Selecting the right photos to showcase your business, products or services can make a world of difference. Working in ag communications, when reaching for a stock photo I’ve often been met with stereotypical results – a male grower wearing plaid in the middle of a corn or soybean field. We’ve all seen it. Even a search for "rice farm" on Shutterstock directs you to rice farms in Asia, not the rice farms of Bootheel Missouri that a Midwest marketer might be trying to capture.
Authentic photos offer a genuine portrayal of diversity and inclusion, steering clear of the harmful stereotypes sometimes found in stock images. Moreover, when consumers see real people using your offerings, they're more likely to envision themselves doing the same – a significant advantage you won't want to overlook. And when your customers see photos of real team members, it also puts a face and name to your brand – a way to build trust among your audience.
Hence, whenever possible, prioritize authentic photos featuring your team and customers. These realistic depictions can also set your brand apart from competitors reliant on generic stock imagery.
Gathering authentic photos may require more initial investment in terms of time and resources, but in the long run, they can even be more cost-effective than constantly licensing stock photos. You can reuse the images you gathered with your DSLR or smartphone across various marketing channels without worrying about additional licensing fees associated with stock photos.
So how do you begin building up that asset library with more authentic photos? 1) Consider setting up a customer testimonial and send a communications specialist to capture a shot list of photos or videos. 2) Take a photo-savvy team member along to a tradeshow and have them focus on capturing content throughout the event (be sure they take a portion of photos without the event nametags or logos if you want the materials to live long past the initial outing) 3) Create a social post requesting customers send you their favorite photos of your products in use.
And these are merely a few concepts to explore! A single tradeshow could yield a year's worth of content if strategized correctly. Investing in opportunities to gather that real, boots-on-the-ground imagery will be worth it to your company and the customers you’re trying to reach.
Bonus: after you’ve chosen the right photos, don’t forget to include the alt text that I mentioned in my last post. #Inclusivity
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