How Digital Stock Photos Mean Sales For You
We all know those sites that have a ton of stock photos, but let's face it - they're often of really bad quality. The pictures are amateurish, blurry, and poorly lit; they lack life and character. And while they might make sense for blog posts where you just want to fill in the background with something nice (or if you need stock photo filler), it's unlikely that anyone will buy them. After all, the internet is flooded with free or cheap stock photos from sites like Unsplash.com, Pexels, and Unsplash.com.
But what if I told you that good stock photos can actually mean extra sales for your business ? If a customer can't tell what the product is going to look like, they'll often just pass it by - never to get the chance to buy it in the first place!
The answer is simple: good quality photos are really important. The good ones are clear and accurate. They make your product seem more expensive and luxe, and people want to pay more when they don't know what something will look like when they see it in print (or on their computer screen).
But, you might be thinking, who has that kind of money to just throw away on a few photos?
What You May Not Know About Stock Photos
While the internet is flooded with free and cheap stock photos - like the ones I linked to above - a lot of businesses use them. And it's for good reason: these sites often have millions of photos among their collection. And if you're just starting out your online business or don't want to run out to buy new stock photos every single time you need one - what better option is there?
Besides, plenty of us (as bloggers) use them for other types of visuals as well - such as memes or graphics. For example, I actually use Unsplash.com to find new memes and graphics, because the site has so many outstanding pictures.
But, plenty of people opt to buy stock photos from stock photo companies like Shutterstock , Dreamstime , iStockphoto , or CanStockPhoto . Why? Because they know that the quality of the photos they get is high, as compared to what they could find on sites like Unsplash.com and Pexels . They also know that these companies have a lot more stock photos in their libraries.
In fact, CanStockPhoto even has over 1.9 million photos to browse through - while Pexels has over 135,000 photos. Shutterstock has over 399,000 photos - and the list goes on.
So the question is: how are you supposed to spend a lot of money on stock photos when there are so many free or cheap sites with so many pictures? Well...
The Secret Power of Stock Photo Companies
There's one thing that you might not know about stock photo companies: they make their money from people who buy their monthly subscription plan . It's not like Shutterstock charges you a fortune for each photo (even though they do sometimes cost a lot). Instead, they want you to be addicted to them. They want you to keep coming back for more.
So, what's the catch? The catch is that you have to pay a separate fee every single month . They use this idea to get people used to buying their photos - so they can keep their money coming back to them. It's basically a business idea called "recurring revenue."
What This Means For You
What this means is that if there are stock photo companies you like (and maybe even use) - then there's a good chance that they'll have pictures that you don't need on your blog or in your online business. If you're starting out, it may be hard to justify the monthly fees for their subscriptions. But in the long run, you'll see that the money you save from not having to buy new stock photos will be more than worth it.
Are You Doing What You Can To Turn People Into Customers?
Yes, I think most of us are doing at least one thing: creating a blog or an online business. And yes, that's great and all - but are we doing what we can to turn people into customers? If we don't want our business to die or go out of business, then we have to keep our customers coming back for more and more purchases.
And that means that we need to do what we can to keep customer eyes glued to our products. That means putting the best product photos out there, so they can buy our products without second-guessing themselves.
If you want more tips on how to improve your online store or blog, read my previous post: How To Make Your Blog More Attractive To Readers .
Digital photos are one of the first things that people look for when buying products online. If you have poor quality photos, it will be hard for people to see the beauty in your product - and this will ultimately lead to a less than stellar conversion rate .
Stock Photos Mean Extra Sales For Your Online Business
So what's the bottom line? Do you really need stock photos to succeed online? Not really. There are plenty of free or cheap ways to find quality images online without having to go through a stock photo company - like Unsplash.com - and I'd always advise against going that route if you don't have to.
So, what's one of the best ways for us to use our funds better if we don't want to spend a lot on stock photos? Well, it's important that we look for great quality stock photos on sites like Dreamstime , iStockphoto , CanStockPhoto , and many other websites .
These stock photo websites aren't free - but the quality of the photos you get on them is well worth the price of admission. And in the end, it might even lead to more sales for your online business! So good luck out there!
Do you know about other ways to save money when it comes to stock photos? Are there any other great tips that you'd like to share? I'd love to hear them. Feel free to leave a comment below!
About The Author: Aimee Vargas is a blogger with a passion for marketing and growing her online business. She writes for you blog and your business, to save you time and money! When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time talking with her husband, listening to music, and playing with her two dogs.
Contact Aimee: Aimee Vargas 17907 94th Place N.W., Lakewood, WA 98498 Phone Number: (253) 851-4857 Email Address: vargas.aimee@gmail.
Conclusion
If you ever have stock photos that you wish you had the money to buy - give them a try on Dreamstime.com, iStockphoto.com, CanStockPhoto.com and other sites like Unsplash , Pexels , or Pixabay . After all, it's not about drowning yourself in stock photos - instead, it's about finding the ones that will be worth your investment . Or as I always say: "The proof is in the pictures!" So keep climbing higher and higher! _________________________________ Join the Socially Good Mailing List to get coupons and other news from Socially Good.