OUR QUICK
GUIDE TO FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY
WHY DO YOU NEED PHOTOGRAPHY? Choosing a restaurant or food shop used to be simple. A friend would recommend it or you would read a good review in the paper. Now, we live in a digital visual world, where everything is curated and people only pick the best selfies of themselves to post on social media. So, ask yourself… are you using photographs that best reflect your business? Are they as good as your food? When looking for a something online, everyone wants to access a super-fast website and they expect the images to be clean, beautiful and delicious!
Most people now buy using their phones. Here’s some surprising statistics about this behaviour...
70%
of internet searches are now carried out on mobile devices.
The average person gets distracted in just
8 seconds.
81% of people only skim the content they read online.
Posts that include images produce 650% higher engagement than text-only.
The opportunities opened by investing in professional photography are huge. Word of mouth referrals start with social media; someone raves about the new business they dealt with and shares it with their 1,000 followers – as a result of this, their 1,000 followers have now interacted with and are likely to search for that business at its source. Would you be happy with the photographs prospective customers have access to? Do they reflect the true experience of visiting your business? If the photos don’t do your beautiful food justice, then the photos may be more harm than good. Professional photography can develop an engaged and active social media community surrounding your business. By presenting your products in this way alongside social media posts, your website and your Google profile, you are more likely to attract your target audience and aid brand growth than if you were to use text posts alone.
Everything that is true for digital also largely applies to printed media. Although some discerning restaurants will understandably not want to display food images on their menus, there are various printed media forms that benefit from great food photography. For example:
Brochures Signage Vehicle livery Point of sale Posters Flyers Business cards Gift vouchers Menus (where appropriate)
So, where do I source good photography from? Typically, you have three options: use stock images, take the photos yourself, or hire a professional photographer. Obviously, we recommend the latter. You can spot a stock image a mile off and people respond more positively to images that feel authentic. Photography really can be the most powerful brand awareness tool. The cliché is true. Pictures can say 1,000 words and give your customers a more personal feeling when they interact with your brand. The quality of your photographs reflects the quality of your brand in the minds of most customers. A professional photography shoot creates a good stock of high quality images, providing everything you need for your marketing campaigns across all media; printed, material and digital. Professionally styled food photography entices customers and can give you the edge over competitors. The vibrancy and appeal of appetising food imagery lets your dishes sell themselves, thus increasing sales and profits – and what’s more, careful selection when it comes to the images, for example by showcasing high-margin dishes, can also increase this.
THE EFFECTS GOOD PHOTOGRAPHY HAS ON YOUR BRAND With impressive photography and a clear message, you can grab the attention of your customers and future customers; just one great image can encourage your audience to purchase your products or services. Consider the hugely influential field of food photography. Just one successful image can have your stomach growling with hunger; however, the wrong image of a greasy morsel on a wipe-down menu could have the very opposite effect. To avoid this, investing in a professional to get the right shots and portray your business in the perfect light is crucial. Establishing a ‘persona’ for your company or brand is also important: the photos, style and type you choose will help you to achieve this. Photography can help portray your message in a clear way and demonstrate what you are all about, not just what your food looks like.
Add that additional layer of appeal and trust with professional photography We advise all our customers to establish a consistent visual style right from the beginning, as this will ensure all images used align with the essence of your brand. For example, if you think about some of the world’s most famous brands you can immediately picture how they communicate visually without even seeing the logo. This consistent branding and visual imagery makes it easier for you to say, “Oh, that’s a [brand] photo”. Our photography team are dedicated to ensuring your images are always consistent and memorable.
WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM THIS? 90% of the information that the brain receives is non-verbal and, of course, the first written languages were pictographic. Our brains are hardwired to understand visuals better than text – so, the answer to this question is quite simply any business that wants to be seen. Not only do we understand visuals better than text, 65% of us can recall that visual content three days after seeing it – from a business perspective it should make photography a must-have. So not only is photography a cost-effective tool for businesses to increase their exposure but also to be remembered in the long-term. We have listed below a few types of businesses we know from our own experience have benefited from investing in photography: • Restaurants/cafés/coffee shops • Drinks industry • Takeaways • Hotels • Food manufacturers • Small start-up food businesses
After your fonts, logos, and other design elements are in place, professional brand photography is what brings it all together.
SO, WHY CHOOSE MEDIA VILLAGE? Our background in food and product photography How much is your brand worth to you? Just as you would invest money in your digital marketing strategies and your website design, you should also be budgeting for your photography. Anyone can take a photograph, but just because you can take photos on your smartphone, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. If you haven’t got the eye for that perfect moment and the technical knowledge gained from years of experience, you should probably just leave it to the professionals! The brands below already trust us to provide their photography to be consistent and suit their brand image, so we think you should too!
01254 300000 | info@media-village.co.uk Media Village, Media House, Burnley Road, Altham, Accrington, Lancashire. BB5 5TX
www.media-village.co.uk