Why Stock Imagery Could Damage Your Marketing Messages
Do you recognise the guy below?
Images via Unsplash
He may look familiar because over the past year he has been the poster guy for a number of businesses who have used him in their marketing messaging about “meetings”, “collaboration” and “business colleagues.” I lost count of the number of marketing emails and social posts that his face appeared on and it doesn’t take long to find images featuring him across free stock image libraries.
It’s not surprising these images have been used heavily: they’re great images! They show connection, conversation and listening; the light is beautiful; the set ups and body language all feel very natural. The clothes being worn represent business, and the people wearing them are attractive and vibrant.
Why using stock images is detrimental to your marketing
Using images from a free stock image library doesn’t give you an idea of how many other people have downloaded the same image or what it will be used for. If you like a great image like this one, there are hundreds of other people who like it too and will choose to use it alongside their marketing. Stock images all have the potential to get used tens of thousands of times, and each time an image is used for a different message and brand, when it’s seen by the same person again and again the authenticity of each message gets diluted!
Simply put: using stock imagery tells a story….just not YOUR one!
So how can you customize your own intentional images for marketing your business? It’s not just about finding a pretty image to share about your business. There are also other criteria to consider that will share accurately and authentically about your business:
5 actions to take to create your own aligned + values led brand image library
Your setting: where does your business operate from?
A corporate office? Does your team work from home? A co-working space? Coffee shops? The side of a pool? A beanbag on a ship deck?
Create a window into your world and offer up some relatability. Your audience will either be recreated as they do the exact same thing, or their interest will be piqued, they’ll get curious and they’ll want to know more and will want to engage with you.
2. Your people
A business is its people, and it is ALL about your people. So show them and share about them with your audience. By all means take inspiration from images you see in stock libraries, but use your own people in the images as they are actually the people who represent your business.
“Your people” also refers to your customers and clients: share about them too as they’re part of your story.
3. What do you do during the day
Sure you might point at post-it notes on the wall during a meeting or two, and what else does your day consist of?
Ask each member of your team to go through 2 weeks of their calendar and write down the different things they do that are an accurate representation of how your business works. Think outside the box: their families might be involved in their workday too (lunch time...walking a dog). Pull the activities together in one big spreadsheet and you’ll have dozens of activities to choose from to share with your audience about what goes into having your business operate.
4. Your values
Finding a solid set of images on a stock library that fit the above criteria is challenging. Ensuring that they ALSO align with your values is doubly so.
Write up your values. Go through the above points and try on bringing a value or two in. For example: if one of your values is ‘cheerleading your clients journey’, how might that look in regards to where your business operates from; what your people do to cheerlead; what that looks like during a 2 week period (eg meetings with clients, suppliers, clients, themselves).
5. Cross business promotion
When you’re creating images to use for your marketing: who else you can include in your images? This is a powerful piece to consider for two reasons:
You get to support other businesses at the same time as marketing your own
The businesses you support may share out your content to their audience.
Simply tag in the brands you want to highlight, or send them the images that include them and request they tag you in if sharing out. A simple way to increase your reach and visibility.
Intentionally including items from other businesses in your own marketing is an easy way to ‘lift all boats’ and support your fellow businesses who are making a difference in the world.
Ideas for cross-business promotion:
Locally made coffee mugs, or coffee you love
Clothes or jewellery you’re wearing
A book on the side of your table by an author you wan to cshare about and support
Art on your wall by an artist you love
Stationary you want to shout about
Furniture by a designer or from a store that others need to know about
Maxine is a photographer based in Vancouver, Canada, and works with small heart-centered businesses to create joyful, honest images so they can show up on-brand, and aligned with their values.