Always Be Camera Ready

As a social media manager and marketing director past and present, I’m always asking for assets. As a business, being camera ready at all times is essential when creating an amazing web and social media strategy.  Ask yourself, do you like seeing endless photos of the owner and staff of another person’s social media?  It’s great to put a face to a name.  In fact, I highly endorse a weekly or monthly instance of creating a hashtag #StaffAppreciation within my client’s social media strategy, but having photos that resonate with your potential customers is essential.  It’s what makes them pick up the phone.

What Kind of Photos and Videos Should I Take?

It all depends on your industry.  Here are a few examples:

Renovators:  There are many things you can shoot.  For example, do and don’ts, starting a new project, finding a faux pas in a previous renovation and pointing out why it is wrong.    Take a photo or video with your client and explain what made them awesome (everyone loves a little pat on the back from the other side, as renovation can be an tedious experience).

For Designers: Professionally photographed coiffed projects are one thing but before and afters are essential to show the potential client how you’ve taken a room from drab to FAB!  With Instastories and SnapChat, you have the opportunity to sell the benefits of having a designer for any project without selling!  Talk to your fans.  Help them understand.

For Products: Photograph stores where you are located (people will have an ah-ha moment when they see it), take a video on location with your product and perhaps a customer who is willing to speak about it, demonstrate best practices or tips and tricks with your product.  

How Should I Take Photos and Videos For My Website? 

Typically, horizontal and hi-res photos and videos are preferable.   By keeping this consistent, you can create amazing slideshows within pages and video testimonials and walk throughs larger on the screen.   YouTube loves horizontal videos and it shows much better.

How Should I Take Photos and Videos For Social Media?

Depending on the social media platforms you have, sizing will be different.  For example, Instagram works best with portrait imagery and videos.  Snapchat is much the same.  However, with apps like Adobe Spark Post, you can create social media sizes for Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.   You can even create cover photos to change up your social media imagery from time to time.  I highly recommend this application along with Adobe’s Creative Cloud Solutions.

The Important of Online Storage

I love it when my client uploads all of their daily photography to online storage sites like Dropbox.com.   I can visually see from my computer that their folder is being updated, review the photos, and ask any questions I may have to incorporate verbiage to go with the photo or video for their website or social media channels.

Dropbox costs about $150.00 a year and is well worth the expense.   I have thousands of photos that I would personally never want to lose on this sight.  As I said, Dropbox is also great for client collaboration.

There are so many ways to utilize different types of photography within your businesses digital and print assets.  Get creative!  Are you working after hours and witness a beautiful sunset?  Be camera ready and share it with your fans!