The Internet without photos would not be interesting. While I can imagine the functioning of the Google search engine without photos, the existence of social networking sites or e-shops would lose its meaning to me. Because how are you supposed to find John Kowalski on Facebook when the search engine finds fifty people with the same name and surname - and no photos. Buying online?
Who would decide to spend money on something they cannot see. Buying a refrigerator after reading only the specifications is acceptable to me, but not to my wife. She has to see if the new household appliance will fit the coffee maker and kettle. I will not even mention buying clothes or home accessories.
As you can see, you simply can't do without photos. Anyone who has ever tried to buy something in an online store or used one of the social media vietnam b2b leads portals knows this. On the other hand, anyone who has ever tried to sell something on Allegro or advertise on Facebook knows that a GOOD photo is a treasure!
We live in times when anyone can take a photo. The only problem is that not every photo will catch the eye of a potential customer. A good photo catches the eye, and from there it's a short way to getting to know our offer and a possible purchase.
Good and bad practices in product photography
How to take a good product photo?
The easiest way is to commission a photographer to take the photos. We will be sure that the photos will be technically correct. I know, I know, there are those who claim that a photographer is a guy who gets a lot of money just for pressing the shutter button, and yet the camera takes the photos itself.
But why does a photo taken by a professional look like the one on the right, and a photo taken using the "brother-in-law has a digital camera" principle look like the one below? Well, it happens because the photographer distinguishes between M mode and AUTO mode, which the brother-in-law probably has problems with. To put it quite seriously, photography is a field of knowledge that requires a lot of theoretical and practical knowledge from the photographer who deals with it.
Packshots
The advantage of the first photo over the second is huge and there is no doubt about it. These types of product photos on a white background are otherwise known as packshots. They are an absolute standard in e-commerce.
What should a packshot look like?
It must be properly lit
It must be sharp
It must reproduce colors faithfully
These are just three points. However, their implementation requires time and a lot of work from the photographer. The final effect of the photo is influenced by the work done in the photo studio, and then its post-production in a graphics program.
This involves a relatively tedious process of cutting out, overlaying photos in order to obtain the right focus and a perfectly white background. Well-made packshot photos perfectly show us the specificity of the product and its advantages.
They are an absolute must-have if we want to sell products online. However, it must be clearly stated that these photos do not carry any emotional charge. Left to themselves, they do not tell any story, and therefore do not engage the recipient.
The product photo must be sharp and well lit
What is this engagement all about?
Valuable content attracts the consumer's attention and builds engagement. Internet users share with each other what is valuable to them. Using social media, they share multimedia materials or links to various valuable sites. This is the engagement that all those who want to increase sales in their e-shops care about.
Building engagement within content marketing activities is the basis for success. User engagement is also appreciated by Google algorithms. The greater it is, the better the position in the search engine.
Instead of wondering how to trick Silicon Valley geeks in positioning our site, let's focus on creating unique content. Good content will sell itself. We can use many different tools to build engagement.
This can be videos, inspiring quotes, interesting graphics, gifs or all kinds of data in the form of charts, diagrams and maps that diversify the text. It is best when we use the widest possible range of tools in our campaigns.
In this post, we focus on photos, so we will also look at the issue of content marketing from their perspective. When does a photo engage a user? A photo engages when it calls out to the recipient.
It speaks to them literally and figuratively. It literally calls out when we place a button on it that links to a store page, such as buy now , watch now or join us - called a call to action . In such a situation, the photo communicates with us directly. It encourages action. Just like in the screenshot from the Nike website on the right.
Examples of call to action buttons
A photo can also speak to us indirectly, through the emotions it contains. In this way, a photo can trigger a desire in the viewer, push them to action, or inspire them in some other way.
Generally speaking, a good contextual photo can trigger a need in the viewer to do or have something —something that is key from the point of view of the seller. A great example is the photo from Under Armour's website on the left. When I see the determination in the eyes of these runners, I want to jump into my shoes and go for a run myself.
Examples of call to action buttons
Another use for our photos can be to tell a story with them. Storytelling is another highly engaging activity for users. People like to hear interesting stories and are eager to share them. A good story gives hope and comforts the heart in difficult moments of life. Therefore, let's compose interesting stories from our photos .
Just like Under Armour did, showing the figure of the American swimmer, Michael Phelps (the most decorated athlete in the history of the modern Olympic Games). The photo collage on the right shows the athlete's path to success. Hard work, pain and fatigue.
Storytelling with photos
Let's show consumers the "human face" of our company . Let's share the production process with them. Let's show the people who are responsible for creating the product. This will allow consumers to identify with us more easily. Photos from the back office are often more interesting than those that end up on large-format billboards. It is also often the case that employees themselves are users of the products they have made. And that is the best recommendation. The sight of the men from Recycled Brooklyn Inc. polishing the table they have made is worth more than money.
