Chasing a dream can sometimes turn into running from a nightmare if you’re not prepared.
Public relations and the media blessing
There’s no doubt about it. Favourable media coverage will increase the credibility of any business. If the news media report on a company’s press release or interview its executives, that business will benefit from the “media blessing.”
A business that gets mentioned in the news will have its image enhanced and gain public attention. A favourable public perception also means that company can avoid competing on price. When the media “blesses” a business by running a positive story on that company, the public will consider that business to be reputable and worthwhile. This can help justify that company’s pricing.
Paid advertising only increases name recognition but good public relations can increase consumer trust. People do business only with those they trust.
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Fix your profile
Business portrait, executive portrait, headshot, social media portrait or profile picture. No matter what you call it, a picture of yourself is important for your business. Really.
For social media, the most important picture is the author’s own portrait. For businesses, both small and large, having online portraits of key employees is very important. Really.
People trust what (and who) they can see more than what (and who) they can’t. A profile without a photo is like a day without sunshine. (Okay, I made up that last bit but hopefully you get my point).
From an Inc. Magazine article titled Fix Your Profile Picture:
Your profile picture is about branding you and the business you own. Are you handling it that way?
(. . .)
Invest the money in a professional photographer. Profile pictures are a booming sideline for many professional photographers. Hire one. It should cost about $200 depending on where you live and what you need specificially [sic].
(. . .)
Update your picture every couple of years.
Why Journalism Can Be The Best Marketing
In my tiny corner of the Web, (i.e. this blog), I’ve mentioned that the best thing a business can do for its marketing photography and public relations photography is to hire a photographer with a journalism background.
I’ve also written that one of the best things a company should be doing to enhance its brand, increase public awareness and even do a little good for their community is to put editorial content on its corporate web site, (e.g. photojournalism, photo essays, documentaries).
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Cheap Stock Pictures Strike Again
Yet again, another large organization decided to save a few dollars on its marketing by buying cheap stock pictures. And yet again, it has backfired into the daily papers and TV newscasts. And again, another organization is scrambling to explain its shortsightedness and to minimize the ridicule.
In three months, Ontario will have a provincial election. The provincial NDP party has started its campaign with a 48-page booklet telling voters that it will put Ontario citizens first, create and protect Ontario jobs, make sure public money supports local business, help Ontarians put more money in their pockets and above all, “Buy Ontario” and “help small businesses.”
So how did the NDP decide to show that it means what it says? By ignoring Ontario photographers and buying cheap pictures from US stock photo agencies. (Hint to NDP: cheap stock pictures are instantly recognizable for what they are. Studies have shown that readers hate them.)
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Best Photographer Excuses
When things go wrong, what are some excuses a photographer can use?
My computer crashed.
The lab didn’t print it right.
This is how all photographers dress.
The sun moved.
You can fix it in Photoshop.
No one told me it would start on time.
The picture is fine, the building is crooked.
It’s art. It’s supposed to be out of focus.
It’s not underexposed, it’s “moody.”
It’s called “negative space.”
It’s supposed to look like that. That’s my style.
The bride’s dress was too white.
It was subject failure.
(This was Kodak’s excuse when a Kodak camera or Kodak printer failed to produce a good picture).
I’m a photographer not a magician.
I’m a photographer not a plastic surgeon.
Misleading Intentions
A new online stock agency called ImageBrief recently launched in Australia. What’s different about this stock agency is that a photo buyer posts a description of the picture(s) they want along with the price they’re willing to pay. Interested photographers can then post any of their stock pictures which meet the buyer’s description. The photo buyer chooses the “winning” picture(s) and pays the photographer. The stock agency gets a commission.
So far, so good.
Look at some of the photo buyers:
• A coffee shop/bakery was looking for a picture to market its store. Rather than hiring a photographer to produce authentic photography of the store’s own products, the shop bought a stock photo which featured another company’s coffee and someone else’s baked goods.
Is this misleading advertising by the coffee shop?
