Top 3 Stock Photography Mistakes & How To Avoid Them
Whether you’re a booming corporate or the little blogger that could, one thing is certain – vibrant and evocative visual content forms a big part of your success. In today’s age of instant gratification, studies have shown that people use less than four seconds (four!) to decide whether they will stay or move on to the next topic. That means you have four seconds to convince them that what you’re offering is what they actually want to spend their precious time on. Feeling the pressure yet? But before you break into a full on panic, take a look at our compilation of the top mistakes people make when buying stock photography and how you can avoid them.
#1 Not being relevant
The arena of stock photography is expansive, presenting you with millions of great quality images that are super easy to acquire. Don’t make the mistake of a random choice just because they all look amazing anyway. Spend some time thinking about what’s relevant to your content. A good choice will always relate to the story you’re telling and reinforce the message you’re trying to convey. Extra points if the image is on brand.
#2 Becoming a cliché
The biggest win for stock photography is also its biggest drawback – anyone can make use of it. What this means is you could walk into three different pet stores and see the same images plastered over the walls of the same adorable dog. Don’t be these people. No matter what industry you find yourself in, always look at what competitors are doing and make it a point to steer clear from the same.
#3 Using outdated images
In this here 21st century and the time of technology, diversity, and future forward thinking the last thing you want is to fall back on outdated images shot in lesser quality (because that’s all they had back then). People relate to what they know and you have to show them that through well-thought out visual content. You can’t get this wrong as long as you ensure your images portray the world as it is today.Given the current playing field of stock photography, this list could be several pages longer. But these 3 mistakes are the game-changers we’ve picked and we’re sticking with them. Get these right and you’ll be well on your way to visual content that not only makes a lasting impression, but works to serve your brand while telling your story your way.Need so help finding the right stock images for your next campaign? Contact #teamPICHA and we'll happily assist!