Which kind of photo truly draws in buyers?
The answer is clear.
Professional images (via Shoot2Sell) are more attractive, inviting, and magazine-quality.
However, although the professional images do attract more homebuyers through the door, we have received a few concerns regarding these comparisons. But we’ve been able answer them with a simple explanation:
Let’s help explain some FAQ’s (ones we have personally been asked by followers):
“Well of course the professional image looks better — the smartphone is too close / zoomed in. You need to take a step back and get more of the space!”
Actually, the smartphone photo was taken from the same distance (and sometimes the exact same spot) as the professional photographer. The purpose of taking photos with a smartphone was not only to show you the difference in quality, but also to take them as a realtor or agent would for a typical MLS listing. (I didn’t even take the bad photos we’ve seen, such as a flash in the bathroom mirror with the toilet seat up, etc.)
Shoot2Sell photographers have wide-angle lenses, capturing the whole space — almost as if our cameras had peripheral vision, seeing what the human eye would see. A smartphone has very limited focal capabilities (even the newest, latest, most expensive ones) and will never capture the space in a way that a professional lens can.
On a side note, professional photography is just 50% of producing quality marketing images. Professional processing and editing is the other half, and you need to know what you are doing in order for the image to turn out great. There are a lot of good photographers out there who, in our opinion, damage the quality of their work with poor processing skills.
"Professional photos makes the property look TOO good"
You may be right, but here’s a couple things you need to realize…
First, photography is considered a product and is used for marketing and advertising purposes. Have you ever gotten a burger from a fast food chain and threw it at the cashier because it didn’t look like the photo? Hopefully not. In fact, most of us already know that the actual food itself never comes out as pretty as the commercial or ad photo. However, the ad photo attracts us to get it anyway… over and over again… and we keep coming back for more. Our minds are more powerful than you think; an attractive photo of a property / product / food / etc. can actually make us believe that it is good as it looks in the photo.
Second, a smartphone does the exact opposite; it makes the property look worse than it does in reality. A smartphone never does a space, food, look, etc. any justice. If you don’t believe me, just pull out your smartphone right now and take a photo of your surroundings; you’ll see the difference. So, would you rather keep potential customers away with non-professional images that look worse than the property, or draw more people in the door with professional images that make the property more attractive? The answer should be simple. The whole point of professional images is to attract more attention, more engagement, more leads, more potential clients through your business doors.
Third, we don’t edit our photos in any way that is unethical, and they are never rendered. We simply photograph the property and then edit the lighting / saturation / exposures of the image to give it a magazine-quality finish. We comply with MLS rules and restrictions for selling a property, making sure that what you see is what you get… just with a cherry on top.
Lastly, professional photographers should be trained and skilled specifically to photograph what you need for your marketing purposes (i.e. architectural photographer for real estate listings). There is a psychology in both photography and marketing that you may not realize goes into our work. We don’t just point-and-shoot to take a photo, take your money, and say adios. Our photographers are trained to shoot architecture correctly with angle, height, and exposure theories of marketing the property in the best possible way.
“I don’t need professional images right now to sell my property”
ou may be right, and too much business is a good problem to have! But you might want to ask yourself a couple questions:
- What happens when the market / economy goes back down and business is slow?
- How are you standing out against competitors?
In both the good and bad times of business, your marketing efforts now can effect your success in the long run. When times are good and marketing isn’t necessary, the ones who continuously work on their brand are the ones who continue to stand out when times become bad again and everyone else decreases their marketing efforts. When times are bad, those who didn’t stop caring about their marketing efforts are the ones who “resurrect” when the market is good again — and they will be the ones that customers remember and call for services.
We also have real examples of how clients marketed their properties online a year ago, and to this day still getting brand awareness, leads, and referrals from it. Your marketing efforts now will affect your future success.
