Consumers are visual. To thrive in today’s marketplace, companies must tap into this visual nature. Not only that, but consumers are also rapid-fire-visual. Marketers have just a few milliseconds to make an impression. Only images and messages that manage to stand out can fully capture consumer attention.
Consumers are bombarded throughout their day:
Forty years ago, consumers were exposed to roughly 500 ads a day.
Today, that number is estimated at 10,000 a day.
How many of those 5,000 images make a strong enough impression that they stay in the consumer’s mind? How many draw their attention long enough to entice them to read the accompanying content? It takes the skill of an advertising photographer to craft an image that can capture this focus.
Recent research about the power of advertising photography reinforces this truth. If there were any doubts about the power of images in advertising, they have been dispelled with these findings:
Articles with relevant images receive 94% more views than those without images.
Press releases with photos attract 15% more online views than text-only releases.
60% of online consumers say they prefer businesses whose listings include an image.
More than two-thirds of e-commerce shoppers report that product imagery is an important part of their purchase decisions.
Clearly, customers are more likely to buy a product they’ve seen in detail. This means companies need good pictures. This, in turn, requires a good advertising photographer. By applying in-depth expertise to lighting, angles, imagery and advertising techniques, the photographer allows the company to achieve its marketing campaign goals. These, of course, are to deliver a message about their product and entice customers to buy it.
What happens when the image shared with consumers is of poor quality? The company sends the wrong message. Companies need their images to be memorable in a positive way. Marketers want to show their brand’s best side, but bad photos show their worst. It is essential to use professional-quality images to send the right signals to the public. By tapping into an advertising photographer’s expertise, companies can portray their products and services in the best light.
It is ironic that many companies are willing to spend significant amounts of capital on printing and distribution for marketing campaigns but fail to invest in the advertising photography necessary to make these campaigns successful. The materials go out to the public filled with poor-quality images that do nothing to advance the business. The results are wasted effort and pitiful ROI.
On the other end of the spectrum, a company willing to invest in advertising photography can reap a host of benefits. High-quality, impactful images allow them to effectively communicate with and attract consumers in a variety of settings:
Beauty and fashion photographer: As noted, customers are more likely to buy a product they’ve seen, so quality images are essential to campaigns in these marketplaces. For a beauty campaign, anything less than stunning images simply won’t suffice.
Lifestyle photographer: The right images can persuade customers that they need what the company is selling. The images depict the lifestyle they want and send the message that they can attain that lifestyle through the company’s offerings. A lifestyle photographer can finely tune this message.
Celebrity photographer: Impactful photos are essential for the promotion of new releases. Celebrity photographers capture stars at their best to attract fans, share their releases and improve ratings.
Director of photography: Complex photography projects require the right professional to ensure the best outcomes. A director of photography makes technical decisions to enhance the camera and lighting effects for film and television projects. Their expertise transforms projects from B-list to blockbusters.
These professionals enable companies to execute successful ad campaigns and achieve their marketing goals. Whether the launch is for a local effort or a complex, nationwide campaign, an advertising photographer is an essential member of the marketing and publicity team.
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