7 Tips for Taking Successful Marketing Photos for Your Small Business

​If your small business has a marketing campaign, it very well will have to take photos. Here are 7 tips for taking marketing photos for your small business.

Did you know that photos can boost the success of your company’s marketing campaign?

People are drawn to photos and if your photos are good enough, they may be drawn to your business, too. Are you interested in boosting your marketing campaign?

Save time and money and take your marketing photos for your small business by following these seven steps. 

Marketing Photos Get Better Results

Using professional photos for your business is the difference between a campaign that converts and one that makes little impact. Photos can help cement your products or your campaign in your customer’s mind and people enjoy reading content on the web that has photos.

Using marketing photos on your company’s social media account can double your engagement. Including professional photos with your tweet or Facebook post is worth your time. Your company will have better brand recognition and be easier to spot when you use images and photos.

But your customers can also be turned away if you are not using quality business pictures. We’ve all looked up a company online and have been met with poor quality photos that look overly posed. Follow these seven tips to take the best marketing photos for your business. 

​1. Invest in Good Equipment

The first step in how to take a good picture is to invest in some equipment. Yes, your smartphone does take nice pictures, but it is worth investing to get a good camera.

You don’t need the latest and the greatest model with all the lenses to get a great shot. What you need is a camera that will focus, zoom in and out, and allow you to adjust the settings. Once you get the camera sign-up for a photography class at a local community college or a free online class to make sure you are getting your money’s worth out of it. 

​2. Your Photos Should Tell a Story

Think about the photos used in your favorite advertising campaigns. They all tell a story. Let your photos tell the story of your business or your products.

You’ll want to build up a nice stockpile of photos of your products, employees, and people interacting with your products so your customers can see the whole story. These photos can be used as social media photos and show people exactly what to expect from your business.
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Take photos that show your company’s mission and beliefs visually. 

​3. Use Natural Lighting

Whenever possible use natural lighting instead of flash. Natural lighting is easier for beginner photographers. If you consistently use natural lighting it will make all your photos appear to be cohesive.
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If natural outdoor lighting is impossible, try a few small umbrella lights to boost the lighting of your images. Play around with placing them in different places to get the optimal light for your photo.

4. Create Balance and Symmetry ​

The most basic rule when taking professional pictures is to achieve balance and symmetry in your shots. Do this by following the rule of thirds. This technique makes your images more appealing and balanced.

Picture a grid in your camera viewfinder or turn on the grid option for your camera’s larger photo viewer. Try to position your subject within those intersecting lines. Only amateur photographers center everything on the screen and this can make your photos look boring.

When people see the balance in marketing photos they are more likely to think that the photo was taken by a professional photographer.
Another quick tip for how to take a good picture involves symmetry. People are naturally drawn to symmetrical pictures. If you have the opportunity to capture symmetry, you should!

​5. Don’t Neglect a Good Candid Photo

Businesses often have a reputation for being a faceless entity. People don’t often get to see all the hard-working people behind the company that makes them successful. Incorporate a few candid shots into your business photos to show the people behind the brand.

Showing your employees can help earn your customer’s trust. This is a great way to put a human face on your business. Shows photos of your employees in action or at work-related functions.

Incorporate employees in with professional pictures of your products. This can help communicate your company’s personality and values. If your business sells to families with children use your employee’s families with children to model the products.
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Or, if your company relies on an older audience try having some of your senior employees jump in a few shots. 

​6. Edit a Little

You’ll want to get some good editing software to go with your new camera. If you are on a budget there are a couple of good editing apps that can be downloaded on your smartphone. Or look for free editing software online.
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Crop your photos and adjust the brightness and color of your marketing photos. Don’t get overly cute but do try adding a bit of text or a frame. Enhance your photos through editing but don’t overpower them.

​7. Crop Instead of Zoom

A common mistake made by new photographers is overusing the zoom feature. Manually zooming in on a subject without a high-quality camera can affect the quality of the image.

If you can instead of zooming get closer to your subject. If that isn’t possible, don’t worry about it. Take the photo from where you are and crop it using your editing software later. Just make sure you use the rule of thirds to create balance!

Zooming will also impact the depth of field in your image. This could affect how the subject is in focus. It will also change the aspect of the distortion of the image.
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With zooming, you also increase the chance of motion-related blurring of the images. Professional photographers use a lens with a high shutter speed to capture sports images or movement. 

Have Fun Shooting Marketing Photos for Your Business

Shooting your marketing photos for your business isn’t hard. You just need the right equipment and a little practice. Photos can also greatly boost the success of your marketing campaign.

Follow these seven tips to take the best marketing photos for your business.
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Would you like to learn more about retail marketing strategy? If so, check out some more content on our website.