How Camera Angles Create Dramatic Imagery

Dec 13, 2016 | blog, Branding, Photography | 0 comments

How Camera Angles Create Dramatic Imagery

When it comes to product or imagery branding, creative camera angles play a big role in the final presentation. Being equipped with quality equipment helps with production, but if you're unable to capture dramatic angles then the actual quality of your photo can be lacking. After reviewing this article you'll be able to see why camera angles create dramatic imagery. Let's look at a simple example below.

About PreFocus Our Services

My example showcases a multi fold brochure that one of our client’s use. Promoting this print design was important as a percentage of their proceeds benefits less fortunate people from around the world. In order to present the unique display of their charitable contribution, I wanted to present their mission from a resonating perspective. I decided to write about it as I’ve always been passionate about the way strategic camera angles create dramatic imagery.

Since Christmas is right around the corner, we wanted to develop some pictures that were relevant to the holiday season. We started the process with a vantage point that didn’t utilize the angles we were given:

product-photography-camera-angles-create-dramatic-imagery-of-pulsebandz-watch-charity-guide

second-christmas-product-photography-camera-angles-create-dramatic-imagery-of-pulsebandz-watch-charity-guide-surprise-az-photographer

The two above photographs were taken with settings in mind, but not a perspective. In those examples, we avoided considering an array of angles and purposefully photographed a straightforward shot. I wanted to discuss this approach as it can drastically aid marketing effectiveness. In my opinion, general photography that lacks perspective can alter the user experience and brand perception. Addressing this will not only help you attract new customers, but identify low quality work.

When capturing imagery for our clients, we approach photography with an open mind. It’s almost impossible to know exactly which shot is going to be the most effective. But, if you’re not experimenting with angles and lighting, then you’re not going to maximize your potential. When determining a final product, we want consumers to be able to view the image from a perspective they’re not keen to seeing. In other words – without a creative viewpoint, we’d be assuming that a general photo would get the point across well enough. Now, let’s look at a few examples that showcase the same brochure from more dramatic angles.

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When it comes to marketing your product (or brand) online, it’s imperative that you captivate your audience with quality imagery from a dramatic perspective. If you’re not able to draw them into your brand’s presentation then you’re risking losing their interest altogether. People want to be apart of something that’s engaging, rewarding, and purposeful. If you’re investing in original photography, then why not present yourself in a way that’s worth remembering. People but from those they remember and if you’re relaying quality and value, they won’t forget. I don’t want to tell you how to go about your business endeavors, but I won’t deny my passion for quality presentation. I hope this was helpful, and never hesitate to reach out.

Best in success..

Looking for an Imagery Consultant?

Quality imagery and presentation begins with a creative strategy. In order to capture and captivate your audience, it’s imperative that your portray yourself in the most effective way. With my experience in production and content strategy, I believe I can guide you in the right direction – and I’d love to hear about your story.

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Examples of Wasting Marketing Spend

Dec 7, 2016 | blog, Branding | 0 comments

Examples of Wasting Marketing Spend

You've launched your business model and you begin to invest capital into promotional initiatives. Are you confident in where you're spending or do you think you might be wasting marketing spend on ineffective endeavors? In this article, I expand on how you could be participating in wasteful approaches and how you can focus on execution moving forward.

About PreFocus Our Services

1. Paying Someone to Duplicate Online Content

I expanded on this relevant epidemic in my last blogpost on originality – and cannot reiterate the devastating effect enough. If you have an internal or outsourced team curating content based on the effectiveness of others copy or imagery – you’re working backwards. Not only will originality enhance the user experience and consumer trust, but you’ll enhance search rankings and avoid penalties by investing in your own strategy. Even if an internal team is managing this to save you from expert fees, you still have to consider the time they’re wasting here. Take the time to monetize the workflow of your current employees while auditing content and imagery produced by outside teams. I know it seems like a complete waste, but you’ll set yourself up for sustainability down the road.

2. Print Advertising and Publication Investments.

Far too often, I come across a struggling company that’s spending thousands of dollars on a brand awareness strategy in print media. Although it may be effective in super relevant publications, it’s only a numbers game. Moreover, how can you determine if your ad is even seen by the “X amount of subscribers”? This is the main selling point of publications and I’ve never been able to understand how they monetize this. You may get some calls, but I truly believe your money is better spent on targeted initiatives.

I worked for a company that would invest $2-4,000 in these types of ads yet limit online display ads to $100/month. Even though I was able to prove it would save the business $5000 annually. Although they saw a consistent level of new acquisition, I cannot imagine the impact that a targeted campaign would have had. All they needed to do was explore outside the element of traditional advertising. There are plenty of ways to acquire new customers and immersing yourself in a little research can go a long way. Without an ability to compare campaigns or understand where your niche is, you’re limiting potential while wasting marketing spend.

3. Social Media Marketing Lacking Purpose.

Social media is an ever-evolving marketplace. Each passing year sees a number of implemented algorithms and limitations that attempt to strengthen the impact of marketing on these platforms. A common theme that really bothers me surrounds a corporate strategy mirroring personal social media accounts. Some brands want to share random memes, articles, or photos they personally find engaging – but that doesn’t mean potential customers will. Sure, it’s great to garner likes and shares, but if these actions are being completed by people who aren’t interested in your offering – it’s lacking purpose. Additionally, if you’re paying someone to promote quantity, then you’re inevitably avoiding social media quality. Even if you downsize to 1-2 posts a week, a purposeful campaign will give you heightened results and trusted engagement. Don’t be afraid spend some time developing intriguing topics that flow into your objectives. This will enhance your influence while strengthening your value.

4. Most of Your Budget is Spent on SEO.

Don’t get me wrong, optimizing your site is very important – but avoiding quality content and presentation is a great way to detour visitors once they arrive. Although website SEO is a step in the right direction, there are a plethora of steps when it comes to acquiring new customers on-site. Simply improving your traffic flow is not enough. From experience, some companies spend $200-$500 a month on SEO maintenance. What does that even mean? If you’re lacking the results you desire, then the last thing you need to continue to do is pay your SEO guy. You should first consider improving your on-sire content so that it’s more appealing and makes sense. If you’re promoting an overwhelming amount of copy, try simplifying your message or implementing imagery and graphics to get your message across. Driving more traffic by ranking better isn’t going to solve your problems. Improve the way you’re perceived by enhancing the user experience so that you resonate better. From here, everything else will take care of itself.

5. Investing More in Design Over Substance.

Similar to my previous point, wasting marketing spend on designs can be just as costly. (Feel free to research this epidemic as the same goes for your web design.) If you realize that you’re spending an extensive amount of money on high tech designs, consider looking into the substance within them. When designs overwhelm your text, then it’s time to simply them so you can get your message across. I cannot stress this enough as a seamless pitch trumps any design.

I know that I preach presentation like it’s my job, but I also understand the importance of clarity. A perfect example is when start ups invest a large amount of money in brochures, folders, pens, etc.. counting on their sales force to drive home value. Look, I get it.. But, start slow and scale before throwing away money – even if this is a commonality. One of the most important steps in branding is developing your voice, value, and vision. If you’re designs aren’t relaying these three things, then pump the brakes and stop wasting marketing spend on a designer.

6. Demographic Targeting.

Investing in advertising strategies that target demographics is a great way to limit your potential and waste marketing spend. Not only are you assuming who your customer is, but you’re ignoring other verticals you can execute. Assumption marketing is a great way to put yourself in a hole before gaining traction. If your main customer is middle aged men with kids, then focus on satisfying that vertical through service. If you’re able to execute a solid user experience, then these men will begin to share their stories themselves. Wasting marketing spend by looking to acquire more of the same can limit your satisfaction scores. Not only that, but you’re ignoring other people that could benefit from your offering just as well. It’s always good to understand your audience, but you should look to invest in an improved approach instead of wasting money doing the same thing over and over.

Looking to be More Effective with Your Marketing Spend?

There are plenty of marketing strategies available to business owners. At PreFocus, we zero in on your provided value with substance and a clear message. Find out how we can help you improve customer loyalty, trust, and clarity through quality content development and consultation.

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Why Consider Original Content and Brand Photography?

Dec 3, 2016 | blog, Branding, Content, Photography | 0 comments

Why is Original Content and Photography More Effective?

When it comes to developing content and imagery, I've noticed that many brands lean on copy-cat techniques and stock photography. Although I understand why they're doing this, I can't help but think why they believe this is going to enhance their conversion rates. Let's view this from the perspective of a consumer and see where it goes..

About PreFocus Contact

promote-quality-imagery-and-content-by-focusing-on-your-customers-needs-pictured-is-a-black-harley-dyna-swithcback-in-downtown-phoenix-next-to-some-wall-art If you’ve been following me over the past year, you’ve probably noticed my passion for presentation. No matter what your content resource is, it’s imperative that you don’t distance yourself from this strategy – rather work smarter. In the past, I’ve been affiliated with a number of businesses that leverage articles, inspirational posts, leading professional’s ideas, and even competition for content. The problem is, they’re not necessarily leveraging them – they’re stealing from them.

No one should know your offering better than you – so why not showcase this at a maximum level to ensure you’re resonating? Duplicating someone else’s writing, imagery, or strategy is a bad idea all around. If you have long term aspirations for your brand, then you should be considering every endeavor you’re involved with. Here’s some reasoning behind my belief.

1. The Potential for Consequences.

The cost of duplicate content is a lot worse than most of you realize. Some businesses actually continue paying SEO contractors blindly. They’re unaware of the consequence while searching for a way to reach #1. (This is nearly impossible anyways.) Without a large amount of capital to invest in optimization you’re setting yourself up for failure – especially if you’re ranking ability is jeopardized. Using photos or copy that don’t belong to you can result in getting sued. Even more, ranking in the near future becomes a pipe dream once search engines drop your quality score and penalize you. Is that worth pulling an image from Google search results or changing some verbiage in an already published article?

If you have the money to throw at SEO, consider addressing your branded content to save yourself the stress. Relaying knowledge, success, and expertise will build the perception of your image more than duplication ever will. Copying can eventually handicap your ability to persuade someone you’re different or worth their dollar. Stay focused on handling business on a personal level and showcase the stories on other channels (such as social media). Not only will original content help you avoid consequential penalties, but it’ll help overcome an inability to be organically found.

2. Competition is a Real Life Thing.

When you set out to conquer the world with your product or service, did you think you were the only one? I hope not.. In my opinion, losing the competition battle is one of the main reasons businesses fail. I’ve literally seen companies try to do the same thing as their direct competitor and wonder what’s broken. For years I’ve seen bloggers with no knowledge in the industry curate content for businesses. This is where brand recognition comes into play. If you don’t create your own voice, vision, and solution (at least with a twist) – then what are you doing?

Sure, people can make a decent living mowing the same style lawns with the similar equipment, etc.. and that’s perfectly fine – but if you want to eventually scale and build something then you must acknowledge the need to stand out. There’s always going to be someone looking to trump one of your promotions and steal your customers. That’s why developing a seamless message and original content that doesn’t waiver from your value is important.

Once consumers see you as a viable brand, prideful in originality – it’s simply up to your retention and service. If you refuse to separate yourself then you’re risking a few bad reviews ruining your reputation for good. The more people that relate to your message and voice, the more likely they’re going to support you – no matter the circumstance. But, if you don’t take pride in highlighting what you do well then you’re limiting your potential – while giving competitors an advantage.

3. Trust is in the Eye of the Beholder.

I get a lot of slack for this belief, but I’ve seen enough to know what inevitably keeps customers engaged. Every business is different and no brand is the same. I get that. I also understand how 30 year old companies lean on grassroots – or how a monopolized need leaves consumers with no choice.. But failing to consider what a potential customer sees (especially if you want more revenue) blows my mind. I know that I’m more picky than most when it comes to where I spend my dollar – but I’m also not ignorant to the fact that a new generation is becoming adults.

Referrals aren’t going to last forever. The old days of “Mike said Jerry was good at this and he has a guy” – are coming to an end. The ability to be found and the ability to relay trust is becoming a necessity. Today, pretty much everything can be found online. If you’re out of touch with this reality then you’re missing out on opportunity. Even if you take a small portion of your time (or budget) to invest in quality trustworthy promotions you’ll see a difference. It can be as simple as an appealing customer testimonial or a detailed about me page.

Let’s Put Believability in Perspective..

When I was finally able to convince a past client to promote head shots of their physicians, there was an immediate surge in patient registration. Why did it work? People want to know the clinician that’s managing their health. How did I know? Because I asked patients what their determining factors are. Hell, I even realized I want to be able to see who I’m meeting with. If I can’t find anything online, I don’t necessarily think somethings wrong – but it doesn’t seem right..

How Does Originality Promote Trust?

If you’re afraid of being vulnerable in order to prove you’re trustworthy, then your grassroots campaign can slowly turn into a game of telephone. Give the people want they want so they can be comfortable investing their time and money for your product or service. They want to trust you, and (in most cases) you just have to show them they can.

Posting random quotes, relevant phrases, or general imagery isn’t going to be enough to keep you on the playing field. Technology is advancing and most development surrounds efficiency and convenience. People want to know as much as they can before forking over cash. Promoting one of your actual plumbers helping a local homeowner tells a potential customer your capable. The simple fact they know it’s a real story versus a relevant photo should open your eyes.

Think about it as you shop or browse. What brand seems phony to you? Consider how much easier it’ll be to scale when people already believe in the message you’re relaying. It’s hard to do that when you’re using general imagery and content that people can’t sense and feel.

Trust me.. 😉

Why Are You Wasting Money on Amateur Marketers?

Nov 17, 2016 | blog, Branding, Content, Photography, Social | 0 comments

Why Are You Investing in Amateur Marketers Lacking Purpose?

It may seem like a low monthly retainer, but autopilot campaigns without substance cost you opportunities - even if they're driving some revenue.

About PreFocus Hold Marketers Accountable

My Thesis Behind Irrelevant Marketing

Before I get into the nitty gritty, let’s get one thing straight: Anyone and everyone can say they know how to market your brand. Especially if they have special access to a hard drive, monitor, mouse, keyboard, and a social media account. Sounds pretty legit right? If you say so.. Going into business for myself was risky – especially in the marketing and advertising spaces where plenty of amateur marketers give me a bad rap.

At the same time, I knew that once I was able to clarify the value that I bring to the table, everything would work itself out. So, let’s discuss some of the inconsistencies in marketing and why I deem them as wasteful. After I’ve highlighted some popular waste, I’ll explain what PreFocus can do with a similar budget. Deal?

1. Purchasing Followers and “Likes”.

This has never made any sense to me.. Are most of you aware of how this is done? It’s quite time consuming and rather tedious, but people actually spend all day soliciting users to follow their personal accounts. If you’ve received an awkwardly short comment on Instagram, this is why. Once these “marketers” sell you on their “free followers” plan, they simply promote your company to the hundreds of random followers they’ve conned into following them. It’s almost like magic.. This is also done in data form.

Websites and other forms of subscription content store email addresses and customer cookies, then attempt to sell this user information. It’s basically unethical, and for whatever reason, people buy it. In my opinion, nothing is more valuable than a customer you earn for free because you supply them with relevant and engaging content.

Don’t Let Amateur Marketers Deceive You.

No matter your perspective, how can you be sure these users are even interested in your product or solution? You can’t – it’s just a numbers game that sustains engagement long enough for you to believe it’s actually working. The further you read this article, the more you’ll begin to understand that followers, likes, and shares doesn’t equate sustainability.

This is the main objective behind inexperienced and irrelevant marketers. Although it feels good to see people like your posts, it doesn’t mean their interested in investing in you. Simple demographics and numbers don’t necessarily drive a solid return even though it seems like you’re “growing”.

How we address this with a PreFocus: We help you understand the value of original and purposeful content. Instead of taking shortcuts by purchasing followers, we enhance your presentation so that it resonates with those that are already engaged. We use your “shortcut budget” to capture relevant photos of your branded value in action. This can encompasses your staff, customers, facilities, equipment, processes, quotes, or even success stories.

Users that already follow you will promote post they can relate to as they’re proud to be apart of the value you’re providing. When someone endorses you based on their own experience, others become intrigued. We call this an organic following that is genuinely interested in you – not just your posts.

2. Investing in Affordable Social Media Managers (SMM).

Outsourcing marketing efforts has been a commonality in the last few years. Finding a freelance marketer in order to increase your productivity is a solid idea, but not when their posts lack quality and purpose. Although they can drive down your costs, amateur marketers aren’t necessarily invested in your brand or the way it’s perceived.

In fact, they’re more likely invested in volume in order to collect a check. They tend to follow the same checklists they use across other verticals for various clients. Again, you may see some improved engagement – but you’re essentially trying to drive [growth] with the e-brake on. Let me paint a picture for you.

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A few things bother me about the above post. First, I doubt this is an original photo from their gym with a paid athlete or compliant member. Plagiarism anyone? Second, the message has no purpose and means nothing to the average bear. Lastly, it’s an effortless design that lacks quality. The logo isn’t transparent and the typography doesn’t stand out at all.

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If you’ve taken the time to research successful marketing tactics, I’m sure you already know that consistency is crucial. But, it’s important that you read between the lines here. Consistently promoting low quality posts without a strong message is a recipe for mediocrity. Whether you want to believe it or not, consumers trust brands that establish a voice and value consistently.

Consider the second post that promotes an original shot of a member working out at the gym. The message is informational, but it provides meaningful substance behind joining a boxing class – which should be their only objective. Although the first example targets daily motivation (for already converted members), those looking for a gym may associate the low quality of the post with low quality results.

Moreover, this isn’t a real-life inspirational story they can relate to. To me, this is wasteful and a common tactic of amateur marketers hanging onto retainers. Targeting volume and general interest will keep you around a 2% conversion rate while purposeful campaigns create the most return. Do you like being average?

How we address this with a PreFocus Solution: The best part about our business model is that we photograph all imagery (for a specific number of posts) on the front end while strategically captioning each photo. From here, we help you schedule out all posts to ensure you’re capturing your audience at ideal times with certain events and holidays in mind.

In addition, all images are formatted to fit certain social media platforms in order to ensure quality resolution. Consider the value we’re providing by simply eliminating the hassle of communicating with your social media manager on a weekly basis. For the most part, we strategically showcase your value while avoiding the development low quality posts that only satisfy monthly social post requirements.

In turn, many of my clients find themselves surprised by the results of a simple testimonial or caption with superior graphics and imagery. Although our service costs more on the front end, it allows you to streamline your promotional strategy for months to come (compare this to your monthly retainer over the same time frame). You also receive exclusive rights to all photos which enables you to use PreFocus imagery in other forms of media as you please.

There’s no way you can’t see the value in this..

3. Paying a Content Strategist to Curate Relevancy.

Let’s start off by defining the term relevancy. In this case, it refers to generalized topics a marketer assumes your perfect customer is interested in. In other words: conceptual guesswork lacking purpose with hopes of possible attraction. What really grinds my gears is that some companies pay up to $1,500/month for these randomized topics. In my opinion, spending initial capital on content that has nothing to do with your provided value is wasteful – and my experience backs it up.

Over the years, I’ve been blessed to work with some exclusive brands in Phoenix. I’ve also been forced to deal with unhappy clients that second-guess campaign effectiveness – and rightfully so. For the most part, their poor experience derives from a well written article with high bounce rates. I can only imagine the drop-off for those of you investing in a amateur marketers. For the most part, objectives are only geared to drive traffic and shares so marketers can attempt to claim attribution and monetize your results.

Some examples include: opinionated articles, guest writing, tips, top 10’s, guides, etc.. I’m sorry, but this is a waste of everyone’s time. From experience, these types of strategies mainly generate an influential relationship. If you don’t tie in your value or present a solution, users tend to only return for free advice. If you’re paying someone to develop content on your site without purpose, I beg you to throw your dollars elsewhere.

How we address this with a PreFocus Solution: To be frank, it’s really as simple as understanding which topics and ideas drive users with intent to your website or business. If you’re a landscaping company that continues to promote articles teaching homeowners how to care for their garden themselves – how can you ever expect them to request your service?

At PreFocus, I help service companies alter their message so it clearly funnels into their solutions. Instead of letting amateur marketers run the show, there are a number of ways to showcase landscape value. Why not educate homeowners on reasons why weeds keep growing throughout their grass patch? Why not reiterate how lawn care and professional treatment is one of the many things that can be addressed with maintenance packages?

Communicating actual value gives consumers an opportunity to figure out the convenience and effectiveness of your business themselves. With that being said, here are some additional ways I’ve enhanced campaigns to ensure they don’t veer away from brand objectives.

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4. Paying an Advertiser Then Staying Away.

Investing capital without a vision never seems to sit well with me. Although I can understand some business owner’s mistake of paying a social media manager or content writer, I will never understand a blind investment with an advertiser. Whether you’re paying someone to manage your social media ads or pay per click (PPC), your outsourced team needs to understand your customers and vision. Some of you may say: “Well, I’ll just fire them if they’re ineffective, it’s their job to figure it out.” That’s fine, but you’re still flushing dollar bills in the meantime. Advertising is no joke, and once you decide to go all in it’s imperative you have a plan. Trust me..

I’ve literally witnessed external PPC managers use up monthly adspend on some of the most general phrases, such as “care”. Do you know if you’re paying for stuff like this? Do you even know what I’m referring to? If not, please call me and I’ll gladly explain for free. While managing overseas teams, I’ve even come across instances where we were paying for keywords with another state’s abbreviation – and we were local! This is unacceptable, but it’s the reality of hiring amateur marketers for the low.

Ad Managers Love Autonomy and Controlled Reporting.

To be honest, advertising can be one of the most wasteful expenses in your bottom line. Most companies think it’s essential so they invest in the cheapest option and it can be a huge mistake. Not only are you paying someone to manage, but you’re also paying on a CPA, CPM, or a CPC format. This can become very costly quickly and there’s nothing you can do once a user “clicks.”

A previous employer chose to ignore my concerns and their overseas team ended up spending $30,000 on advertising in a 3 month span. The worst part? They didn’t even set up their analytics properly and were unable to attribute any results. Save yourself the headache and understand the importance of an ad strategy before you start throwing money at someone to experiment with. To put this in perspective, you can pay an inexperienced advertiser $300/month and garner $600 in sales (2:1); or invest in an advertising strategist for $1000 and drive $10,000 in revenue over a 6 month span. (10:1)

How we address this with a PreFocus Solution: For starters, we follow a discovery process that helps us understand your brand, customers, goals, and competition. In order to clarify expectations, we help educate you on the media buying process so you can accurately determine focal points throughout the campaign. Instead of targeting broad search terms like “care” or “home service” – we drive intent with long tail keywords.

(Examples: Phoenix child care at home, Senior care for homebound patients, Emergency HVAC home service in Phoenix, or 24/7 certified home service.) Using phrases like these tell us the person searching is in the market. We also help you develop display ads for social and display networks. Honing in on all of these moving pieces and solidifying everything on the front end allows us to place campaigns on autopilot and select specificities when the time arises.

Disclaimer: Since the end of 2020, Google and Bing have now disallowed “exact match” bidding. This impacts small business tremendously. If you’re unsure how, I am more than happy to explain – free of charge. It’s worth knowing.

It’s Your Money, but Amateur Marketers will Cost you in the Long-run.

One of the hardest things about working with small business owners has been their misconception of marketing. Although I”ll never get used to being stereotyped due to someone else’s failure, it motivates me to improve my presentation and prove my tactics are effective. For those of that are content with your current performance, I challenge you to ask questions and seek answers. I’m personally tired of combatting what others believe works, and I’m committed to helping my clients return to promoting substance and value. Hopefully I was able to inspire you to be better and do better. Feel free to inbox me with any questions and best in success nonetheless..