, processes and happy customers to build trust, convey quality and create desire. Choose images that strategically communicate the benefits that you or your products provide. Don't choose images just to make your website or brochure pretty. Use images to influence how buyers see you. 

Perception is everything.

You only have one chance to make a good first impression

For most people the web has replaced the Yellow Pages as the place to find products and services. If the purchase is large or important to them they'll often cruise several sites before deciding where to take their business.

They'll compare websites and the information provided on them to see who they're most comfortable doing business with. They'll get their first impression of your business from your website and first impressions are lasting.

How does your site compare? Does it show what makes you different from your competitors and how these differences benefit the customer? Does it make you look professional? Does it build trust? Does it enhance your image? 

Using professional photos of your key people and facilities goes a long way toward building trust and attracting those customers that you're best suited to serve. Done properly, they'll do much to enhance your image. 

Your site and the images on them control how you're perceived by potential customers. You don't need the best website in the world, you just need one that's a little better than your competitors. One that conveys meaningful information and builds trust.

Fortunately, this is not difficult as many of your competitors probably use stock photos. Images that don't provide meaningful information and that make them look just like everybody else. 

We think in pictures.

And so do buyers. 

Think about your day, you got out of bed, showered, had breakfast, probably drove to work. When you think of those things, is it in words or pictures? 

Think of your living room or someone in your family. Using just words, can you accurately describe what they look like? Can you know that what you've written is what a reader pictures in their mind? 

Photos can communicate all of these things in a few seconds, and they profoundly influence buyers perceptions of what you offer. However they shouldn't be stock photos. They just make you look like everybody else.

Why stock photos undermine trust.

Many people foolishly believe that photos of their staff or their facilities are either unnecessary or wouldn't work as effectively as a stock photo in their sales literature or website. They don't show either their facility or their staff. They just paste in some meaningless clip art in the form of stock photos. Photos that show a friendly looking person taking a customer service call, a multicultural group of models having a meeting in a conference room or something else just as generic. A wonderful opportunity to convey some real information - wasted.

Really people - is this the best you can do?

It's really all a big lie and EVERYBODY can see through it. It makes you look like a poser. It really betrays trust at the most fundamental level, and trust is the key to selling. I think you're probably better off with a bad photo than a stock photo (although that's far from ideal too).

Imagine that you booked a vacation at a resort. You flew 1000 miles to get there only to find out:

The beach in the photo wasn't their beach.

The pool in the photo wasn't theirs.

The rooms in the photos were from another resort.

How would you react? What would you tell your friends? How many people would you tell? Would you go back? Would you ever trust them again?

Now, for some images, stock is fine: A close up of a putt being made, a car key, a bouquet of roses. The problem arises when they're used for more than the trivial.

When I see stock photos being used where the images are important, (and most people find stock photos VERY easy to spot), I immediately think:

Who are they kidding? What are they hiding?

Are they really such a rinky-dink operation that they can't afford professional photos?

Why should I trust them?

The importance of a unified look

A strong, unified look in all of your marketing materials gives you an edge over your competitors. Your sales literature, brochures and website all need to look like they're from the same company. You need to build a brand.

If your sales pieces lack unity in their design you'll leave negative impressions. Your business comes across as disorganized and unpredictable. 

People want to deal with a company they can count on, that won't throw them surprises. To be trustworthy be consistent.

Likewise, the pieces themselves need unity. Stock photos should be kept to a minimum and preferably not used at all. Every image originating from a different source reduces their cohesiveness. 

Photos that cut through the noise

One problem with stock photos is this: using them is like trying to cut through a thick steak with a butter knife.

We live in an over-communicated world. Because we're bombarded from all sides by companies wanting our attention, strong images are more important than ever. We are wired to remember visually. Since, as the saying goes, a picture's worth a thousand words, images have the ability to communicate a great deal of information in an instant. In this environment it's important that every image communicates clearly.

Think about what makes a good stock photo. Many buyers across many industries will find it useful. It can be interpreted in many ways. It has lots of negative space around it so that there is room for type. It lacks specifics. It's generic. Because it can say so many things it says nothing. It looks like a stock photo. It's ambiguous and easy to ignore.

Photos that build trust

(click on the image to see it larger)

Images are key to building trust. This is one of a series of images of company executives done for their website. When I shoot portraits of employees my goal is usually to portray them as intelligent and warm individuals that you'd like to do business with.

When you're selling a service you are selling trust; good feelings. You're selling a relationship. There is no way to show the customer in advance what his tax return will look like.

I feel it's usually a mistake to hire models to pose as employees. (They're fine posing as customers.) Almost everybody can look good with the proper lighting, framing, angle and cropping. I also believe it's a big mistake to use stock photos. They just don't ring true. Rather than build trust, they erode it.

You can see more sample images in my people photography portfolio.

There's no such thing as a cheap photo

Some people fool themselves thinking they're saving money by either shooting photos themselves, hiring a cheap photographer or buying stock photos. I'll address the specific problems with each of these choices in future posts. For the purpose of this discussion though I just want you to think about this: 

Imagine a typical sale for your business. How much is that sale worth in profit? Do you usually get repeat business? What is the average lifetime value of a customer to your company?  That's how much profits are lost every time a prospect doesn't respond to your marketing and goes elsewhere. Money lost that you're not even aware of. If you have high value clients, cheap photos can cost you a fortune.

Now when you think about those "free" or "cheap" photos you'll realize how expensive they really are. Savvy marketers understand this. 

High quality images that are strategically planned and executed to convey quality, create desire and build trust are an investment that can pay big dividends. Properly used they'll pay for themselves very quickly.