55 percent of a first impression is visual. In marketing, creating a good visual first impression is key to drawing a customer in and making them want to make a purchase. If you’re considering using stock photos on your site instead of planning a custom photo shoot for your images, there are a few things to consider before taking the plunge.

The Pros and Cons of Marketing Stock Photos

A well-researched decision is always the best one. People who plan out their goals and write them down have a 33 percent higher success rate in achieving those goals than those who don’t. Make sure when you’re thinking about using stock photos, you have a plan in mind.

The Pros of Stock Photos

The very obvious pro of stock photos is that you don’t have to hire any models, any creative professionals, and don’t have to take time to actually make the shoot or plan.

There is also a huge volume of stock photos available to you. When you choose stock photography, you can find what you’re looking for, and you can find it fast.

The Cons of Stock Photos

When you’re trying to look professional in your web design, stock photos have the potential to derail your brand image. They can make it look like you slapped your website together and didn’t put any effort into it.

They also aren’t branded and don’t relay the specific message you are attempting to communicate to your customers. Trying to force a photo to work on your site can be problematic when you’re attempting to achieve a very specific branding message.

You may also find that your chosen stock photos are being used by others. Even your competition could be using these photos as well, causing you to be lost in the sea of stock images.

Stock photos have licensing restrictions you have to watch for. If you plan to use the photo more than once, you’ll have to pay steeper royalty fees. And these photos often can’t be used on merchandise.

Overall, stock photos may make your business look less valid, especially if the photo that you choose is used frequently or looks particularly like a stock photo. They can take away from the consistency of your tone, and make it not look like you’re as focused on appearance as you could be. Custom images have been shown to produce higher conversion rates than stock images, and be more cost effective on the whole.

Put Your Best Foot Forward

Now that you know whether you want to go with marketing stock photos or a custom photo shoot, you have to know where to go.

Get the best photo and design team on your side when you work with Danger Dynamite.

We have an in-house professional team available to consult with you on your professional photo shoot. When you speak with professionals, you’ll be able to craft your plan into reality in the most efficient and effective way.

If you decide to go with stock photography, we can show you the designs that will work the most fluidly with the marketing message you’re trying to achieve.


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