Having photos to showcase your business is very important, but the real challenge lies in picking the right one.
What emotion do you want to bring out? Does it match the headline? Does it add or take away from what your content? Does it match your branding? Does it align with your companies values?
If you can specifically answer these questions then you are on the right track!
If the photo is blurry, distracting, over photoshopped than most likely the photo won’t work. People like photos, but more than that people like quality photos that tell the right story.
1. What Is Your Story?
A picture says a thousand words, but are nine hundred and ninety nine of those words telling a different story?
Before you start sourcing stock photos, write down the key attributes of your brand, or social media campaign. When someone sees your content what should they be feeling? Is it excitement, sadness, love, hope? And how do those attributes correlate to the your brands big picture?
2. Examine Each Photo
Now let’s get started! Have your list from the previous step ready. Keep each word, phrase, and feelings in the back of your mind. As you start looking at photos pay close attention to how each photo makes you feel.
- What do you feel when you first see it?
- Does it coincide with your branding?
- Is overlay warm or dark?
- Do the people feel fake or real?
Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong answer to the above questions. It all depends on your target audience.
3. Adjust as Needed
From the get-go you should employ A/B testing to determine what your audience is actually engaging with. The analytics don’t lie, if you find that the photos you are using aren’t getting a good response, don’t be afraid to throw it out and start over.
Don’t know where to start? Check out Unsplash.com and Pixabay.com they are royalty free stock photo websites!
Do you have your own stock photo sourcing techniques? Share your ideas below!
