More Than Meets the Eye: Photography Strategies for Telling Your Brand Story

We all know that images and especially video are required in our content these days. But we'er not professional photographers or videographers. So, anything will do, right? Wrong! 😑

Many, in fact most people underestimate the power of using proper professional photos. Today I'm going to show you 3 ways how to capatilize on professional photography. The benefits of which, are easily neglected but are well worth the effort.

Now unfortunately, where most people go wrong is, they;

Use Crappy Images.

Of course, "crappy" is too general of a term. There are the 4 main points that people tend to get wrong with their website imagery:

• Low-quality, generic images

• Ignoring mobile optimization

• Inadequate alt text & captions

• Missing the storytelling potential

But fear not, after today's issue you should be a website imagery expert. I'm going to show you 3 steps and one BONUS tip on how to make the best of your website photography.

Here it is, step by step:

Step 1: Use Professional Imagery On You Website!

Obviously by now, you have noticed that we are talking mainly about website photography. Seeing as your website is the gateway to your business, it makes sense, right? In todays world, effective marketing starts with your website.

Don't cut corners here. If need be, take some revenue from your next project and hire a professional to help you out. A beautiful project is only as magnificent as the photograph allows it to be. If the image sucks - your project sucks! Remember, the image sells!

For website photography, you should be looking at the following:

1. Resize your images (max 1200px wide, for page load speed)

2. Optimize and compress your images (remove unnecessary metadata, TinyPNG.com)

3. Rename your images ("How-important-is-photography" vs "IMG_0029")

4. Include image alt text ("Image 2: Full-gut Custom Build Project by ABC Builders")

Step 2: The Photography Should Represent Your Ideal Projects!

So, what type of photographs do I put on my website? Probably ones of all the jobs I've completed, right? Wrong, again!

While you may think that any photo of a great project you've completed is worthy of being on your site, there is a more strategic way of handling this. Ideally, you should post as many photographs of the exact type of projects that you want to do. Your ideal projects, that is. Being more specific, can increase your sales.

The idea is that you want people to get to know you for the ideal projects that your company does/wants to execute. We want to pivot the public perception into think that you only execute your "perfect" projects. You are the go-to expert in your trade, i.e. the best kitchen remodeler in Gainesville, Florida.

You might be in a position where you don't have many photos of your ideal job and that's ok - we'll work on that next.

Step 3: Work Your Way Towards 100% Ideal Project Photography!

As mentioned above, you'll want to get to a point where 100% of the images on your website are representing your ideal work.

Start with what you have, as long as they are quality photographs. Try and get your ratio of ideal project photos vs generic project photos as high as possible. The more ideal projects you complete, the more photographs you'll have. Thus, you should ladder your ideal photo ratio as you go.

There isn't much you can do wrong here, except for being inconsistent. This is where it comes in handy to be in control of your own website or have the right webmaster in charge of your site.

BONUS: Professional Imagery + Professional Sales Copy!

Now here is a twist. Here's how you go from good, to great!

Want to make your website perform so much better? - Duh! Combine your professional photography with professional sales copywriting.

In short, most people make these two sale copy mistakes:

• Talk too much about themselves

• make there sales copy too long

In general, you should talk more about the customer. This typically includes, their potential pain points and their desires. Aw well as the benefits that they'll receive from your service. Also, you should try and say all that in the shortest way possible.

That's it for this week's issue. Thanks for tuning in. Have great weekend, everyone! 🍻

➜ TL;DR:

• Use Professional Photography

• Share photos of your ideal projects

• Work your way to 100% ideal project photos

• Professional Photography + Professional Sales Copy

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