Suppose you’re using stock photography for your website, blog posts or social media. In that case, you probably understand the importance of visual content. You know that your audience only remembers 10% of information three days after reading it. Adding a photo into your content increases that number to 65%.
Photography is a great way to boost the success of your content. But, unfortunately, it’s not always as easy as slapping a stock photo of a smiling face somewhere into your post.
Stock photography is often the quicker and easier solution for your creative visual needs. You can find stock photos online for almost any purpose and within seconds. Stock photos also usually come with high production value and good-looking models.
But as is often the case, nothing really worth doing is easy, and creating great visual content for your brand is no different.
In this post, we’ll take a look at why it’s time to move on from Stock Photography.
What’s the Problem with Stock Images?
We’ve already hinted at some advantages of stock photography in the intro. So if Stock photos save this much time and money for your brand, why should you swear off them? Just the other day, you might have found the perfect stock photo to go with your post. And ultimately, how much does one good picture for a single blog post matter anyway?
Stock Photos are Inauthentic
The truth is that stock photography is generic by nature. Stock photos are created to be licensed to as many brands as possible to get the photographer paid. So they try to appeal to the masses with generic visual styles, generically attractive people, and posed situations that don’t capture any real emotion.
You might think that your customers are blind to this, but they are not! Stock photos are often obviously recognisable. That’s why connecting stock photography of a model to your customer testimonials could be to your detriment. Your audience will see that you have no real connection to your photos, painting an inauthentic and almost fraudulent image.
According to Marketing Experiments, an actual photo of a customer performs much better than top-performing stock photography. In addition, visitors in their study were 35% more likely to sign up for their service when the customer photo was featured!
Stock Photos Don’t Capture Your Brand
If you use stock photography, you are also missing a golden opportunity to incorporate your brand’s personality into your visuals. Your brand likely has a consistent style across other channels, and this shouldn’t stop at the images you use. By working with a creative agency or taking your own photos, you can ensure all of your content represents your brand’s style!
Stock Photos Are Not as Convenient as You Think
You might think that a stock photo will save you a bunch of time because they are ready-made. But the truth is that whenever you have to find a new picture for your website or blog, you might be spending hours trying to find the perfect stock photo. Then you need to weigh up its costs and licensing agreements, and maybe you even need to edit the image to better suit your purposes.
With all these downsides in mind, what keeps you from creating your own visuals?
It’s Easier Than You Think
Taking your own photos for blogs and website isn’t as difficult or expensive as you think. When it comes to authentic photography, your audience will love to see pictures of your own team, your customers, and your work environment. Even with a low budget, you can hire a Creative Agency to help you design a creative concept for a photoshoot and prepare visual content for many pieces in advance.
ZAK agency helps brands make the most of their visual content. We design ground-breaking and eye-catching campaigns to promote your products and services. Check out examples of our work on our website, or get in touch to learn more.
