You think you have found the perfect image to buy for use on your website, but you've seen it before. Yes! It featured on the front page of that dodgy site. It looked legit but now you are reconsidering the use of this image. With the focus on high quality photos and videos on social platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest, many small business owners wonder if it is cheating to use stock photography. I'm here to tell you "no. It is not cheating!"
What is Stock Photography?
Stock photography is a collection of photos, videos or illustrations that have been licensed and sourced from professional designers, videographers and photographers. They are high quality images that are arranged in online libraries across a variety of genres. Some famous libraries are Getty Images, Adobe Stock and Shutterstock. You can purchase images to use across multiple platforms depending on where and how you will use them. Some libraries provide free images but most are licensed. Platforms such as Wix, Canva and Adobe Express have a their own collection of free stock imagery but the best do tend to come with a premium subscription.
You also have the option to download these images, videos and vectors at different resolutions which can assist in keeping files small whilst not compromising on the quality of your content. There is a growing need for diverse
Why use Stock Photography?
As a small business owner it can be tricky budget wise to hire a professional photographer or videographer to capture your content on a regular basis. You should definitely consider hiring one initially as your build your brand identity and make a budget for this in your marketing strategy.
Here is where Stock Photography comes to the rescue. When you need some great quality content for your email newsletter or Instagram, but don't have the budget to hire a professional, or you just don't have the creative ideas for your content, stock photography is wonderful alternative.
Let's be honest, sometimes business owners just don't want to play around with their phones and cameras. This is absolutely reasonable and realistic. So let the professionals do the work for you.
Tips for Choosing Stock Photography
Consider what your message is going to be in your content.
Consider who you want to speak to; what are their demographics?
Consider your media. So do you need an image for your website, email newsletter, blog or social media post.
Once you have decided this, what size image do you need to use?
Will you reuse the image? (which is totally fine as the lifespan of content is on average 48 hours according to several articles and research). If so, consider downloading in 2 different sizes.
Ensure you license the images correctly as you could potentially face legal issues in future.
Use strategic key words in your search of stock content, in relation to your industry or niche audience. Think feeling, color, action and emotion.
Ready to Browse the Stock Libraries?
There is a growing trend of stock photography online libraries opening up for your use with free and free with subscription options.
My personal favorites currently are:
Look out for my next blog post on how to get the best out of your camera phone.
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