The most effective video marketing campaigns start with professional photography.

You read that right, photography is, and has always been at the heart of any effective marketing strategy.

I’ll explain; most businesses have websites, a pile of social media pages, maybe a YouTube channel, a Google business page, Yelp, LinkedIn and more. The one thing these platforms have in common is they are heavily focused on photos.

One of the best ways to stand out online is to have high quality photography that not only tells a story, but shows who you are, what you do and where you’re located.

Admittedly it’s overwhelming to come up with profile photos, cover photos, photos of your location, photos of your products, or of you or your employees performing your services, headshots, photos of happy customers and clients, before and after photos. The list is seemingly endless, and often confusing.

You have options, most of them suck, but they are options.

Option 1: Take your own photos.

Most small or new businesses take their own photos, and it shows. Grainy, poorly lit and composed photos are the hallmark of a business that’s cutting corners in their marketing plan.

Most business owners don’t know what to take photos of never mind how to make those photos good. Maybe you’re a great photographer, and that’s awesome, do it up!

Option 2: Stock Photos

Can I just say “don’t do this” and let you trust me? No? Alright, hear me out.

Stock photos are inauthentic, unoriginal, irrelevant and don’t represent your business. They are the hallmark of lazy social media managers and web developers who are trying to slam out as much useless content as possible so they can get paid.

The same stock photos are used by thousands of businesses to the point of being a trope. They scream “I’m fake and trying to trick you.” Stock photos are the “lorum Ipsum” of the photography world – filler that should never be seen by the public until they are replaced with actual meaning. Do not use this option.

Option 3: Hire a Photographer (recommended)

Hiring an experienced photographer is the best way to get the photos you need to attract people to your social media, websites and ultimately generate sales. Photographers have years of training, practice and education. They understand storytelling and composition and have invested in the equipment needed to capture and process stunning images that will make you stand out from the crowd and give your potential and existing clients a better understanding of who you are and what you do.

How to find and pick the right photographer?

Good photographers are not as common as you’d think, and they are more specialized than you might imagine, and while they won’t generally break the bank, they aren’t cheap either.

That being said, I’ve created a Facebook group to assist you in finding them! Just go to facebook.com/groups/nepaphotographers and make a post detailing what you’re looking for.

Then follow up by looking at their work. You should expect to invest between $2,500 and $7,500+ on average every year for professional photography based on your needs.

Note: if you missed last weeks column on Content Calendars, now is the time to go back and read it. If you haven’t already, subscribing to the Times Leader should be on your urgent to-do list.

Long story short – Photography is an incredibly important part of effective marketing that cannot be overlooked. Before you start making videos you absolutely need to make sure your photography game is solid!

Homework

Go through your website and social media. Make a list of every place that could use a good photo. You probably need headshots, cover photos, photos of the inside and outside of your business, product photos and more.

Once you’ve made that list it’s time to find and hire a photographer! Go to facebook.com/groups/nepaphotographers and start putting out feelers!

As always, if you need help or have questions email me at [email protected] I read and answer EVERY email!

Jonathan Edwards is the owner of Diamond City Studios. Reach him at [email protected].