Why Stock Photos Are Hurting Your Business | Denver Website Photographer, Underexposed®
Stock photos might make it easier to find what you’re looking for quickly and download it to your computer to use for your website and marketing materials. But just because they’re quick, doesn’t mean they’re effective.
In fact, stock photos may be actually hurting your business.
Here’s why…
Why Stock Photos Are Hurting Your Business
Let’s illustrate this with a great example.
Say a fitness studio needs website photos, and specifically they need to show a woman running on a treadmill — simple, right?
Above on the left side, you have a stock photo — a woman running with a gray background, no smile, no logos, black clothing, pretty generic image.
Above on the right side, you have a custom brand photo — two women and a man running on treadmills, smiling and having fun, flashy neon lights from the fitness studio, branded with their t-shirt logos and tagline on the wall in the back.
Which photo do you think will generate more business and revenue?
Whether you are a solo-entrepreneur, you have a small growing team, or you have hundreds of employees, here are key reasons why stock photos are actually hurting your business and marketing efforts:
Everyone is using the same stock photos — How many times have you seen the same stock photos online? Exactly — so have your potential customers.
Stock photos don’t speak to your target audience — Effective marketing works to target and speak to a specific type of customer — and it’s simply something stock photos just can’t speak to.
Stock photos are too generic — As a business, you have a vision, goals, and values that you want to portray as part of building your brand. You also have colors, themes, logos, taglines, etc. that all speak to the professionalism and image of your business that a stock photo will never show.
Stock photos aren’t branded — As mentioned above, there are so many different elements that go into creating your brand. Even at the most simple level, stock photos will never match your color palette of your brand, or worse, they might even clash with your branded colors if you’re not careful.
Stock photos don’t actually show what you do — Stock photos will never be able to show the real experience your products, services, or events offer. They are meant to be simple and generic.
Some stock photos aren’t high quality — Free stock photos often allow you to download the low resolution for free, but charge a pretty penny for the high resolution use license. At this point, you might as well invest that money in your own photo session to get more effective photos for your business.
Stock photos won’t make your business memorable (i.e. no brand recognition) — If you use stock photos on a blog post with very valuable information, readers are never going to recognize your business as the expert. Instead, if you pair valuable blog content with branded photos that represent your brand, especially if it includes your logo, readers will start to associate your brand with the value it provides. Plus, they might even realize they need to reach out and hire you!
Stock photos don’t convey the most important piece to your marketing: Stock photos will never be able to show what sets you apart or makes you different from your competitors. This is a HUGE issue because using stock photos in your marketing will make it less effective — you might as well be throwing money out the window…
How to Get More ROI From Branding Photography
If you’re a business owner ready to up-level your brand and business, get more ROI on your marketing investments, and increase your bottom line, here’s what to do instead:
How to Find a Branding Photographer Near Me
Consider what types of photos you need to capture to effectively market your business, services, products, or events, and to illustrate your brand to potential clients. You might search for the following:
Product photographer — There are photographers who specialize in physical product photography and can shoot for the exact size, dimensions, setting, and specs you need. Make sure you know what you need the product photos for so they can help you get the right photos you need to best represent your products.
Branding photographer — These types of photographers are best for Personal Brand Photography, usually solo-entrepreneurs or small businesses who provide services from one person — capturing the owner and service provide who is often the face of the business. Be aware that these are more than just pretty pictures or a typical portrait session. A great branding photographer should design your session around your targeted client and will show more than just you working on a laptop with a coffee mug. Here are 5 mistakes you should avoid.
Event photographer — If you host events, work in the events industry, or are promoting a specific event for your business, you should specifically search for a photographer who knows how to capture the magic of your event. Not just posed photos of guests, but the emotion and experience that makes your event come to life! After-all, THAT is what you are really marketing!
Headshot photographer — Whether it’s just you, a small team, or key staff in your company, all websites and professional marketing collateral need great headshots of the real-people behind the business. These should be professional, fit your brand tone and feel, and have a cohesive, consistent look among all of your team’s headshots.
Marketing photographer — This may not be the keyword you actually search for, but most likely you need a mix of all of the above! A business needs a mix of headshots, group shots, branded products and services images, event photography, and lots of in-action and branded shots to make your marketing most effective — this is where marketing photography comes in. A great marketing photographer knows the right questions to ask you about your business, brand, target customer, and marketing goals in order to design the perfect photography shoot to get the photos you need to be most effective! (You might also consider this Website photography too.)
For more information and examples of all of the above types of photos, check out my branding photography portfolio and information here.
How to Create Your Branding Photography Shot List
To help you know what types of shots and photos you need to get the most out of your branding photography session, download my Free Marketing Photo Checklist: The types of photos you need to effectively market your business to increase your bottom line below.
Download the Free Marketing Photo Checklist:
The types of photos you need to effectively market your business to increase your revenue
Ready to Book Your Branding Photography Session?
If you’re ready to book a branding photography session, let’s chat!
I have had the honor to travel to and had clients fly to work with me from Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Iowa, Florida, Canada, Finland, and more! Whether you’re near Denver, Colorado, traveling in, or interested in flying me in, I’d love to chat with you!
The best way to do a shoot — make a Mini Business Retreat out of it!
My out-of-state/country clients will take a weekend or few days to fly into Denver, have their photoshoot, and spend an extra day workshopping their business making the trip into a business retreat! (Plus, it’s a write off!)
I have a professional Hair & Makeup Artist and location recommendations to design your Branding Photography Session. In addition, before your session, I send you a questionnaire to design your session and we book a Zoom consultation call to discuss wardrobe and prop options, details for your shoot, and answer any questions you have.
Underexposed® is proud to be an LGBTQ Ally and Foster Friendly Business, so all identities, cultures, abilities & genders are welcome and supported.
Your One-Stop-Shop for Website Design
Did you know I also offer custom website design services?
Not only can I help you with branding photography, but I can also design you a custom Squarespace Website for your business. As a fellow entrepreneur, I definitely understand the frustration of DIY website attempts and disappointing designer experiences. That's why I offer a personalized, stress-free website design service that goes beyond just creating a pretty website. I’m your one-stop-shop to help you design your logo and branding, design your website, take your branding photos, and more! I can even recommend and integrate additional features and systems into your website and help coach you through starting and growing your business to the next level.
Learn More about Website Design, Additional Services, and Get a Custom Quote Here!
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