It’s not a news flash that the web is a visual place. Photos, videos and graphics have become the expected way to grab attention, educate, entertain and inform consumers for businesses of all types. Has your business started to leverage more visual media to attract and capture your local customers?
Let’s Get Visual
These days, you or your employees are all armed with smartphones or maybe even a DSLR camera and able to capture your daily work, finished projects, products or services in action. Are you taking the time to photograph or video how you do business or what you offer? If not, let’s look at these ideas that you can easily hire out or start to leverage the media you are capturing (or should be!) on your Google My Business listing, social media and your own website.
1) Google Certified Street View Pros
This is fantastic for any type of business that a customer walks into. Google’s Trusted Photographers come into your business and shoot a 360-degree virtual tour as well as over a dozen still shots and then add them to your Google My Business profile.
Google has stated that businesses with photos get 42% more clicks to their driving directions and 35% more clicks to their website. You can look up the Trusted Photographers in your area and expect to pay between $300 and $1,000 for this service. You get to keep the still photos to use on your website or other marketing, a big plus.
2) Time Lapse Video
If you provide a service that takes a few hours or even days to create, build, clean or complete, explore making a time lapse video. Below is an example from Deck Masters in Texas, who — after attending a Local University seminar — realized that video would be a great addition to their marketing.
Owner Mike Owens said the video for his patio covers has already landed him two new jobs. Anytime you can show your prospects the process and what to expect from your service, you build an incredible amount of trust.
3) GIFs on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
If you have a collection of photos, you can turn them into an animated GIF and then post them to social media accounts like Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. Below is an example from KG Landscape in Minneapolis highlighting projects they completed this summer. It’s a great way to recap multiple projects and get visual with social media.
What a summer. Here’s just a taste of the different projects we did. #landscaping #gif #minneapolis #stpaul pic.twitter.com/1yIZhfq7zs
— KG Landscape MGMT (@KGLandscape) November 27, 2015
If you need an easy way to create video or photo GIFs, try using GIPHY. I was able to put together this quick GIF from photos of past LocalU events and you can even add text to the file.
4) Video Testimonials
If you have already mastered customer testimonials in written form on your website (do that first!), step up to video testimonials for added impact. Simple, one-take videos shot with an iPhone are more than sufficient in quality to make an impression. Keep in mind that lighting, angles, a tripod and other video tips make a BIG difference, so do your research to get the most out of your self-shot video.
Here is an example of a simple, one-take video testimonial for a San Francisco plumber.
Here is a great example of just getting one comment from multiple customers and editing them together for this University apartment complex.
Of course, if you shoot and post some video testimonials, be smart about your video optimization to get the most out of it.
Seeing Is Believing
All of the ideas above hit upon building trust quickly with your customers with visuals. Take a look at your business and think about how photos, videos, time lapse, virtual tours and more can aid in your online marketing to help you land new customers.
