How important are product images in your online marketing activities? If you effectively describe the product specifications, give some detailed reviews and have an in-depth description, is that enough? It seems like it isn’t. In fact, Lumina Datamatics cites a survey by the National Retail Federation showing that 67 percent of customers consider images more important than product-specific information, long descriptions and product reviews.
Think about that for a second. Two-thirds of customers care more about seeing a product than hearing what other users of the product think about it. Clearly images matter. So how do you make the best of your product images? In an article for Entrepreneur, Dan Salco looks at a number of ways businesses can effectively use product images to boost sales.
Emphasize Quality
Don’t cut corners when creating images. If you are going to include them (and you should), make sure they are high-quality. A poor-quality image can be worse than no image at all.
Provide as Many Views as Possible
Customers can’t pick up and hold, try on or even walk around a product online, as they can in a brick-and-mortar store. Try to provide as many views as possible to get as close as you can to an in-person feel. If you have the wherewithal you might also want to consider providing a “virtual view” of your product—putting the consumer in the picture!
Help Customers Envision the Product in their Lives
Rather than showing the product on a blank white background, put it in context. Show someone wearing your jacket. Show a family in the outdoors with using your camping gear. Show an athlete measuring his heartrate with your heartrate monitor watch.
Prioritize Accuracy
Nobody likes buying a product online and finding out what gets shipped to them isn’t what they expected. Make sure your images are accurate, or you risk losing a disappointed and distrusting customer permanently. That’s not the kind of word of mouth you want to generate!
Add Images to Site Search
Make sure to include images on your website’s search results, as opposed to just listing a product name. This can save customers time while they are browsing.
Use Images in Content Marketing
This goes for both yourself and your PR partners. Incorporate as many images as possible in the content you generate. Make images available in the media section of your website so that reporters can readily find, and incorporate those images.
You can have the best product description in the world, but customers still want to see what your product looks like. Obviously, the online experience can’t totally replace the brick-and-mortar experience, where you can touch, examine and try out products, but adding captivating images of your product in your online marketing gets you a step closer.
How are you using images to captivate consumers?
Stay up-to-date on the latest traditional and digital marketing trends and insights for communication leaders: subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter.
About Us
Strategic Communications, LLC, works with B2B clients to help them achieve their goals through effective content marketing and management with both internal and external audiences. We are adept at evaluating and analyzing communication efforts and working with clients to plan, create and publish high-quality, unique content, through both on- and offline media to achieve desired results. Our background in business journalism, marketing, PR/media relations and online communications makes us well-positioned to serve the needs of 21st-century marketers.
We serve clients who are looking for help creating content for a wide array of channels—from social media posts to full-length manuscripts, and everything in between. We focus primarily on service-related B2B topics and work with a number of independent consultants interested in building their thought leadership through online channels. For ongoing content management, our first step is to fully understand your goals, objectives and competitive landscape.
Then we’ll conduct a thorough analysis and assessment of your digital presence, compared to competitors, and recommend a communication strategy to achieve your goals. But, we also regularly take on individual projects – white papers, blog posts, contributed articles, etc. If you’re interested in learning more, let us know!
(Strategic Communications is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise through the Wisconsin Department of Administration.)
Recommended Reading
21st Century Secrets to Effective PR: Tips and Best Practices for Gaining Media Exposure
Tags: 360 video, Marketing, photographic images, photography, product images, Technology, video, virtual reality