Stock photos have been an easy way for businesses to add visual elements into their marketing and branding strategy. However, stock photos run a risk of being overused and unsuited for your corporate branding.
Here are 5 reasons why you should be using your own corporate stock photos for your marketing purposes.
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Using Photos for Marketing
In today’s increasingly visual society, photos have become an essential part of any marketing strategy. In fact, MDG Advertising reported that marketers today rank images as the most important content type in their content matrix, with 68% of them saying that they will use more images for their marketing work in the future.
Many marketers will choose to engage professional corporate photographers who can shoot the top-notch corporate photos which complement their business needs. Professional photographs are the best way for marketers to present their messages in an easy-to-digest and eye-catching manner.
Of course, there will be times when marketers do need to use free stock photos. Perhaps you need a graphic design done up quickly and you do not have time for a professional photoshoot. Or perhaps you need images of scenic places you do not have the means to travel to. Using free stock photos might be the best solution in this case. We would recommend that you do not overly rely on the free photos and use a good mix of both stock photos and your own photos instead.
Having said that, here are 5 reasons why you should be using your own corporate photos whenever possible.
Reasons Why You Should Use Your Own Corporate Stock Photos
1. Your own photos are a better representation of your brand and business.
Stock photos are usually meant to be generic and versatile. This is why the same stock photo can be used over and over for different situations. Stock photos are also not allowed to have any form of visible branding as stated in the licensing agreements.
On the other hand, your own photos are likely to be shot according to your business needs. Your photos would be a clear representation of the concepts and messages that you want to present to your clients.
2. Your own photos help you to stand out from the crowd.
Stock photos run a risk of being overused by your competitors. In fact, some stock photos with talents have been used so frequently that the featured talents have become somewhat recognisable personalities.
As a business, you would definitely want to stand out from your competitors and establish your own unique identity. The best way to build your brand identity would be to feature your own corporate stock photos in your marketing and branding collaterals instead. That way, your brand is more likely to achieve a top-of-mind recall as your customers.
3. Having your own photos makes you more trustworthy.
By using your own photos, you are being clear and honest when communicating with your clients. Compared to using a generic stock photo of some office workers, for example, you can clearly showcase the real employees who help to build and shape your brand and business. This helps to establish trust with your clients as they are more likely to perceive your brand as personable and credible.
Using your own photos also shows your clients that you care about your own brand image. You are showing that you took the time to take the professionally-shot photos which speak clearly about your brand, rather than turning to stock photos.
4. Your photos save you from having to worry about licensing.
When you purchase other stock photos, there are mainly 3 types of licensing that you will have to worry about:
- Rights-managed. This form of licensing where you pay for single usage of an image. If you want to use your photo for two print advertisements outside your office, you will have to pay for the image twice.
- Royalty-free. This license is not free-of-charge despite the “free” in its name. Under this license, you pay for the images once and get to use it as many times as you wish as long as you do not exceed the agreed circulation cap.
- Extended licences. This is essentially a royalty-free licence that allows you to use the stock photos for an extended viewership. This is usually used by big corporations who wish to use the stock photos for mass printing, like on tee-shirts and cups.
The good news is that if you shoot your own corporate stock photos, you do not have to go through the hassle of worrying about these licenses. You are free to use these photos for your own business purposes, regardless of how many views your photos will garner.
5. Your own photos will boost your SEOs
Back in 2013, Google mentioned while using stock photos do not have a direct impact on your SEOs and page rankings, they might consider looking at stock photos at a signal for page quality.
What this means is that in the future, Google might flag stock photos as a sign of repeated, unoriginal content. By using your own photos, you will be providing the original, beneficial content that Google wants to provide its users. Furthermore, you have a better chance of retaining your viewers with your professionally-shot corporate photos which will help prevent a high drop-out rate.
Engage a Professional to Shoot Your Custom Corporate Stock Photos
Corporate photos, regardless of how they are being used, will play a crucial part in giving off a good first impression to your potential clients. For the best quality photos which can bring out the best in your brand, we recommend engaging a professional corporate photographer.
If you are unsure of how to engage a professional, here are 5 tips that you can follow when hiring a corporate photographer.
Shoot Your Photos With Us Today
At Vivid Snaps, corporate stock photography is just one of the many corporate photography services that we offer our client. Our experienced team is ready to help you shoot the corporate photos that you need.
Drop our project coordinators a message today and we will get back to you.
