I’ve been saving since I was a kid. I knew that when I put money in the bank I would never see it again. At least not until college, which was a hundred years away so I might as well have never seen it.
I was taught to have money in the bank, to save for the rainy day and to always make sure my basis were covered. This was great advice and when I was the only kid in college with money in the bank, it served me well.
But owning a business is a little different. While of course having money in the bank is important, it also takes money to make money (the age-old phrase that we all hate). Something I myself am learning to adjust to and starting to invest in the things that will help my business grow; equipment, marketing, a business coach – check, check, check – and those are literal checks, not just checkmarks.
I’ve gone the DIY way for almost everything and then I upgraded to the novice who doesn’t know what they’re doing and ended up costing me more in the long run and I’ve learned that just like in all the products I purchase, quality makes all the difference.
Just as I’m sure you tell your customers, the quality in your product + the service = WORTH IT! It’s simple math.
While commercial photography is an investment, it’s one that pays off again and again.
The photos that you get aren’t just representing your product. These photos tell your customers the story. They show what the future holds for them and why they need you in their lives.
The gift you give that also gives cheer, the gear your purchase for your next adventure, the piece of clothing that gives you that rockstar feeling and makes you feel like you can take over the world; all these are the emotion that your customers are buying. They want a promise of how their life can be better and professional commercial photographers show them that promise.
It doesn’t stop there though.
Great commercial photography doesn’t just showcase the emotion that your customers buy but gives your customers trust in your business. To put it simply, you look legit.
You are professional, an established business who knows what they are doing and doesn’t look like some brand new business that just threw some things together. And this rings true even when you, yourself, are shopping.
Think about the brands you buy from. The ones you stop in your Instagram feed to look at. The websites you click through for hours looking for the perfect pair of shoes or the jacket that will make it through the next 10 years. You open up a website or look at an Instagram profile and within 10 seconds you’ve made a decision about this brand.
Do they look like they have the products I need? Are they selling my dream? Do they look professional and not like a scam artist? Can I trust this brand with my hard earn money?
Just by looking at the images of a brand you can answer all these questions and if the price is right and the service is great, you make that purchase.
As you think about your own marketing remember that while photography is an investment, it’s the investment that will pay for itself. And with images you have to pay for only once, unlike many other commercial photography pricing, It’s an investment you can’t NOT afford to make.
Sell the dream.
Look professional.
Make a great first impression.
Have confidence in your business.
Don’t lose your customers to the competition.
That’s the promise that commercial photography makes to you. So, are you ready to make the investment? I’ll be here for you when you are.
