Invest.
You’re running a successful business - that’s so amazing! Now, hire a photographer to help you take it to the next level.
I'm not saying grab your new iPhone Pro and take some photos and add a filter - No. Get searching and find yourself a photographer with skill that can showcase your brand and your products to tell your story. Over the years I have worked with a lot of brands who didn't understand why their sales were underperforming even though the products were super-awesome. I am here to tell you friends; I have plenty of personal experience where photography helped turn the corner for my clients.
You say - "but photography is so expensive" - YES, yes it is. Why? I will tell you why, and don't worry I will keep it short. A skilled photographer will make your products look like a million bucks. They will put their time, creativity, and skill behind the camera to use in ways you may have never thought of, delivering quality images that make your brand, your story and your products stand out. A skilled photographer knows the value of their time, and their delivery should also respect your dollar, with creative, technically accurate, well-orchestrated visual content.
Let me give you an example, you sell soap - it smells good, it is made of all-natural ingredients. An experienced product photographer will create such beautiful imagery with your products you should almost be able to smell the soap through your screen. It should look so good you almost eat it (yes, even talking about soap). Now you ask, "but how do I find a photographer who can meet my needs?" - That is an easy answer. There are so many resources out there for brands and shop owners to gain access to talented content creators. Do your research. Asking for references is crucial in choosing a photographer. Ask the photographer and the references about the photography experience provided, the process the photographer took to orchestrate a successful product shoot, and the quality of the work. Keep in mind that investing in photography, and selecting a photographer with proven experience, is the best thing you can do for your business when it comes to representing your products with enticing imagery. Excellent photography sells. It is that simple.
There is a chance that you feel like great photography isn't in your budget. I understand that, and as a business owner myself I had a really hard time taking risks when I didn't know the outcome of my risk-taking. But every business owner knows you need to spend money to make money, and if you’re not in the business of photography, you should leave your brand and product imagery to a professional. Let's face it - shopping is way more fun when you can see the products in real life situations that we, as consumers, can relate to. An experienced brand photographer can help you design a plan that really showcases your businesses story, as well as all the best features your product has to offer.
Let me break the process down for you. First, you identify photographers that align with your visual messaging. Interview those photographers and request their references. Good photographers in this space should have references that shout their work from the rooftops, because they are proven to make a difference for their clients. Understand the photographers process for delivering, both from the photographer as well as from their references. Once you down-select and hire your photographer, you should expect to work with them to establish a shot list. An experienced photographer should be able to coordinate models, arrange and schedule the shoot, and of course do what they do best, capture your story in their view finder. A branded product shoot can last anywhere from a few hours to a week or more – not including the scoping and prep work.
Woah, that’s a lot of time they have already put into your brand and the job isn't close to being over yet – post-shoot processing is where a significant amount of a photographer’s time and effort goes. After the shoot, your photographer returns to the studio, transfers your images, and begins their editing process. Depending on how much time they spend on each image, how much love an image needs, and how meticulous your photographer is, you are likely looking at about a two-week timeline for gallery delivery of an average sized shoot - That is a lot of time and hours, but the quality of the work and the visual story of your brand and products should apparent.
Let's fast forward. You now have your images and they are stunning; you leverage your content to create ads, update your website and with the right visual content you see a measurable and significant increase in sales – I’ve had clients with as much as a 20% sales increases tied to a visual imagery refresh. That big price tag you were so concerned about but invested in with your photographer now pays for itself. It can be scary to put so much faith in a quality, experienced photographer, but if you find the right photographer for your brand – one that can tell your story with pictures - it can make all the difference!