12 Sep '18
Auguste
Running a small business can be challenging. Running a successful jewellery business can be even more difficult. In light of our current October offer for independent jewellery makers* I decided to write up a little piece on what is the most important factor influencing your sales, social media engagement, and business growth. I'll open this article with a question.
Why do you think having high-end visual representation of your brand and products you offer is so important?
Immaculate quality, crisp colours and well stylised shots have the power to make your potential customer stop scrolling through their Insta feed, click on your image and analyse what other products you have to offer. Admit it - your final goal is to make them go to your online shop, and make a purchase within the first 2 minutes.
Image quality on your website/ social media is the first impression your clients have of your brand. Your product photography represent how seriously invested in creating a high-end product you are.
HUMAN ELEMENT IN JEWELLERY PHOTOGRAPHY
When it comes to photographing accessories, it is important to understand why it is so important to have both product and flesh shots in your visual archives. You might have noticed that the most liked images on your Instagram feed are the ones that have human element in them. As beautiful as a picture taken in a light box might be, it is in human nature to be more attracted to images that depict a live human being. Be it just a part of someone's body or a full length shot - we want to know what a particular item's going to look like on a real person. In the end of the day, there's a reason why hand modelling is a thing.
Say, you're interested in buying a ring. What would you find more aesthetically pleasing to trigger your consumerist nature:
a) An image clearly taken on a smartphone picturing a ring simply put down on a table (which can be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing at times, of course!)
b) A photograph of your chosen ring being worn by a beautiful girl with long fingers, well done nude-coloured manicure, glowy skin and matching accessories?
I mean... It's quite self explanatory. Any consumer, myself including, want to identify with a person on a magazine cover or an advertisement, as blunt as it might sound. In the end of the day, we are subconsciously programmed to buy things to look like those people on ads. We want to know what a particular product is going to look like when being worn by someone else, and we definitely hope to look as flattering wearing the item as the person advertising it.
TRUST THE PROFESSIONALS
Why is it so important to hire a professional to take care of your brand’s visual content? Firstly, it’s time efficient on your part. At this point your biggest goal is to focus on marketing strategies and create enough items to be sold during the Christmas period. Ain’t nobody got time for spending a couple of hours every day trying to get some decent shots to share on Instagram! Secondly, your photographer is most likely to arrange everything for you - studio space, lights, camera equipment, models, MUAs, stylists, and, most importantly, post-production. It might seem like a big investment at first, however in the end of the day it’s totally worth it. All you need is one photo session to have enough content to share for the rest of the year.
I can’t stress enough about how important it is to have a library of images to post on your Instagram on a daily basis. Remember - visual content is what makes people buy. In case your targeted audience is under 30 I have no doubt that they are most likely to find your brand via social media, so make sure your Instagram content makes it impossible for a potential customer to resist clicking your online shop link.
*OCTOBER OFFER
On that note, this October we want to help independent jewellery makers to get their images sorted before the Christmas craze. We're here to help you pimp your brand's social media/ website feed. Get in touch with us at achvisuals@gmail.com to book a photo session this October and get a 15% discount for any chosen small business package.
We have a few different packages suitable for every budget starting from £200, depending on how many jewellery items there are to photograph. Our small team is here to arrange everything - all you need to do is send us your products and relax.
Remember, we donate 20% of profits from each session to WWF, so come and help us to help them preserve wildlife simply by letting us improve the quality of your business.
Follow us on Instagram HERE.