Online images
If you’re a business with any kind of online presence, it’s highly likely that you use the internet to find images to use on websites, in marketing material, in presentations and on social media.
Images can and do help to engage your customer; articles with images get 94% more views than those that don’t, whilst 60% of consumers are more likely to contact a company if an image shows up with their entry in a Google search.
However, many businesses are unaware of the rules and regulations surrounding the use of images found on the web, and thus many fall into the trap of using images that don’t belong to them, resulting in hefty fines, and even court cases.
Finding images through Google
Scouring Google for pictures can be dangerous business, especially if you’re just copying and pasting. One way of ensuring that it’s legal to use the image that you’ve found in your marketing is by using the ‘Search Tools’ available in Google Images.
Simply type in your search query in Images, click search tools, and pick usage rights. From here you should pick ‘labelled for reuse’ – in theory this will only show images that have been specifically released for use without attribution. However, it is important to then check the actual image license, as images can slip through the net.
Stock photo libraries
A safer way of sourcing pictures for your marketing is through stock photo libraries such as Bigstock, Getty Images and Shutterstock.
You can either pay a subscription, or pay on an image-by-image basis, but each stock photo library ensures that a release has been signed to give the user information on how and where each image can be used. Most images on Bigstock, for example, are free to use without attribution, however some are highlighted as ‘editorial use’ only.
Get creative
Of course, the best way to get images that truly sum up your product or company is to take them yourself!
Either hire a professional photographer to get sleek, professional images to be used throughout your website, social media, and traditional marketing, or get involved and take photos yourself. This can be a great option for smaller businesses who really want to engage with their customer, especially on social media, as stock images can alienate a customer from rather than endear them to your brand.
There are plenty of free photo editing apps to help you make your pictures look how you want them to, from Instagram on smartphones, to Pic Monkey online, both of which take minutes to set up and use.
To find out more about using images in your marketing, call The Ideal Marketing Company today on 01858 374 170. Our graphic designers can create on-brand images for anything from social media to brochures and leaflets, boosting your customer engagement and showing your product or service in the best possible light.
