So Kim Kardashian has apparently recently admitted to taking 6000 selfies whilst on holiday… but interestingly it would appear that only a select few have made it out into her social media channels so we are told.
I’m sorry if mentioning this has driven you to screaming at the screen… or perhaps you’ve just been woken from years frozen in ice and can be thankful to have no idea who she is… but what I find interesting is that the majority of those images are clearly not good enough for her legions of fans and followers to see!
I doubt that any business has quite such a reliance on their online or social media profile, and the images that they share, as some of our new generation of “brands” such as the Kardashians… probably your business has an actual product or service to sell!
However before you think there is nothing here to learn from this revelation can I ask you this… what do the images of you and your business say about your brand?
The power of visual communication
The power of visual communication… the images that we share online and through platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter… has grown at a truly amazing rate. It therefore makes engaging and quality images crucial to your business brand whether on-line or indeed in printed marketing materials.
The internet has changed the way we look at brands and businesses and indeed the way they communicate with us. Who doesn’t shop online now, spending time browsing the virtual shelves and racks for everyday items and that special something? Indeed who doesn’t return from a networking event and search LinkedIn or other platforms to connect with that new contact we’ve just met?
A few quick minutes in your search engine of choice can bring up a whole array of information in seconds… or indeed even quicker! I’m sure you’ve noticed that the information presented includes images…
Perhaps you have a competitor in your market, or indeed a larger business you would love to emulate and whose every move you study for ideas and inspiration in your own business? Or you’re far too busy in your own world to bother with others but you’d still like to have customers bother to search you out and buy from your e-commerce site?
If the choice and the quality of images used by your competitors, by the brands you aspire to emulate, or indeed by the Kardashians, is so important for their success perhaps you should be thinking carefully about exactly what you use?
So what do the images on your website, or on your social media channels say about your business… the products you sell and the people who proudly work with you to make your business a success?
I know that when starting out in any business you have to be the maker, the marketer and the manager but there comes a time when you need to make the next step… do what you do best and find others with skills to help you move the business forward.
Not convinced that the pictures you take yourself aren’t good enough… well, Google surveyed those people who were going to buy on-line through e-commerce sites but didn’t actually complete the transaction. The biggest reason that the transaction wasn’t completed was because the potential buyer thought the image didn’t do the product justice!
If you’re an e-commerce retailer, or indeed are looking to sell online, check out any large on-line retailer of choice and see if your e-commerce images look as professional as they do… if not then perhaps that’s why the sales aren’t meeting your expectations?
People are more likely to do business with someone they know and trust. That is why it’s so important to have a good quality professional image of yourself, so that your potential customers can see the face behind the business… making it more personal.
When you’re shopping for tonight’s dinner have a quick look at the pictures of the store manager and department heads… check out the difference between those taken professionally and those shot “in house”. Seriously, would you want those people handling anything you were about to eat?
If the images of your business that can be found in a search online or on your website don’t look professional then they will portray your company as unprofessional. High-quality images, that are unique to you and your business, will help you stand out from your competitors and by making those images fit well with your business brand they can help attract the right type of customers too!
Still don’t believe me… well you can always check out the images Kim Kardashian has posted online from her most recent holiday…
