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5 Reasons Why a Small Business Should Hire a Photographer

Guest post by: Sally Witzky

Article Overview: Many small business owners don't realize the importance and value of having photography that best represents their company brand. Images, in the form of still shots or made into videos or slide shows, can be extremely effective in showcasing a company, particularly in these days of social media and online marketing. This is the first of two articles in this series so please check out the second article for continuing tips, whether you're a franchise owner, a manufacturer's dealer or a stand-alone small business. In the meantime, make your own list of reasons why your company should have an image bank. You'll be surprised at all the benefits and how having available photography that represents your brand can help your business gain visibility and grow substantially.

5 Reasons Why a Small Business Should Hire a Photographer

We work with several types of small businesses including franchise owners, product dealers and stand-alone businesses who may be members of a governing trade association. In the age of new media including online marketing and social networking, it is essential for all types of small businesses to hire a photographer and build a portfolio of images which will be reflective of their own brand. Granted, stock photos work well for certain purposes and we highly encourage their use to make a visual point when needed. We even use photos from FreeFoto.com on our site, just to add some interest.

Franchise owners often have the benefit of using videos and images that their corporate home office makes available to them, although not all franchise owners use those to the fullest extent. Dealers have the ability to use manufacturer product photos, images, videos and design drawings which come in handy when they're promoting or explaining a specific product to a prospect. And a stand-alone business might be able to utilize similar images from a trade association for which they may be members.

Using imagery of any kind these days is critical to a small business success as consumers have an increasing desire to interact and engage in various ways. But photographs and images like these can only serve small business needs to a point. For a franchise not to localize its business, or a dealer to count only on the manufacturer's brand, or for a small business to rely on the laurels of its association membership, is just absurd from a business branding standpoint. And that's particularly true since we find ourselves thrown in to this new social media world with photo tools like Flickr, Picasa, and the many online photo album services including the one available on your Facebook Fan page.

So why should a small business prioritize hiring a photographer and not rely on stock photos or other images from their franchise corporate office or their manufacturer?

Here areour top 5 reasons why a local small business should hire a photographer:

1. Business owners need terrific profile shots. Social media profiles like those on LinkedIn, Twitter or your Wordpress blog require profile headshots that tell people that you're both professional and approachable. The business owner's photo helps people to remember you and connect with you and the photographs can be used for your company business cards, sell sheets or brochures. If you have a business development director, the same goes for that person as well, as they are often the face of the company.
2. Prospects often research your company online. Often your customers or prospects are checking out your business online before they even call, or connecting with those who answer the phone and they don't always know or talk to the business owner. Having photos of your office team that your prospects or customers can find on your website or on your Facebook Fan page is important so that they can put a face with a name, or that they can see that your business is both serious and credible.
3. Accurately depict the size of your company. Recently, one of our clients almost didn't get called about a project because the prospect found some outdated data online that said his company had 2-4 employees. While my client did have 4 employees a few years ago, his company now employs nearly 20. Having updated photos of your company and your team every couple of years is important so that prospects can easily see that you have a business that is big enough to service their needs.
4. Keep your content fresh. In the age of social media and online content development, adding photos and images to your blog posts, your website and your Facebook Fan page keeps your content fresh and engaging. There is nothing more important in the world of online marketing than to continually keep your customers and prospects engaged with you and your brand. Yes, I said your brand. Not the brand of your franchise and not the brand of your manufacturer or association.
5. Developing your unique brand. Hiring a photographer to shoot photos of you, your building, your signage, your team, your work - or anything that defines your company - is part of building your business's unique brand and sets you apart from other local or national competition. And if you're a franchise owner, it helps to localize your business and sets you apart from similar franchises that may be in your area. And photo selections can easily be turned into slide shows and videos, even cool online banner ads, that can further define your brand in the online media space.

For additional reasons why a small business owner should hire a photographer, please read oursecond article entitled "5 More Reasons Why a Small Business Should Hire a Photographer." In the meantime, make your own list. You'll be surprised at all the benefits an image bank can provide and how it can help your business gain visibility and grow substantially.

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Article Tags: brand images, brand marketing, business branding, business owners, dealers, entrepreneurs, franchise owner, franchise owners, hiring a photographer, marketing, online marketing, photographer, photography, slide shows, small business, small business branding, small business marketing, small business owners, small business photography, social media, social media marketing



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