Do I Need a Photographer for My Business?

There is a very broad range of uses for professional photographers when it comes to digital marketing and even print marketing collateral. From infographics to flyers to thumbnails, webpages, about pages, blog posts, email footers, the list goes on and on. 

Does My Business Need A Photographer?

What we’ve found over time in the world of media and video marketing, is that having the photos to use for your posts and pages can often surface new opportunities for posting based on the candidness of the shots and/or the varying ideas and tactics discussed by a marketing team after viewing the final photo edits.

As we’ve noted previously in our article discussing whether social media videographers are a good fit for your industry, our answer is yes, yes and yes. All industries can benefit from the transparent nature of photographer and videographer services. It allows your prospects to see you doing your job or hear you knowing and speaking your stuff, versus just knowing via hearsay, not knowing at all or even taking your word for it – instead, photo and video should be used to show you in action.

However, this must be done correctly and when it is, it can be the best marketing asset you’ve ever used. Trust us, we see it all the time.

Doubling Up On Digital Assets

It’s also important to note how often photographer and videographer work performs best when done in tandem and coupled with a very intentional (and A/B tested) social media calendar. Here’s an example of how an experienced law firm videographer, corporate videographer or commercial real estate videographer may line up a social media calendar:

1. Shoot a video podcast that showcases the client’s knowledge base in the industry while educating and engaging the audience at the same time. 
2. Shoot photography if he has the skills for both trades or have a photographer come on set to photograph the client and guest discussing industry secrets, tips and how-tos.
3. Edit out a teaser for the clients social media posts that includes a call-to-action, inviting the audience to watch the podcast production coming up in the next couple of days.
4. Edit and post the podcast itself to the clients’ YouTube channel and then push it out across all of the clients social media accounts (or pass the finished piece to the client or clients marketing team to post).
5. Edit in quotes and CTAs using typography and motion graphic designs/ overlays onto the photos for more social media use. 
6. Archive and keep the footage shot to use in future videos as Broll.

Be Choosy. You Deserve It.

We will caution you to vet well for your videographer or production company, as most novice (and often even experienced) photographers will not have enough experience with marketing to be able to outline a plan for you and will rather come and shoot creatively, not thinking very far into the future of your content and posting. Ask them questions that will clue you into how much experience they have with photoshoots done for websites, social media and the like.

Be choosy, ask for samples, portfolio pieces relevant to your industry, multiple interviews and answers to hard questions. Your photographer is not only a creative component of your marketing, but should be an extension of your in-house team (if not part of it) and be able to pull the weight needed and then some. Your hard work building your clientele, product or service and reputation deserves nothing but the best. 

Unsure if photography is right for your business? Leave us a comment below!