What makes you stop scrolling and pay attention to an advert? Before you read the headline or consider clicking, there is a good chance the image has already caught your attention.
Photography plays an important role in digital advertising. You can have the right audience, a strong message and a carefully planned advertising budget, but if your images do not capture attention, your campaign may struggle to deliver the results you want.
Across Meta Ads, Google Ads and Microsoft Ads, good photography can help your business stand out, communicate what you offer and make a strong first impression. In this blog, we look at why photography matters in digital advertising, what makes a good advertising photo and why you do not necessarily need professional equipment to create effective content.
Why Are Good Photos So Important in Digital Advertising?
Think about how much content you see every day. From scrolling through Facebook and Instagram to browsing websites and searching on Google, businesses are constantly competing for your attention. A good photograph gives your advert an opportunity to stand out.
Your image can help someone understand your product, service or experience before they have even read your advertising copy. It can also influence their first impression of your business.
Poor quality images can have the opposite effect. Dark photographs, blurry images, awkward angles or badly cropped photos can make an otherwise professional business appear less appealing.
Your photography should support what you are trying to sell and give potential customers a reason to find out more.
Good Photography Does Not Always Mean Professional Photography
One of the biggest misconceptions around advertising photography is that every image needs to come from a professional photoshoot.
Professional photography is a great investment when your budget allows for it. A professional photographer can help you build a high quality library of images that accurately represents your brand, products, team or services. However, professional equipment is not always essential.
Modern smartphones are capable of taking excellent photos. With a decent phone, good lighting and some thought around composition, businesses can create high quality images suitable for digital advertising. This is particularly useful when you need fresh content regularly.
Instead of waiting months for another professional photoshoot, your team can capture new products, seasonal changes, events, behind the scenes moments or different aspects of your business as they happen.
The camera matters, but what you photograph and how you photograph it can be just as important.
What Makes a Good Advertising Photo?
You do not need to be an experienced photographer to improve the quality of the images you use in your advertising.
Start by thinking about the purpose of the advert. What are you trying to promote and what should someone understand when they see the image?
Some simple things to consider include:
- Use good natural or artificial lighting
- Keep the main subject of the image clear
- Avoid cluttered backgrounds
- Make sure photographs are sharp and in focus
- Consider the angle and composition
- Use images that accurately represent your business
- Make sure the image is relevant to the advert
- Capture a variety of image sizes and compositions
Taking a few extra moments to consider these elements can make a significant difference to the finished photo.
Show People What They Are Actually Getting
Authenticity is particularly important when advertising a product, service or experience. People want to see what they are considering buying, booking or enquiring about.
For example, if you are advertising a hotel break, genuine photography can show potential guests the bedrooms, restaurant, leisure facilities and overall experience they can expect.
A restaurant can showcase its actual dishes rather than relying on generic food photography. A retailer can show its real products. A service based business can introduce its team, workplace or completed projects.
Stock photography can have its place, but it can also make your advertising feel generic if the same style of image is being used by countless other businesses. Your own photography gives customers a better sense of who you are.
Different Platforms Need Different Images
The same photograph will not necessarily be the best option for every advertising placement.
Meta Ads, Google Ads and Microsoft Ads can display images in different formats and locations. Having a good selection of photography gives your campaigns more flexibility.
Instead of taking one perfect photo, think about creating a library of images.
This could include:
- Wide photographs
- Portrait photographs
- Square photographs
- Close up shots
- Wider lifestyle images
- Product or service focused photographs
- Images featuring people
- Different angles of the same subject
Having a variety of options makes it easier to choose the right image for each advert and platform.
It also gives you more creative options to test.
Photography and Paid Advertising Work Together
Good photography is only one part of a successful advertising campaign. Your PPC strategy still needs the right targeting, campaign structure, messaging, budget and landing page. However, when an advertising format includes imagery, the creative becomes another important part of the overall customer journey. The advert needs to capture attention and encourage someone to take the next step.
This is why photography should be considered when planning your advertising campaigns rather than added at the last minute. Ask yourself what images you have available before launching a campaign. Do they represent the product or service you are advertising? Are they current? Do they look professional? Would they make you stop and take notice?
If the answer is no, it may be worth spending some time creating new content before the campaign goes live.
Do Not Rely on Just One Great Photo
Finding an image that performs well is great, but that does not mean you should use it forever.
People can become familiar with advertising creative when they see it repeatedly. Refreshing your images gives your campaigns a new look and allows you to test what your audience responds to.
Try different photographs and monitor the results. You might discover that images featuring people perform better than photographs without them. A close up product image might generate more interest than a wider shot. A simple smartphone photo might even outperform a highly polished image in certain campaigns.
The important thing is to test rather than assume. This is another reason smartphone photography can be so valuable. It gives businesses an easy way to continually create new images without organising a professional photoshoot every time they need fresh advertising content.
Make Your Photography Part of Your Digital Advertising Strategy
Photography is not simply something that makes an advert look good. The images you choose help communicate your message, showcase what your business offers and influence the first impression potential customers have of your brand.
Professional photography is a worthwhile investment and can provide your business with a strong library of high quality content. At the same time, you should not let a lack of professional equipment stop you from creating new images. A decent smartphone, good lighting and a little thought around composition can go a long way.
At Sprint Digital, we believe effective advertising comes from bringing the right strategy, messaging and creative together. From Google Ads, Microsoft ads to social media advertising, we help businesses create campaigns designed around their goals.
If you are investing in digital advertising and want to get more from your campaigns, get in touch with us today.
