One of the most important parts of any website is photography; and you likely don’t need us to tell you that. But we’re here today to talk specifically about photos of people.
ÂWhen was the last time you felt a real connection looking at a stock image or abstract graphic? Come to think of it, when was the last time you felt anything when looking at a photo that didn’t include a person in it?
Many people moan when they think about photos that include human beings. For many, that means purchasing stock photography, or worse — hiring a photographer, models, and making a whole ‘thing’ out of it. It’s just so much easier to photograph your product than it is to photograph someone interacting with your product. Is it worth the savings to not have people? And is it worth the potential additional cost to include people?
Multiple studies have been done on how photos of people help visitors feel better about websites, and mostly all of them have determined that positive impressions and website conversion rate, particularly on ecommerce sites, goes up when photos of human beings are used. One of our favorites was the study done at the University of Minnesota, released in MIS Quarterly in September of 2009, which actually studied website images across multiple cultures.
Let’s discuss some of the ways that you can put photography of human beings to work for you converting more website leads and generating more business for your company.
Photos of People Looking or Pointing In a Direction
Photos of people can also be used to help direct attention and traffic around your website. At LovelyPixels, we always tell our clients to determine the goal up of their website up front (before design even begins). For many people, that goal is simply more business.Â
Every website element, down to the color of buttons and the typeface used, should push your website visitors closer to your goal. When we look at a photo of a person, or a real person for that matter, we have a tendency to follow their eyes to what that person is looking at. A photo of a smiling person looking up and to their right / your left at a call-to-action button would help draw extra attention to it. The same is true of someone pointing, although that may come off as a little strong to your visitors (whereas someone looking is a little more on the subconscious level).
Photos of You / Your Team
Doing business on the web means we don’t get to look someone in the eye, gauge their facial expressions, examine their clothing, notice their body language, shake their hand, or hear them speak; all measures we would use ordinarily to determine whether or not we trust another individual. Photos of you and your team help with this; you’ll want your potential customers to see who they’ll be interacting with.
Do not be self conscious, but at the same time don’t put up a photo of yourself wearing a spaghetti stained t-shirt (and this is coming from someone who loves his spaghetti-stained t-shirts – ‘dinge’ as Jessi calls them). You don’t necessarily need to get photos professionally done if the budget is tight, but doing so can’t hurt. Remember, with so many buying decisions starting, and even ending online, your first impression may be your last.Â
Photos of People Enjoying Your Product / Service
When we see others doing what we want to be doing, we have a tendency to imagine ourselves doing it. We’ll actually anticipate memories around that specific action and location. For this reason, images of people actually using / enjoying your products and services can be even more powerful than just a simple photo of your product or service.
Here are some example comparisons:
• Someone gifting chocolates to a loved one vs. the chocolates staged
• Someone drinking a bottle of tea on a hike vs. a bottle of tea staged
• Someone driving a car vs. a car on a platform
• A family preparing a meal in the kitchen vs. an empty kitchen
• An actual wedding at an event venue vs. the empty venue
• Someone opening a box of your product vs. a box of your product
• A father and son building a birdhouse vs the birdhouse kit
• Two people sitting by / sipping glasses of wine vs. two glasses and a bottle of wine
• A couple looking at a photo of their wedding day vs. the photo of the couple on their wedding day
• A child reading a book in his room vs. the book
In the examples above, it’s not the person in the photo giving the gift of chocolate; it’s the viewer. It’s also the viewer taking the hike, driving the car, preparing the meal with their family, and so on and so forth. And yes, in some cases doing first person photography can elevate this sensation even further. Showing an outstretched hand holding chocolates to a loved one, or hands on the steering wheel from the driver’s seat of a car would be examples of first person photography.
This of course doesn’t always work for every vertical / industry; but we find that a mix of photos on the web is likely the best option. For example, if you’re a restauranteur, you probably won’t be very busy if your photos exclusively show people eating with no action food photos. A photo of a group of people laughing over a table of food will likely do the trick in addition to several photos of your actual dishes, perfectly crafted and photographed.
Many verticals already lend themselves to having people in the photography, and so they won’t have this issue.
“Even if you’re not able to photograph people actively using your product, get creative with your placements and props to give your product a human touch! For Doc’s Tea, we setup a fall photoshoot in the woods to showcase the product as a healthy companion for your fall adventure – and had our reluctant model just placed out of focus.”
Photos of People Doing Things Associated With Your Product
If you’re struggling with how to show people interacting with your product or service, think about what your product actually means to people. What is the ‘end game’ or ultimate goal of your clients? Freedom? Happiness? Security?
Let’s take trailers for instance. On a base level, you could simply photograph each of your trailers and put them on your website to hope they sell. As an alternative, you could show people loading things into their trailers and smiling, getting ready for that trip / vacation. But what does a trailer really mean to a person? Why not show people doing the thing they want the trailer for in the first place? Show a family out on a boat, or show a couple riding their motorcycles through the mountains.
If you sell home security or cameras, maybe you can show a woman up late, working on her laptop with headphones in (trusting that the security system is keeping her safe). If you sell vacuums or a cleaning service, show a family playing on the clean carpet with their newborn. If you offer a landscaping or mowing service, show friends grilling and playing games in the backyard.
Need a professional website design or photography?
If you’re considering a new website, make sure you work with an experienced, local, and competitively priced web design company who takes even the small details in account.
LovelyPixels has been helping small businesses like yours for nearly 15 years. We also have several professional photographers to fulfill any photo needs you may have. Contact LovelyPixels online today or give us a call at 240-347-1444.
