I’m talking, of course, about stock images – the multi-purpose, general use images that can be purchased (some are even free) to use on your marketing material. Wikipedia defines them as images “used to fulfill the needs of creative assignments instead of hiring a photographer”.

This article will focus on why people buy, using imagery to sell your product, and the basic needs of good imagery. It will hopefully get you th

inking about what’s beneath the skin of your website, and might prompt you to hire an online marketing (http://www.zestdigital.co) specialist and professional photographer to audit your website and expose ways of increasing your conversions.

Thanks, in part, to social media the way we do business online has evolved significantly over this time. One of the key influences in our purchasing decisions is social proof. In his book, ‘Influence’, Dr Robert Cialdini states that social proof is most influential under two conditions:

1. Uncertainty
   when people are unsure, they are likely to follow suit with what appears to be “normal”.
2. Similarity
   people are more inclined to follow the lead of others who are similar to themselves.

Since the web is an open forum, seeking information is made easy. It’s a simple search away. This puts the user in a state of mind in line with above. Confirmation, and the approval, of a product or service by others is key to online purchasing decisions. Great imagery and selling the aspirations of a product is arguably more difficult on the web. We have limited sensory feedback when looking at a screen, so the difference between converting and not converting can often come down to the images used.

Great photography has become increasingly more accessible to the small business, and using a professional photographer should be in your marketing plan. In terms of people photos, a study by Jakob Nielsen (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/photo-content.html) revealed that people DO respond more to photos when they are of ‘real’ people, yet interestingly we tend to now ignore cheesier stock imagery.

The image to the left is the classic image that tends to be associated with the following words; cheesy, fake, staged, perfect, unrealistic.

On the other hand, people are more inclined to buy from those who put their face to their product. It adds credibility, builds trust, and signifies that the product owner is proud of what they are selling.

Similarly, in product shots, it’s essential that you deliver as much impact through your images and video as possible. Through the Internet, we are limited in our sense of touch and gauging of quality that we might otherwise use when looking at a physical product in a shop.

A great example I find of this is Charles Tyrwhitt. Just look at this image of a plain white shirt. The accessories show it off in its best light, and the quality of the cotton comes through from the clarity of the image. Even though I haven’t felt the shirt, I know what to expect.

Contrast this to a shirt of equal price at Saville Row London, and you can see a notable difference. Whilst the tie adds some spice, the shirt looks like any other white shirt, and doesn’t sell the quality like CT does. I know where my money would likely be spent.

Both people and product shots require at least the following to maximise conversions for your company, service, or product:

1. Focus – the image must have the right focus to show off the subject and highlight the stand-out areas. E.g. a close-up of the stitching on a tailored suit, or focus on the accountant who will be dealing with your finances.
2. Lighting – the subject must use the correct lighting. Dull photos can evoke connotations of being sad, lonely, and of poor quality. An overly lit image can be dazzling, surreal, and difficult to focus on. Getting the right lighting is something a professional photographer can help with.
3. Accents – Think of the white shirt example. The key to selling a ‘plain’ product like this was the tie, cufflinks, and may well have been the aspirational shot of the business person.

With the web becoming more and more competitive we’re finding that web content that goes that extra mile to deliver really pays off in terms of conversions. If you’re planning on freshening up your company’s web design (http://www.zestdigital.co) ask your photographer to help you create the right images. The investment will pay for itself.

Alex Minchin (http://www.twitter.com/AlexMinchin) is the Managing Director of Zest Digital Ltd, a specialist online marketing and web design firm based in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Zest keep things simple and focus on three key areas of your business; traffic, engagement, and conversions, and are supporters of Studio8 for high-quality photography and web video services.

Quality views. There is no point of sharing your video to every single being you come across. Think about your target audience. To give you an example how targeting the right people can make your video and business successful, if we look at the company, Rokenbok – a specialised toy store – who were in danger of closing and decided video would help them out. They made their videos, uploaded them to youtube and ran their videos through Youtube Promoted Video Ads. Then they used TrueView to control where the ads were being seen. And finally, some clever SEO work. Using keywords (which were relevant to their products) that were already used by families searching Youtube they were targeting the right audience. Their videos were very simple, demonstrating the toys they sell and how a child can play with them. Due to this wise marketing, their videos were seen by the people who enjoy them, like the product and want one.

Content is king. Your video doesn’t have to be viral to make it a success, you don’t need millions of views. If your content is relevant to what your selling and the keywording is done correctly, people who are actively looking for your product will find it. Videos don’t have to be funny or weird, once it’s informative that’s all that should matter for the people who came looking for a video on the product you offer, and most of the time those people will enjoy your video.

Content over views. Youtube isn’t only about being entertained. We all visit Youtube when we want to learn how to play guitar, replace a hard drive in a computer, etc. We want to learn something. Directing your video towards the people who need to see it is one of the keys to success. Remember the Will it Blend? videos? This video reached over 10 million views with his Will it Blend? iPhone video. An amazing amount of views for a video, but how many went out and bought a Blendtec blender? Probably quite a few, but most of us 10 million viewers just watched it and were entertained by a blender destroying an iPhone.

So, don’t worry if your video isn’t reaching the dizzy heights of 1 million views, or even 100,000 views, once you think about  who your target audience is and find out how to reach them, that will be enough.

The style or genre of video you create is just as important to its success. In 2011, humour was the most popular style with over 860 brands going for this. This genre amassed 770 million views during last year. Other popular categories were spoof (which can fall under humour also), celeb and icons, contests.

Even the launch date can be critical to its success, with many companies launching their videos on Monday or Tuesday. However Thursday is the day you should schedule as your launch day as the most successful campaigns have been launched on this day. Even the month you choose can be a factor to benefit or hinder your video. February and March are popular months to launch a campaign whereas July and December are months you should avoid as holidays and festive advertising saturate the market.

You may read this and think, you or your company aren’t among these big branded companies. That should not influence your decision to produce a social video. The idea of a social video is to grow and engage its audience through social media and social behaviour. These videos work and with the right content your video can create a limitless amount of new customers. Remember; give the customer a reason to watch your video – don’t sell them your product, entertain them.

Contact us today and chat with one of our team here at Studio 8 to see how we can help you produce a social video.

How you look, dress and behave can mean everything to get the job of your dreams. But it could all go down the pan if your Social Media profile doesn’t live up to the image you’ve tried so hard to portray. Having a photo of you and your mates in the pub downing whisky chasers won’t go down well with any new employer, it won’t portray the right corporate image or fit in with their idea of the kind of person you are.

Social Media portals like Facebook and Twitter are your ‘shop window’, you update your status and add your photos, everyone can see and read about you, how you’re feeling, what you’re thinking and what you’re doing. In this age of the internet and all the information available to us, employers can quickly Google you and find out everything they want (or don’t want) to know in the click of the mouse.

If you’re in the job market, hunting for that perfect job, you should rethink your public image. Take off those photos of you up to your neck in mud at a summer festival, knocking back Mojito’s in a bikini and falling over drunk on a Saturday night at the local pub and ensure your photos, comments and interests can’t be misconstrued or taken out of context.

Having a professional photo taken is just the start, whether it’s a quick £5 snap in a kiosk at Tesco or a full photo session with an established Photography professional, your online image should portray your corporate image. That is the image you want to put out there to any prospective employer.

Written by Lucy  at The Career Boutique

© The Career Boutique 2012

If you would like to discuss your professional portrait image for your social media sites such as Linkedin profile pictures – please call Studio8 on 01865 842525.

Our Exclusive Photography Courses at Blenheim Palace are designed to offer an introduction to photography and camera training to anyone who wants to get to grips with their Digital SLR and understand how to make better use of their camera to achieve improved photographs.

You can book a place on our courses direct from our booking site here: Blenheim Palace Photography Courses. 

Please call 01865 842525 with any questions – we look forward to hearing from you.

Here is a guest post from owner – Emma Blake . . .

There is truth in that age old saying – dress for the job you want, not the job you have.  Image in the workplace is everything.  We may not like it but how you dress for work absolutely influences how your clients, boss and colleagues perceive you.  It can even impact on the likelihood of your career success.

Think about 2 corporate employees arriving for work:

• One wears a casual outfit with a slight wrinkled, “I forgot to iron it” look, a missing button on their coat, a frayed hem on their trousers and scuffed shoes that have definitely seen better days.  They have also clearly put zero effort into their hair (and makeup) this morning!
• The second employee arrives looking polished and professional, wearing a smart dark blue suit, elegant pearl necklace, is immaculately groomed with shiny shoes and matching handbag.

Which employee will you nominate to organise the Board’s deeply important project?   Remember, who you nominate for this fantastic, career enhancing opportunity will reflect on you too!

It sounds silly doesn’t it and has nothing to do with actual talent, but simply based on image alone 99% of people will nominate well groomed employee no. 2 wearing the suit, describing them as more professional, better organised with a greater attention to detail, even if they don’t quite know why they have drawn this conclusion!

If you are not sure where to start with your own corporate image, look at the most senior men and women at the highest executive level in your organisation.  What are they wearing? Are they conservatively dressed?  They have all been successful for a number of reasons but having the right image for your company will be one of them.  Your aim is to mirror their style and most importantly, dress to impress every day, regardless of how you feel.  Start looking like you belong up there at the executive level and you (and everyone) else will soon believe it.

Corporate Photos -  Top Tips

• Remember a good corporate photo will last years so think timeless classic.  A well cut classic suit will always look great, so should be the natural choice.
• On trend hair styles can date quickly in corporate photos – Aim for “neat and tidy”, rather than fashion guru!
• Wear a dark colour suit and keep the jacket on – it always makes you look more professional, serious about your career and able to get the job done.
• If wearing a dark coloured corporate suit makes you want to scream for some individuality, bring in your own sense of style, or a touch of colour through a statement necklace, scarf or tie.  Try to avoid heavy patterns or comedy ties.   A row of pearls is traditional for corporate ladies in the big city firms and gentleman, don’t forget those cufflinks.
• Makeup will help you achieve that “well groomed” look in the final image and is worth considering.  The camera will require slightly heavier makeup than your normal day wear, so bring makeup wipes with you to remove the excess afterwards.
• Pay attention to the details – it will show in the final image.  Have a mirror handy to check your appearance just before you start – and don’t be afraid to stop the session to adjust your hair, collar or tie if you need to. Your photographer will completely understand that you want to look your best.
• Finally…. Your photo will be seen by everyone – not only your clients, but internally by your bosses and colleagues too.  What image do you want to portray?  Have a look at the Board’s corporate photos to see what works best for your organisation – did they go for the smiling, approachable executive look or serious business image?  By all means think about your pose but most of all, relax and be you.  Ask for a mixture of styles to find your most natural and engaging image.

Corporate Photo Checklist – Pay attention to those details:

• Women:  Suit, Blouse, Belt, Shoes, Tights, Handbag, Necklace, Earrings, Watch, Rings, Nails, Hair and Makeup.
• Men: Suit (find which style suits you best and stick with it e.g. single or double breasted jacket), Shirt, Tie, Cufflinks, Belt, Socks, Shoes, Watch, Hair, Personal grooming.

Written by Emma Blake at Pinstripe & Pearls.com

© Pinstripe & Pearls Limited 2011

Pinstripe & Pearls.com delivers a great selection of city suits and formal work wear for the busy professional woman.  We understand that your weekend is simply too precious to spend it rushing up and down the high street, only to find the one business suit you actually like, doesn’t fit. Our solution?  We deliver a streamlined, simple to use online shop, for those of you who want the whole corporate image, brought together for you, in one place.

If you are a band or an artist looking for a great studio recording and music video to help showcase your talents to the world this competition is for you!

Studio8 Video and Cooz’s Recording Studios in Oxford have teamed up to offer one lucky band, group or solo artist an great opportunity to create a professional music video and sound recording for free!

All you have to do is record a video of your favourite song (your own – no covers allowed) on any video device such as a smartphone, cam corder – even a computer video and upload it to our Facebook page.

Once its uploaded it can be viewed by everyone – so make sure you let everyone know its live. Then when the voting commences people can vote for their favourite video and act – here’s where you can remind everyone in your fan base to vote for you!

The top 20 videos with the most votes will become the finalists. Its then up to our Judges to make the hardest decision in finding a winner.

The winner will be decided upon songwriting/music ability, style and artistic promise.

Any Genre can enter from Heavy Metal to Classical Quartets!

Three Runner ups will also receive a free band photo shoot at Studio8 in Oxford.

What are you waiting for? Enter your act today!

Find out more about the sponsors:

Studio8 Video Production

Coozes Recording Studio

Duplication Centre

One Man Band

www.danz.co.uk

@danzspas

@_Reya

@studio8uk

We have created many videos for many different types of businesses throughout Oxfordshire and beyond.

Whether you require a simple promotional video for a news item, a more in-depth corporate video or something else our creative video team can help.

Take a look at our video site or call 01865 842525.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Studio8

All of our photography sessions are designed to capture fun spontaneous photographs you and your friends or family will love for years to come.

You can easily buy online or call our studio on 01865 842525

If you need something a little different, just ask!

Studio8