Images have been used as a method of marketing since the world of advertising and marketing has existed. As technology has advanced, we tend to think of methods used in years gone by as being outdated or no longer valid. If this is true, then why are images still so widely used in marketing to this day and what is it about them that makes them so effective? Whenever we think about any kind of marketing or advertising, images and pictures are always a part of our thought processes and design desires. Images are at the forefront of online marketing and advertising strategies, so when thinking about using pictures and imagery to promote or market online, it’s important to understand why you should use them, and also where to source the right images, and how and where to display them.

There is a long list of great reasons as to to why you should include images in your online marketing strategy. The first, and most common reason, is that images create a simple visual interpretation of what your product/service/company is or is offering. Using images that are related to what you are marketing is a no brainer, but this is not the only thing you should consider. An image should communicate on a deeper level than just a picture of your product or service. Engaging the consumer in the correct manner is more likely to keep their attention, which ultimately leads to revenue. Using images that mirror your target market is a great way to communicate the right message to your audience. Think about all aspects that encompass your target market, and use them in your online imagery. A basic way of interpreting this theory is, if you are marketing auto insurance for senior citizens, you wouldn’t show an image of a teenager sat in a sports car. The more your mirror your target audience in your online imagery, the more they will be engaged. So what if you’re just listing products and the images you have to show are of items you’re going to be selling? It’s always a good idea to have very clear, high quality images, from different angles. The higher the quality, the more detail the consumer can observe. You might opt to have a product set against a background which relates to it, a beach umbrella, for example, might be best displayed being used at the beach. This method does not always apply, if your products key selling points are detailed in nature, you might want to think about a blank background, so they key details of the product are it’s main focal point. If it’s an advertising image such as a banner or thumbnail link, bear in mind that usually the dimensions of these are small in comparison to regular images online. While you want to keep them visually striking and have them stand out, you also need to ensure key, relevant information is easily displayed and presented in such a way to entice reader into wanting to learn more. A feature often not thought of with online images, is their ability to promote you through the ranks of the popular search engines. Having the ability to add keyword tags (also known as meta data) to your images, all counts towards search engine optimization (SEO), and as the main source of information on the internet, it’s good business practice to ensure you utilize every part of search engine optimization possible.

The internet is a seemingly endless source of images, you’ll struggle to find an image related to what you’re looking for online. But this by any means doesn’t make it a free source of imagery for your marketing. Most images are copyright to their owners or businesses. Even though the internet is a huge marketplace and source of information, if you use an image which you’re not given permission to use, it’s generally easy for the owner to track the use of their images. So apart from taking pictures yourself and uploading them to your website, you’ll need to know what other options are available to you for sourcing imagery. There are tonnes of websites online which host a great deal if images categorized for ease of access. These websites offer memberships, some free, some paid, which allow the user to download and use their images without fear of copyright retribution. While these sites are great, and probably sound like exactly what you’re looking for, care should to be taken to review images to ensure they are allowed to be used for commercial purposes. Most images on the web are protected under the creative commons license, which dictates their ownership and usage information. There are also many talented freelance designers and companies that will create the perfect image for you, to your exact specifications.

Once you have your images, what should you do with them? There are many different ways you can use images online to promote or market your product, service or business. The most common use is on your website. Making use of the customization benefits or having your own website means you can choose the perfect place to display your imagery. Your website front page is a good place to start, but they should run through your entire website on almost every page, where applicable. Advertising space can be bought or sometimes traded with other websites so you can display your thumbnail links or advertising banners, imagery should be utilized in these cases, as it’s simple, effective and can portray more than just a few lines of text in a short space. Websites, blogs and online forums that focus on your type of business or service are a great place to utilize advertizing or affiliate space. Not only websites, but the rise in popularity of social media websites, such as Facebook and Twitter makes them a fantastic place to utilize images, and the viral marketing capability of social media websites is an impressive marketing tool.

Using images to market online will play a key role in your ability to engage your target market. With the amount of information we’re presented with online, it’s only natural that we seek a quick summary of what we’re looking at before we commit our time to seeking further information. Images are a great way to do this. An uncommon factor to also take into consideration, is how easily pictures can be updated to make sure your image and business presentation is fresh and innovative. Whatever method you choose to market online, images will always play an important role in your ability to do so effectively

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