Small Business Saturday Blog

Making a great first impression: photography & small business

Wednesday, August 14, 2019 at 21:56

Being a small business can seem overwhelming at times, especially when you’re juggling the finances and weighing up where your money is best spent to maximise return.

Photography can appear to be a luxury, but if you’re in the business of selling something, whether it be a service or product, quality photography could be one of the best investments you could make. Of course, there are areas where professional photographs can be supplemented with your own photography to really tell the story of your brand.

Engaging with your customers should be a top priority, and photography, as we’ve explained before, is the visual aid to help sell your products or services. Whether it be professional or not, you can instantly gain interest by using an image that captures the imagination, gets people thinking or simply tells a story. It can also work the other way, and poor imagery may result in potential buyers switching off as they are not reassured by the brand and its value.

Getting the mix right:

You may opt to reach for the smartphone and take those selfies, provide insight into the company or interact with your followers at an event. But be wise as to what images you take.

Think about the framing, the message and ultimately your brand before uploading and hitting that ‘send’ or ‘publish’ button. Here are some top tips to help you when covering a business or social event:

• Familiarise yourself with the camera or smartphone. Figure out how to use the flash, make recordings and know the device’s limitations. Zoom features on smartphones for example are not great and can destroy the quality of the image.
• Visit the venue beforehand to get a feel of what is where, best angles for shooting from and try out the equipment.
• Ask permission to take photographs and be relaxed. Guests will be happier to smile if you do!
• Avoid taking photos of people eating!
• Make sure you note down any names of people you have snapped and capture a wide variety of images including logos and branding, especially of any sponsors of the event. Try where you can to capture the vibrancy of the event by being creative.

Another temptation is to use stock images. It might seem a cost-effective route to go down, but it’s a tricky one to navigate. While these images are great for showcasing a generalised idea, they don’t show YOU or YOUR business off to its best advantage. People want to know who they are buying from, what they are purchasing and want to build a rapport with you. Stock images won’t give you that personable approach and can make you appear too ‘general’ or ‘similar’ to others. You are unique, so shout it from the rooftops!

Equally, think about the overall look of your business and whether it’s worth investing in some professional photography to help build your brand. Headshots, corporate setting shoots and product photography are often best left to the professionals. A great photographer will work with you to reflect your brand values and can make you stand out above the competition.

Search engine optimisation is also imperative in garnering interest and visits to your website or social media and one of the main elements of this is through images. If you get it right and people go to your site because they like what they see, your hit rate goes up and you will feature more highly in searches carried out online.

Your business is yours for the making and I appreciate entirely the need to evaluate carefully where to allocate funds. But if you choose wisely and do your homework, it need not be a huge expense and it’ll be one you will reap the rewards from in the long term.

David Wellbelove runs a small commercial photography studio in Bletchley, Milton Keynes. Find out more here.