Stock photos provide a way to add images to your website or blog without producing them yourself. A quick search around the net will yield plenty of royalty-free images. If these don’t float your boat, then just buy a professionally produced image. Awesome right? Well, no. Not according to recent insights from content creation pros. The results are in; cheesy photos are a turn-off for your customers. It’s because they are so impersonal – and cheesy! Essentially, stock photos may let down your brand unless they are chosen wisely.
Which Stock Photos are Buyers Purchasing?
The most common stock photography purchases are images of people, animals, food and travel. Stock images are bought in three main categories. These are royalty-free images, rights-managed images and public domain. You can find a more detailed explanation of the different kinds of stock photos here.
How Bad Stock Photos Impact Your Business
Your website is your most important tool for generating leads. And visitors to your website form an opinion in just a few seconds. Therefore, what they don’t want to see is low-quality, banal images. In fact, poorly chosen corny photos will do more than hinder your progress; they’ll actually drive customers away. Moreover, bad images are too ‘salesy’. Too expected. Ultimately, they aren’t friendly or inviting, just impersonal and cold.
How Do I Get Better Photos?
It’s easy to rely on just the popular stock photo sites, such as iStock and Shutterstock. But the fact is, there are dozens more stock image sites out there to choose from. Also, remember that you or your graphic designer can make creative changes to your royalty-free images. Lastly, consider using your own photos, especially if you’re posting pictures of people. Why not use pictures of your own staff to make your site more personal and authentic?
