If you want to make Instagram one of marketing and sales channels, you must put photo quality first. Instagram is a visual medium, the image you create has to tell a story, to represent your brand, to create a mood in order to engage your followers and transform them in to long time clients.
High quality styled photos are essential when showing off your products to the world via Instagram, via your website, or via any other visual medium. When creating compelling visual content, you have to keep in mind that, in order to turn your audience into buyers, your content has to enhance the product attributes. The potential buyer can’t touch and feel your product online, therefor the image has to offer an accurate description of those feelings.
Remember, just because someone sees your product on Instagram, it doesn’t mean that will trigger an action. In most cases, your potential customer will scroll away. The quality of your photos speaks about the quality of your products. Keep reading to learn a few tricks that will help you capture better photos for Instagram.
Natural light is advisable especially when you try to capture a composition, a scene of your product usage. The thing with natural light is that it’s a bit tricky. You can’t control it, so you will have to hunt for the perfect timing. Take the time to study the way light changes during the day in your home, office or workshop. If your space has poor natural light, just go outside. Avoid direct sunlight because it can create some unwanted shadows.
If you can’t find the natural light that can really help you create a compelling product image, then you will have to invest in some studio lighting.
You can create your own backgrounds from foam boards if you want something white and basic. For Instagram, you’ll probably need a more elaborate background. Depending on your product, you can use various types and colors of cloth. Be creative! Only your imagination is the limit of what you can do.
Here, you may face your greatest challenge yet. Choose your props carefully in order to highlight or “accessorize” your main product. For example, if your product is a food, you can build a table setting that will give the viewer a genuine urge to get a taste of what you are offering. Be careful, though! Your styled photos should have a lifestyle touch, meaning that they will have to give the feeling that the scene is happening in everyday life. Your goal should be to show your product like actually being used in everyday life.
Once you have found your lighting, background and the perfect combination between styling and lifestyle, it means that you might just have discovered your style. Stay true to that style. Your potential customers will get to know your brand and recognize it in the crowd by the unique style you created.
Product photography for Instagram can be a challenge, but once you’ll master it, the fun begins and, of course, the sales.