Introduce Your Brand

When capturing authenticity conveying confidence and credibility is key. The concept was to compliment the “first impression” with an authentic eye level smile. A customer can easily imagine this brand visual as they meet the pro for the first time. His shirt color and logo complimented the truck graphics well. 

Coordinate Your Presentation

Color coordination can play a big role in the way imagery is recognized and perceived. In this setting, we found a unique opportunity to match his equipment with props. Not only is this easy on the eyes, but it balances the picture so it can be used in coordination with his logo for ads.

The Purpose Behind Page Carpet Cleaning’s Enhanced Imagery.

One of the first things I chat with business owners about is brand positioning, promoted value, and clarity. Although Allen knew he needed to invest more money into his company, I wanted to detour him from wasting capital on advertising and other forms of content. If you take a look at their social media pages and website, you can see there’s a lack of originality and appeal.

After researching his industry, I knew that the saturated market wasn’t as focused on their presentation as they should be. This provided him with an opportunity to enhance his content and improve the way he stood out when people were shopping around. Not only can he use these photos for his website, but he can create a number of pieces of content that relay the value he provides his customers with. I was confident that a small facelift would help him get more customers in the door while his personable approach would take care of the rest.

Moving forward, he won’t have to focus so much time on selling as his capability, experience and personality can be easily seen in his photos. After capturing authenticity and publishing some new content, Allen felt like a new man. Now that he has a little more free time, he’s going to invest more on improvements.

Why some brands take shortcuts when presenting a product.

In order to understand the reasoning behind product company initiatives, I thought it would be beneficial to put myself in your shoes. At Prefocus, we long to understand why shortcuts are taken so we can provide solutions that satisfy individual brand needs. Presenting product display effectively can drastically aid your growth efforts. But first, I wanted to highlight my opinion regarding low quality product promotions and why they’re executed.

Time Constraints

Listen, I get it. I completely understand that launching a product can be a difficult process that causes you to focus on more important developments. Especially if you need to drive some revenue before investing money into the brand. It can be overwhelming and even expensive to set up a product display with proper backgrounds, lighting and lenses. Moreover, a majority of your time is being exhausted with manufacturers, product display designs, and even general sales tactics. When it’s time to curate product descriptions and imagery, you’re more than likely drained form the overall process in itself. Starting from scratch can be difficult and we know you’re eager to get the product out there.

Limited Capital.

Anyone that launches a new product without liquid or investment capital is already facing an uphill battle. Not only are they stressed for time, but they want to stretch their dollar as much as possible. There are plenty of ongoing expenses and legalities that come along with launching a product. I understand that priorities often times fall elsewhere – and that’s OK. It’s important that you focus on sustaining your business – but if you want to sustain – there’s always a way to allocate additional funds to enhance your sales.

I Can Do It Myself.

A lot of factors go into capturing branded product photography. On several occasions I’ve had conversations with ecommerce companies that say they’re “OK” with the current presentation they’ve developed on their own. I’m not here to tell you that you’re wrong for this, but presenting product display effectively is a lot of work. At the end of the day, this comes down to how ownership monetizes and values their time.

Imagery Isn’t Important – To Them.

One of the most common opinions I encounter about product imagery is the simple thought that it doesn’t make a difference. I hear a lot of reasoning like: “The product sells itself” or “Pictures aren’t going to change a need.” Again, I completely understand – it doesn’t necessarily matter to you.. There are plenty of marketers that don’t think product imagery matters. At the same time, try considering the perspective of potential customers. Not everyone has the same viewpoint as the company. Similar to time constraints, this inevitably falls on the company’s standards and how they go about reaching their target audience.

A Quantity Over Quality Focus.

Another frequency in this realm pertains to a quantitative approach. When it comes to launching a new product, most brands believe that more options equates higher revenue. Although I couldn’t disagree more, I completely understand the perspective on this. One of the most difficult aspects of starting my business was focusing on what I do really well. Although I can manage a plethora of tasks and projects, I needed to streamline my services to impact and provide value to a specific niche.

This is uber relevant in the product realm as well. It can be difficult to comprehend how an overwhelming number of options can actually increase bounce rates and disinterest. It simply takes an open mind and strategic patience to overcome this. Thinking about immediate return can easily detour us from our long term objectives.

How Branded Imagery Benefits the Business

I know I went into extensive detail above, but my intention is not to offend you. Although it can be a tough pill to swallow, I want you to know that we’re only here to help. Allowing an outside influence to help promote your baby isn’t an easy transition. But, here are some reasons why it can be in your best interest moving forward.

Monetizing Your Time.

The first question I want you to ask yourself is: how are you monetizing your time and when is it worth it to outsource? I know what it’s like to feel the need to control everything in order to reach the standards you set for yourself – but is it taking away from what you do well? Does it feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? What’s the worth of being able to feel accomplished on a daily basis or spend more time with family and loved ones?

Setting up a product photo shoot can be a lot of work. Placement, lighting, and angles are taken into consideration for a reason. When you’re crunched for time, it’s hard to execute capturing a product effectively. Why not allow someone to help with this in order to streamline the process and save you time? At the end of the day, this is up to you to determine – but monetizing the time you spend on business endeavors should be a consideration nonetheless. Even if it seems like you’re saving money, everything has a price tag.

Confidence and Contentment.

Possessing a product with quality presentation enables business owners (and employees) to confidently promote it accordingly. If you’re ashamed of the way something looks, in comparison to something similar, then it’s more than likely going to hinder your excitement towards selling it. We can all understand that an image is better than no display, but why not be proud of your display?

Although it seems like you’ve crossed off all the boxes, you’re disallowing yourself to feel a sense of contentment – you know there’s still more to improve upon. This causes you to sell harder or talk more to overcome what a quality presentation can bring. Ask yourself if your current presentation gets the job done or if it could be better. If you could care less, consider what your audience’s thought process. Inevitably, trust and acceptance is in the eye of the beholder.

Enhancing Your Return.

I’d like to return to a previous point that touched on quantitate product metrics. I often hear that offering a wide variety of products increases overall sales funnels by creating options. Unless you’re already established, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Why not take the time to pinpoint your biggest areas of opportunity (or most relevant needs) and cater to them? Publishing a large variety may improve SEO reach but it won’t necessarily fill your pockets.

Even if it takes longer to launch product lines, you’re promoting quality from the get go. Customers take notice of this. Using proper angles and lighting can drastically enhance the attractiveness of your product. Investing time and money into presentation establishes a qualitative presence and branded recognition. Once you’re able to sustain a select product line, you can then expand on options or add-ons while retargeting previous customers with enticing offers. I know that keeping it simple doesn’t sound sexy, but sometimes “more is less.” Improve your chances of converting until you’re able to scale and expand.

Lastly, quality presentation creates consumer engagement. If something is beautifully or articulately displayed, people will want to share it. Whether you promote a 3D display, slideshow, or optimized image – consumers are more likely to share and suggest appeal. Consider the amount of reach (or awareness) you can garner from product imagery that’s promoted organically. These are some of the reasons why presenting a product effectively can actually drive more revenue – simply by strategically viewing promotability with an open mind.

Thanks for reading and best of success nonetheless in 2017!

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:

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.

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..