As a photographer who also owns a digital and print media agency, every now and then we’ll come across a customer who is happy to use images taken with their phone to promote their goods and services. It doesn’t happen very often but it always amazes me when it does. What kind of impression do they think that gives to their potential customers?
I’m sure that most of us have been in to an independent Pizza restaurant and opened the menu to find fuzzy off colour pictures of the food on offer, does this make you feel like you’re getting a quality meal? Personally it makes me wonder why I walked through the door in the first place. Contrast this with opening a menu in a Pizza Hut and seeing all those wonderfully lit and styled images of mouth-watering starters, pizzas and puddings. Is this because Pizza Hut has money to throw around on fancy photography? Of course not! They need to turn a profit like any other business, but what they have realised is that those wonderfully lit and well styled images not only reflect the quality of their product but also increase customer spend throughout their restaurants.
The same idea is true when it comes to your products and services. If your potential customers see badly taken images they will wonder about the quality of the product, and if you look cheap, they will expect cheap. If you communicate quality, you will attract customers who value quality and expect to pay for it.
Hiring a professional photographer who can portray your products and services in a positive way sends a strong message of pride in what you do. Creating a strong first impression will mean that potential customers will be intrigued to explore further and make that purchase.
Cheers, Mark