Photography. It’s no longer just a “special touch” marketers add to their content and advertising: it is the advertisement. From the traditional media of billboards and magazine ads to the more contemporary and in-demand media of Instagram posts and blogs, quality professional photography is a necessity.
To meet this need, many culinary brands grab photos on the go. And while this may get you the content you need in the interim, it keeps your brand looking at the immediate situation instead of focusing on long-term opportunities for success. If your photo demands are exceeding your photo production capabilities, it’s time to start thinking about building a photo library.
Why build a photo library? It may seem like an unnecessary step to take. But when you consider all of the working parts of your business that need photography, it becomes an invaluable resource to have a library in place. For brick-and-mortar businesses, everything from menus and tabletop tents to print ads and flyers necessitate graphics. Online, the need to consistently update networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram requires a constant flowing source to keep up with the demand for images. Photos also enhance your website and blog. By incorporating quality photography, your sites will be more enticing to visitors, especially considering that blogs with photos get 94% more views!
In addition to the general need for more photos in today’s visually oriented culture, we have a few more reasons why building a photo library for your brand just makes sense.
Gives Purpose
You may be used to working with a photographer, but building a library will help give your photoshoots purpose. When you are thinking long term about your content, it requires true consideration of the types of photos you need throughout the year. It gives focus to the types of marketing campaigns you want to do, the aesthetic you want your social networks to have and the kind of content you want on your website and blog.
Now, instead of emergency calls to your photographer, you can coordinate for a photoshoot in advance and come to the session with a strategy in place. The photoshoots may be longer, but a well-planned strategy may have you set for the next 6–12 months from just one or two sessions.
Get Seasonal
One of the content areas often overlooked is seasonal content. Because seasons and holidays seem so far away, it’s easy to put ideas on the back burner until the time is suddenly upon you and you find yourself scrambling for content.
Creating a library with seasonal photography, planned well in advance, can be an asset to you year after year. Consider doing an evergreen photoshoot and work with a photographer to take photos that are not year specific and can relate to a broad audience indefinitely. As seasons and holidays happen every year, this evergreen content has a longer shelf life and can be used over and over again!
Short Term vs. Long Term
Culinary brands can get along just focusing on the here and now, but there is great benefit to giving your marketing strategy a more long-term outlook. Planning out the entire year as opposed to the next quarter helps your marketing efforts to be more organized. Instead of reacting to something that is happening, your business can plan campaigns ahead of time. This gives you the opportunity to think through how to implement campaigns and consider the costs and benefits. Thinking through the creation of a photo library allows your team to get creative, plan ahead and be ready for whatever comes your way.
Your regular blog or newsletter content also benefits. By having a plan in place, you can create an editorial calendar to work from. This gives you the ability to post more often and more consistently. Research has found that more blog posts lead to more traffic. The end result? More sales and greater SEO.
A photo library is not only an asset to your content; it can revolutionize your entire marketing strategy. Dish Works is here to help you not only plan your content, but to create it as well. We have seasoned professional photographers that are uniquely skilled with food styling and food photography. Connect with us to learn more about how Dish Works can help you build an epic photo library for your brand!
Photo: BigStock