As a personal branding and portrait photographer, I love educating people on the importance of high quality photos when it relates to their business and social media. Below are five reasons why I think that every business and entrepreneur should invest in professional photos.

(1) Visuals help tell your story of who you are and what you offer: Have you heard the saying that actions speak louder than words? Well, these days I think pictures speak louder – and faster – than words, too. Did you know that it only 13 milliseconds for the human brain to process an image? Photos help you show who you are and what you have to offer, rather than having them take the time to read. These days, customers like to see things for themselves before making a purchasing decision.

(2) Builds trust: While stock photos are great to get started and also have their purposes, remember that there are other businesses using the same stock images and you want to make you are standing out, especially if you are in a competitive market. So what is the one thing that your business has that no other business does? You! Your customers want to see who you are and get to know you. The best way for potential customers to get to know your business is by showing them actual photos of your business, your team members, and your products. This builds trust with your audience, and people buy from people they trust.

(3) Represents your brand: Whether you’re just starting your business or not, I know it can be temping to try and save some money. With so much access to great cameras it’s even more tempting to want to try to take photos from your phone. While I love a good selfie every now and then, you must remember that your photos represent your brand. Low quality, unprofessional photos on your website and social media can communicate the same to your audience about your business. If you are selling high-end products or services, your audience will expect to see high quality photos. Photos on your website are so important when it comes to making.a first impression.

(4) Helps you reach a larger audience: Ever heard of search engine optimization, or SEO? Don’t let that acronym scare you, it’s simple if you know how to use it, and photos are a great way to build in SEO without text all over your website. How many times have you tried to look up a photo on google images? All these photos are optimized to help you find what your looking for, the same way your customers will find your photos when they are looking for something similar, which will lead back to your website. Having photos on your websites will help your website perform better in the overall search results, making it easier for people to find you and contact you.

(5) Provides content: Posting regular content keeps your audience engaged. Content can also help you educate your audience, fuel your SEO, and drive your social media which also help every tip mentioned above – building trust, increasing audience reach, and promoting your brand. Photos are a type of content that hold power and versatility. Your content is the foundation of your digital marketing strategy, and photos will help increase your content.. Without photos and content, you’re going to struggle to attract the attention you need.