The Real Value of Professional Photography

Guess what? Having professional photography for your Naples area business or personal branding is about much more than just the polished images. Finding and hiring the right Naples Commercial Photographer can be one of the most important steps in creating a personal brand.

Of course, yes, you do now have those fantastic headshots. There you are, looking sharp, putting your best foot forward in the digital world. Not only do you look good, but you appear to be credible, trustworthy, someone who really knows their stuff.

See? That’s added incentive to get professional headshots already. But what about the rest of your online and print marketing? What are those images of your real business activities really showing potential customers what you are capable of?

My point is, the real value of professional marketing photography and personal branding photography is deeper than you may think and there are numbers to back it up. In this post, I’m going to use examples from a few specific industries to show you the real, quantifiable return on investment for professional photography and how it’s a worthy expense to take your business and personal brand to the next level.

Your Personal Branding

“Develop a standard for excellence. Without distinction there is extinction.”

Jon Michail – founder and CEO of Image Group International

No matter your industry, you as an individual are a brand. This is especially true when you are in Real Estate where your services are attached to massive amounts of online media and marketing. The Naples and Marco Island areas are rich with branding opportunities and taking advantage of them may make all the difference in the world.  So think…who are you and what do you do? Your personal branding photography should portray you in the proper light (meant figuratively and literally) and leave your website, social media accounts and real estate listing visitors with a lasting impression.

But you’ll likely wonder what the return on investment is for you.

ROI is a buzzy term in the marketing world, and for good reason. After all — what’s the point in spending money on something if you don’t know what you’re getting back. But when it comes to commercial branding photography, quantifiable data is a bit tricky to come by. How could you possibly figure out how much money a professional headshot helped you bring in?

You probably can’t.

But you can look beyond dollars and cents.

Consider your time. Your time is valuable and hiring a professional photographer to take your personal branding headshots will save you loads. They know how to quickly set up in the perfect spot, you’ll likely knock out the actual picture taking rather quickly, and then you don’t need to worry about any of the post-editing. And it’s the same with any other type of marketing image creation you may need. Professional photographers know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it best.

All that time adds up!

When you receive those great images to use in your branding all across your various online profiles, you’ll feel a boost in your confidence as well. And that confidence is contagious, as you’ve strengthened your brand to your target market.

This post on Medium digs a little deeper into how the ROI from personal branding is about attraction, not promotion. It doesn’t directly address photography, but it’s easy to see how it ties into establishing a trustworthy, relatable brand presence.

Builders/Remodelers Photography

We’re not talking about headshots for builders or remodelers (although it still doesn’t hurt to have them for your website). New construction and remodel photography is more about the work itself.

So how about your “before” and “after” photos?

Professional imagery created by a Naples Commercial Photographer can properly tell the story of transformation. You need an initial image of what you had to start with and then periodic pictures that take them through the construction journey. Your website visitors should be able to easily travel through the process and watch change happen.

The finished “after” picture(s) is where you get your money’s worth, and turn interest into action.

Interior Design Photography

Interior design photography isn’t easy. If you’ve tried it on your own, you know this to be true.

It is easy to be in a space and see it, but it’s hard to convey that through a camera lens. Fortunately, a professional knows how.

You want proper exposure, straight walls, strong composition, no reflections, and sharp, clean images that showcase a space beautifully. This takes a very specific set of technical knowledge.

The ROI here is perhaps even more simple: If you try it on your own, it’s going to look like crap, and your potential customers will be headed for the hills (which in Florida, really says something). But professional imagery will help you build your portfolio, market your business, and attract the right clients.

Architects and Architectural Photography

Architects are incredibly reliant on professional imagery to showcase their work.

Would you hire an architect who didn’t have an impressive online portfolio of projects that you could easily click through? I doubt it!

This post from renowned architectural photographer, Brad Feinknopf covers the return on investment for architecture photography better than I ever could, so give it a read.

Restaurants Photography

Consider how you typically choose a restaurant. I bet you browse online, right? Be it Google or Yelp, we rely on images, reviews, and, of course, the menu to choose where we’re going to eat tonight.

Sometimes, a tasty image can be all it takes to draw you in. That can be incredibly valuable in this massively competitive industry.

Good, professional photos of not only your menu items, but also imagery that captures the ambiance, decor, and overall vibe of your restaurant will help build your brand identity. Often, it’s just as much the space that draws people in as it is the menu.

“That place looks cute” can be just as important as consistently pumping out good food. You can even show your staff at work to showcase the human element behind the brand, showing a friendly, transparent culture.

The fact is that good photos will increase your sales. Having images for your online menus can increase your conversion rates up to 25 percent. User-generated content helps your overall marketing efforts and gains you some buzz, but the professional images are still the ones that sell.

And keep in mind this stat from Huffington Post: people will remember only 10 percent of the information they read, but 65 percent when you add a photo.

You want customers to remember what makes you stand out from your competition as it can be on of the key reasons they choose you or pick that certain dish. People eat with their eyes and will connect with your brand if it represents their values and lifestyle.

Hotels and Resort (Small local) or (National Chain) Photography

I love this post from Lodging magazine that points out a few reasons that professional photography is vital for your hotel’s success.

Photography is indeed at the forefront of a hotel’s online presence and your lead image is vital. Professional imagery will be used in every segment of a hotel’s marketing efforts, showcasing both the interior, exterior, amenities, and any special activities your hotel offers.

Here are some quick facts from All Things Hospitality:

• 6 percent of hotel guests clicked on photo galleries before booking online (ROI Manager)
• Hotels with 20+ hi-resolution images receive 150 percent more traveler engagement and a 22 percent increase in booking inquiries (Trip Advisor)

Great hotel photography can help you draw in your ideal guests by showing them what they want in a hotel. You can make a connection from your images before they even arrive — just make sure the place looks like your images when they do, or they’ll go scorched earth in their reviews!

Real Estate Agents and Real Estate Photography

You didn’t think I’d make this post without talking about my bread and butter, did you?

When it comes to real estate photography, I’m just going to let the numbers talk. Source: USHomePhoto.

• Homes listed with professional photography sell 32% faster.
• Homes with professional photography sell on average for 9% more money.
• The average ROI on professional real estate photography in is 826%
• Homes listed with more than 20 photos spend 32 days less on the market.
• Clients feel 43% more satisfied with their REALTOR with professional photos
• 50% of all new home searches for real estate start online.
• Professional photos result in 1,200% increase in social shares
• 68% of consumers say that great photos made them want to visit the home

MediaMax Photography also has an interesting breakdown on all the numbers that go into a specific listing and comes out with a 1300% ROI. That’s pretty darn good!

The proof is in the pudding here. I don’t know if I need to elaborate much further other than to say that professional real estate photography is an incredibly wise investment for any real estate agent and will help you sell your listings faster, and for more.

Summary

As you can see, the ROI for professional imagery varies a bit by industry, but it all comes down to improving your marketing efforts, building confidence in yourself and your clients/customers, and showcasing your work and brand in a way that improves your sales.

Seems worth it to me! How about you?

Looking for a professional real estate photographer in Southwest Florida? Jon Kreider at Sun Services SW has expertly photographed properties in the area since 2013. A commercial photographer serving the Naples, Marco Island, and Bonita Springs communities, Jon specializes in real estate photography, Naples Stock Photography and video, bringing homes to life online before they are viewed in person. Visit Jon’s website or shoot him an email today at jon@sunservicessw.com to discuss your real estate or commercial photography needs.