by JO MARSICANO
Most websites use stock photos—visually appealing but emotionally flat. They lack any real warmth. These photos are pervasive but how effective are they? Every piece of content should earn its way onto your site. Most stock photos make it appear as if they’re serving a function but I doubt their real value.
Kocina Branding and Marketing’s “Developing your Brand Playbook” workshop says we have to do more than sell our features and benefits. We must sell our product on desire. Part of that desire is the visual imagery associated with the brand. We appeal to our web users more effectively by delivering images that let us feel something.
The website of People Incorporated is a fine example. Its images convey emotional energy, communicating warmth for the brand itself. They convey emotional content. People have authentic smiles, and sparkles in their eyes that are real.
Cost and legal considerations can come into play. If you can’t hire a photographer, buy a digital camera for a few hundred bucks and get permission from subjects. Well lit, focused photos without distracting backgrounds work well. I converted all the web stock photos to authentic photos at my last job using this method. It improved the organization’s appeal because the photos were now friendly. Emotionally rich photos also last longer because we don’t tire of them so easily.
Stock photos are everywhere on the web, but they convey no emotional message. Why not make your photos stand out with sensory images that invite us to feel something?
Upcoming post: Content strategists - in the business of empathy
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