Today I’m sharing an opinion that many probably won’t agree with, but one that I believe is true. And that is that hiring professional photographers is not expensive.
Now, I know – spending hundreds to thousands of dollars on photography seems really expensive. It feels like a lot of money upfront! However, for small businesses especially, hiring a professional photographer will probably save you money in the long run. It’s an investment that will pay itself off, and that you’ll reap the rewards from, in the future.
Curious to learn more? Here are a few reasons why!
Your Customers Judge Your Business by Your Photos
To illustrate my point, here’s an amazing analogy I read over on Hoote Design Company’s website.
Let’s imagine that you are holding two job interviews for a position, and the two candidates are about to walk in any minute! You hear a knock on the door, and your secretary lets them in. Both of them walk in, with big beautiful smiles and resumes in hand. One is clean, polished, and professional – and the other one is wearing old  workout clothes.
Yes, old workout clothes! Before reading their resumes and before even talking to either of them, you already have formed two major first impressions. It’s clear that only one candidate is taking this job interview seriously. The other seems unprofessional, unpolished, and doesn’t seem invested in herself or you.
How does this relate to professional photography for your business?
Professional photography is what you wear to your job interview with every customer you meet.
Even if your product is absolutely amazing, if the photos look unpolished, amateur, and unprofessional, you are going to lose many sales. This is especially true when all your competitors have beautiful photography that makes their product seem way better. On the other hand, having professional photography can set your product apart as more valuable and memorable than others on the market.
Professional Photography is Hard Work
Professional photography requires work, knowledge, and equipment that most people aren’t familiar with. If you try to do it on your own and you aren’t familiar with photography, the odds are high that you’ll end up spending hours frustrated, discouraged, and end up with a result that you (and your customers) don’t like. Instead of spending hours trying to figure it out on your own, you can spend your time doing other things that will benefit your business, and leave the photography to someone who can create your vision. If you’re not a photographer, hiring one will save you hours of time, energy, and stress.
Professional Photography Boosts Sales
In today’s visual world, professional photos are crucial to every business. Customers today rely more on images than ever before. In fact, on average customers only read a small portion of an item’s description, but look at every single image in the listing. Photos can say more in seconds than entire paragraphs can in minutes.
As you can see, the importance of professional photography for businesses really can’t be overstated. It may seem expensive at first, but let’s compare and contrast how the investment pays off:
Amateur Photos
– Less customer trust, because they seem amateur and unprofessional
– Less views, because people will click on products with more eye catching photos
– Less sales, because people will be more likely to trust, remember, and like competitors with better photos
Professional Photos
– Are an investment
– Build customer trust. Photos communicate that you are reliable, professional, and trustworthy.
– More views, because your photos are eye catching and attractive and people click on them
– More shares, because people are more likely to share eye catching, attractive images with their friends and family
– More sales, because people see them more, trust them more, and overall want to buy them more
– Build your brand, because consistent professional photos will increase recognizability. This means that when clients see your product, they’ll know that it’s your company. Because of this, they will be more likely to remember and share your business with others.
– More success, because people will buy more of your products, and share how great it is with their friends and family
Although product and marketing photography seems expensive upfront, in the long term your business will be more successful if you hire a professional photographer that you trust and does good work. You will make more money, have more customers, and have more success with professional photography. To me, that seems like a less expensive option 🙂
If you want to chat more about how professional photography can benefit your business and brand, send me a message here!
