It’s no secret here that I am an advocate for using photography for your brand. It is such a versatile tool that will capture people’s attention. But one thing I don’t feel like I have covered is how photography can improve your sales. Although it’s not something you can quantify in your website, there is a reason why advertisements are visually driven. In today’s article, I will cover the basics ideas of how these concepts will assist your venture and theoretically generate sales.
Advertisements
As I mentioned in the introduction, advertisements are probably the most obvious way to generate sales for your business. The science behind advertisements is a deep one, but I don’t want to dive into that end of the pool today. There are too many elements to cover in such a short time, including designs, color palettes, and the targeting practices. There are better experts who will give you better information than I can. However, I will say advertisements provide reach to your potential audience. Knowing who that is will be up to you, but if done correctly, directing that audience to your site or product directly is the main objective. The odds of everyone who engages with your advertisements to purchase your product are incredibly slim. According to Goran Dautovic, 70-80% of social media users ignored sponsored content (Dautovic, 2024). Photography is a crucial part of developing advertisements, whether it is of a product or an individual who is using a product, it will be a key part of your marketing campaign.
Social Media
I don’t mean to assume that social media is your only method of advertising, however, it’s easily the most accessible. But with that in mind, that works as a nice segue-way into the subject. However, another approach is to develop an audience through social media. A dedicated audience will engage with your work, believe in your work, and even go as far as to support you financially in the right circumstances. It is far more organic than advertising, which will reach more people, however, it does not guarantee brand loyalty or that your content interests them outside of the advertisement. Organic growth is how social media influencers and YouTube personalities become so successful. They understand what their audience wants, who they are, and organically grow to be successful. Mr. Beast is probably one of the best examples of this, as his business worked consistently for twelve years and in that time has amassed over 256 million subscribers - at least at the time of the writing (YouTube, 2024). Between his experiments and work, he eventually grew his channel to the behemoth that it is today. This is not to mention that social media will now allow you to add your own shop, leading to direct sales rather than redirecting someone to your personal sites.
Quality Work
I remember hearing a wise statement surrounding the success of artists and entrepreneurs, written by former CEO of Outerloop Management Mike Mowery: great content, done consistently, over time (Mowery, 2017). Content is king in the age of social media. But great content is what truly sets apart the best of the best. In this case, photography and utilizing video content will be your best asset in getting this attention. Because we all can’t rely on our winning personalities alone, although we try our best. Social media gurus have perfected the art of content, creating entire business models off it. But it only works if its content people engage with. For the record, quality work doesn’t mean it is ultra professional, either. It means you take what you are doing seriously and stand behind the merits of your work.
Growing your business is no easy task. It is a constant uphill battle. It takes sacrifice, hard work, and a vision that is always looking forward. Sales are vital to the growth of a company, whether of a product or a service. At the end of the day, the business practices that never cease to impress are authenticity, honesty, and integrity. When it is all said and done, those are the practices that will set your business above and beyond what people expect. I hope to have added something to your day.
Warmest regards,
Logan Clark