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Reasons to Use Authentic Imagery Over Stock Images

By: Team WTI | Date: September 23, 2021

Categories: Team WTI Articles,

Tags: content marketing, Content Writing, Digital Marketing, Social Media, Stock Images, Website Design Articles,

Stock images can be pretty, but they shouldn’t be taking up a bulk of your content on your website and social media. Consumers are consistently taking in content online, but the way they receive this content is heavily reliant on how it makes them feel. Authentic images, either created by your or your customers, tend to have a more positive effect on people than stock images. Here are a few reasons authentic images are the way to go:

1. Humanize your brand.

People want to see businesses as human, not just as a corporate entity. Seeing models showing off your brand might not connect with everyone the way you want it to. Showing images of all different kinds of people in real-life situations helps build trust with your customers.

2. You don’t need special equipment. 

Some businesses may look to stock photography as a solution because they don’t believe they have the right equipment to take quality pictures. But these days anyone can take a good photo with a smartphone. So go ahead and use your smartphone to take pictures of your products to post on your website, or to snap on-the-job photos of your team completing a project!

3. Increase engagement/user experience.

Brands typically receive more success with original or user-generated content. Whether you are looking for results in social media, display ads, or SEO, studies have shown time and again that people trust real imagery over stock. For example, bllush completed some A/B testing to see how images from Instagram would perform over stock images, and sure enough, almost every instance showed significantly higher engagement with the more authentic Instagram photos.

4. Unique to your brand.

Stock images are usually pretty generic. Authentic imagery allows you to show off your business more specifically. For example, a roofing company might be able to find dozens of stock pictures of roofs, but maybe they want to talk about roof repair after a specific storm in the local area on social media, or show customers a specific problem they should be looking for in their new blog. Having real images shows your customers that you can truly provide what they are looking for because they can see it first hand.

5. No worrying about obtaining rights to content. 

Sometimes a frustrating part of using stock images is that you need to pay to obtain rights to a photo and/or provide proper attribution to the owner of the photo. If you own the photos you are posting, you won’t need to worry about the legality of using them.

Does this mean that stock photography needs to be avoided at all times? No. Sometimes a stock photo will complement your content, and sometimes getting an authentic photo just isn’t feasible. So when a stock photo is your only option to make your content pop, go for it. Just remember to look for authentic photo opportunities when you can. Your customers will see a trustworthy business, and you will see better results.

If you need help creating compelling content and ideas for visuals that will set your business apart, contact Team WTI. We’re happy to lend a hand.

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Andy Snyder | Mississippi Valley Fair
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Great company to work with Lisa, Jeremiah, Steve, Estelle, Deb and Susy are our account reps and together help us during the fair and other events broadcast info to our clients Via the website, app, and social channels. Great company!

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