80% of people remember what they see and 20% of people remember what they read.

That’s a big number. With that said, photography can end up being more expensive than describing your great product. So, will it end up paying off? Can photography really sell products?

That number does not lie. People remember what they see a lot more than if they are simply reading something. Most people are visual learners which is one of the main reasons why photography sells products. Think of it this way, you are selling a product, you have one product with loads of content (similar to this article), and the other with three or more images. Which one will you likely want to learn more about? We look first, then read, and we read only when we need to know more about what we are purchasing. If we are looking at a product that has a descriptive enough title we may not even read the description because the image and title of the product gives us enough to make that decision.

If you have an online store, or sell products on stores like eBay or Amazon, it’s important to potential buyers to not only see one of your images, but many of them. Allow potential buyers to see each detail and the colors. Although you don’t want to overwhelm the viewer with too many images, it’s also important to have a few options so they see the product in different angels or colors.

Tip: Try and have at least 3 pictures per product.

Although you never want to lie to your potential buyers, you always want to make sure you show your products in the best light possible. Make sure your images look appealing.

• Don’t just take one picture and think that’s good enough. Do you purchase a product on Amazon or online at a higher rate with one photo or three?
• Take a series of pictures and try and decide which one makes your product look the best.
• Add lighting to the area you are photographing or even dim the lighting based on the look you are trying to achieve.

Perhaps it’s time you spent some time (or money) editing the photos to help enhance them.

How does your background look? Depending on your particular product and what you are trying to accomplish you may want to consider using a black or white acrylic. We’ve seen that using acrylic gives the product a bit more sheen and the reflection of the product on the acrylic.

Depending on the size acrylic can be a bit more expensive, especially since you may need to use a background fill, lighting, or use other techniques.

If you are on a budget, another option is to purchase a photo studio from Amazon, just search for “Photography Booth” or another search similar.

Tip: Try using a different angle for the product. From taking the picture from down low, the product will look larger. Play around with each angle to see what looks best.

Have you ever noticed that you are more drawn to clothes that are on manikins? This is because you can see exactly how it should be worn. The next reason why photography sells products is because people purchase photos, they can see themselves using. Try and add in an action shot of a simple lifestyle image that incorporates your product.

Use a tripod!

No matter whatever lighting you are working with a tripod will help keep the image as stable as possible and reduce any blur issues you may get from your exposure. If you are looking to keep angles specific for each product than the tripod will also help make sure those consistencies are met. Tripods are affordable and easily found on websites like B&H Photo or of course Amazon.

Tip: Show your product in its natural environment and include one of these pictures when having a series of the product.

Does your product have details that should be shown off? There was probably a lot of thought that went into the details, a great and clear picture will be able to show. In fact, it probably will show off the details without needing to talk about it much. Pictures tell a thousand words and viewers will naturally see the details of the products while glancing through the images.

Another example of photography is at hotels or real estate. Do you prefer to read about the hostel you are about to book or look at quality imagery? You probably look at the pictures or videos to see what the room looks like and the details of the room. You may not even notice a great perk about the room in the description, but you will notice it when there is a picture of it!

Tip: Selling your product on Ebay, your own website or even Amazon?

Did you know that the requirements for selling your product on Amazon is to just show the product itself? That means that it shouldn’t include any wild or crazy backgrounds and should only show what the buyer will receive when they open up their package. This helps the customer understand exactly what they are expecting, and so it doesn’t confuse the buyer of something else included within the purchase that isn’t really supposed to be there. When selling on sites like Ebay or Amazon be sure to take a look at their requirements for product photography. This will save you a lot of headaches when trying to get your product up and approved.

Use a infographics!

The use of infographics is another very useful technique. An infographic is adding content/text to your images calling out its special attributes. For instance, let us assume you are selling a widget on Amazon. If this widget is flexible or even provides an additional coating that your competitors do not offer on their similar product it is good practice to call these special attributes out to the user. Use lines to that special attribute and short bullet style pieces of content to draw attention to these call outs. If people do not want to read your full description you are still providing the products primary selling points to help entice your buyers to purchase your product.

Tip: Use video when you can!

Your potential customers are just like you! They love to see videos of things they may have an interest in. Studies show that videos are viewed more than photos because they can help tell a story or detail of a product. Videos on social media get three times the number of click throughs than images do. Just be sure your video explains your product, brand or whatever you are trying to accomplish quickly! A video that is thirty seconds or less will have more impact. Another short tip is to be sure the video gets into your message quickly right at the get so that you can hook your customers right away. The last thing you want your potential customers to do is wait because they will not.

Are you convinced yet?

Photography and videography really does sell products. It will make the difference between makes a sale (and a potential long-term customers) and losing the customers to another business. Visitors to your site will instantly be drawn to the images well before they begin reading what is on the page. This is one of my pain reasons why it’s so important to have high-quality photography for your products.

If you do not have a great camera, it’s may be time that you hire a professional. A professional understands how important the images are to your business and can even take your products into the best locations for a photoshoot.

Take the time to invest in photography for your business, we promise, it really will sell your products!