Originally posted on Compass Consulting & Solutions – Paul Nottingham
1. It’s your best opportunity for a Great First impression
Product photos are a visual representation of your business. Using a high-quality color photo of your products or services tells a story that would take much longer to convey in words.
2. They help customers better understand your products
Current media offering online shopping experiences are all about convenience. Unfortunately, your customers can’t actually feel, touch, smell, taste your wares. This experience lacks the opportunity for customers to physically handle a product they’re interested in. High quality photos provide the visual representation of your items. And when customers can easily access the information they want, they’re much more likely to Buy right now and come back for more.
3. They boost your brand
Good product photos act as brand ambassadors: Whether your product is hardware or a service or anything in between, your product photos strengthen your brand and make it even more valuable to the end user. Plus, high quality product images may help eliminate returns because the written description was not quite enough to convey all of the info the customer needed.
4. They give you a competitive edge
Online shoppers are inundated with options. Product options, pricing options, rating and reviews and so much more. It should be assumed your customers will check competitors’ products before making a decision. It’s imperative your product photos are enticing and make your products as appealing as possible to capture the sale as quickly as possible.
5. Quality photos + useful product descriptions = increased sales and fewer returns
Your return on your investment in high quality product photos is maximized when complimented by highly useful and unique product description including features and Benefits! The closer a customer gets to making a purchase decision, the more information they will need about a product – Especially at higher price points. Useful product information both entices customers to buy and increases trust in your brand. The more key words used in your product copy, the better your chances of getting found in search engine results as well. All of this makes for a more informed buying experience and this experience should help in providing fewer returns.
6. They increase the likelihood of social media sharing
If you’re looking at advertising using social media, then you have realized the value of these high powered, High volume outlets that are currently the most effective way to advertise above all others. If your product lines are represented well, and your information is complete there is a good chance your customer will not only recommend your products but share your site with friends and family which is the goal: more butts in seats and more hits on your web page.
7. Make sure they’re high quality
High quality is an absolute must. You want your customers to get the clearest picture possible, both literally and figuratively, when it comes to your products, and high-quality photos are an integral part of achieving that.
8. Have a photo for each color or variation
If a product comes in different colors or variations. Some software programs allow you to manipulate the color of the item on the page without having 10 different photos of the same item. This is a huge opportunity to create a more interactive experience as well as offering choices to your customers that still have not set foot in your door.
Using Social media is an absolute must in today’s current culture of instant gratification and totally connected society. Using your web page to showcase your offerings is much cheaper than having multiple cases of multiple colors or sizes of the same item on shelves. A good web site can offer you the opportunity to virtually represent your store without tying up capital in inventory. And it can also allow folks to purchase from you without setting foot in your brick and mortar operation-thus increasing foot traffic and sales without additional staffing or hours of operation. And your website is a 24/7 store so you don’t have to try to guess at the hours of operation.
Next time we will look at some examples of good, better, and best websites to emulate in your quest to use social media and the world wide web to help you sell your business and leverage your Unique Value Proposition!