5 tips to get the most out of your product photos
If you decide to invest in product photography, don't limit yourself to using the photos only for sales in your online shop. High-quality product photos can help you get your marketing off the ground in many places.
1. Bring your website and online shop to life
As soon as you have professional product photos, don't wait – put them on your official website and online shop. Online retailers in particular should take great care over their content. “When shopping online, customers can't touch, try or properly inspect the goods. The only way to look at the product is through photos. So the more realistic the product photo is and the more angles and details it offers, the more successful the sale of your goods will be,” explains product photographer and photo retoucher Dalibor Novotný, adding that correct lighting, among other things, is essential to achieve true colours. Simply put, a good product photo drives the sales of your products!
Did you know? Poor-quality photos or insufficient product information are often the reason a customer doesn't buy, even when the shop offers a good price. High-quality product photography affects how trustworthy a website looks.
2. Focus on social media
Product photos are the best content for social media. An engaging presentation of products or services on Instagram in particular pays off. In today's saturated market, however, it is very important that your photos stand out from the competition. “Product photos on Instagram become more attractive if they share a consistent style, have the right dimensions and are processed in an original way,” says Dalibor Novotný. If you want to succeed on social media, though, you have to work at it every day and take care with your captions too.
Did you know? Having beautiful product photos doesn't automatically mean you have to be on Instagram. Not every company belongs there. It depends on your product range, your target audience and so on. Instagram probably won't be the best promotional channel for B2B companies either.
3. Use product photos beyond e-commerce
To do business successfully online, it is important to reach people outside the digital world too. High-quality product photography can help in several ways. “Truly high-quality product photos are produced so that they can also be used in print, not just online. That means you can use them in all kinds of marketing campaigns – on billboards, in magazine ads and more,” explains the product photographer.
4. Update the photos in your resellers' catalogues
Another place where you should use your product photos is in the catalogues of your distributors and resellers. Whether the catalogues are online or printed, make sure third parties present your goods with your latest product photos. “Although creating a new printed catalogue can take time and money, believe me, the investment will pay off. Product photos are an essential part of your marketing plan. An outdated catalogue won't appeal to many people today,” warns Dalibor Novotný.
Did you know? You can also have a product catalogue on Facebook. It can help you achieve better sales results. A Facebook product catalogue gives you access to several very useful features that you can build into your social media marketing.
5. Use the latest technology
You can do magical things with product photos – such as rotating them. Professional 360° product photos or 3D photos give visitors to your website a unique experience that at least partly replaces shopping in a bricks-and-mortar store. “Customers can interact with product photos that capture a full 360 degrees. That gives them an engaging online shopping experience and also increases the time they spend on your website. It's your chance to convince a new customer of your strengths, encourage them to spend more and get them to come back,” says the product photographer.
Is the product photo really what sells?
Text is very important for successful online sales, but in most cases it is the photo that ultimately decides whether a customer buys the product or service. “If you can combine the strengths of a product photo and a good description, you've won in the world of e-commerce,” concludes Novotný.