5 Tips To Get Stunning Product Shots

Trying to get content for posts on Social Media can be a challenge.  You want to show your businesses' products, but you have a hard time making it look professional.  Here are 5 great tips to up your Product Shot game.

1.  Take it outside.

Indoor light and distracting backgrounds can often make your product shot off-color or bland.  Think about the product you are shooting.  In the photo above it looked so much better to have the shoes outside.  I brought a milk jug full of water that I poured on the ground before I took the shot to get a great reflection.  This shot would have fallen flat indoors with poor lighting and no dynamics.

Parking your product by some natural light is probably one of the easiest ways to achieve a great photo.

2.  Shoot With Natural Light

Whether you are shooting with a cell phone or a high end camera, the biggest contributor to great pictures will always be lighting.  If you can use natural light it will always yield the nicest pictures.  Put your product near a window to get your light.  If the light is to harsh, put some sheer drapes or some type of diffuser over the window or light source

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Placing your products in an environment that suits them is key.

3. Think Contextually

When arranging your product and the elements you choose around it, think about where the product will be used, who it will be sold to, and what will attract the buyer.  If you can capture a story with your picture you will have a better chance of selling that item.  Try things like, putting a drink on ice, or a sports watch on a paddle board.  Try to think of places or situations you would likely find your product in use. 

Stage your photo with basic composition.

4. Stage Your Photo

To point to the subject matter and create interest sometimes it is good to use basic photography techniques like the "rule of thirds".  Place objects around the subject, but keep the subject as the focal point.  Sometimes it's nice to organically point to the object you are featuring.

Sometimes the best props are right under your nose.

5.  Keep It Cheap

Sometimes the best props are right under your nose.  Don't be worried about spending a lot of money.  Use the textures around you.  Instead of buying an expensive flash, use natural light with a curtain or even a thin white shirt over a window.  Use some laminate that you have lying around to put the product on.  Don't by a reflector when you can just go to the craft store and pick up a cheap white chloroplast board.

Summary:

I hope this helps you take your product shots to the next level.  Remember, it's not the gear that you have, but the creativity that you take to the shoot that makes the biggest difference.  

Remember, we are always here for you for all your photography, videography and Social Media needs.  Call us today @ 780 808 3274

5 Voice Commands for Your Phone That Will Make Life Easier

Most of the time you don't have to open up an app.  Just say your command and your phone does the rest.

The one thing almost everyone has with them always, is their cell phone.   Most of us carry them around to either check the time if we don’t wear a watch, or to make calls or texts.  Phone assistants such as Google Assistant, Bixby and Siri, can access you a lot of convenient features that you use every day, without having to open an app.  Sorry for those of you who want less time with your device, this is going to make them your new best friend.  Feel free to try them as we go.

1.      Calculator: 

You don't need an a calculator or an app, this feature is built into your assistant.

You don’t have to open an app to use your calculator, just activate your assistant and ask them your question.  “Ok google, what is 24 times 12?”  It will give you the answer quicker than anyone could ever type it out.  (It’s 288 by the way)

2.      A Translator:

Most people don't know that all they have to do is ask their phone for a translation, and it will spit it right out in seconds.

This is super handy when in another country or even if you only speak one of Canada’s official 2 languages.  Simply ask Siri or Google to translate what you want to say from your language to whatever language you desire.  On a side note, there is a pair of headphones out that translate on the fly when hooked to your phone.  Technology actually scares me sometimes.

3.       Take a Selfie

Great!!!  Now it's even easier to take a selfie.

Instead of looking for your camera button, or perhaps when your hands are full, just ask your assistant to “take a selfie” and voila, vanity perfection.

4.      Food Finder

By your command you can find your craving, and reviews to help you choose the best option.

Do you have a craving for pizza?  Ask your phone where the nearest pizza joint is, and it will list the places in order of distance.  It will also be a great place to check out online reviews, so you don’t end up with pizza disappointment.

5.      Maps

No need to open your maps app and type in all the information.  Simply state your destination and your phone’s map feature will take you there.  In some cities it will even let you know the traffic problems in advance, or let you know if there is anyway that you can reach your destination before it closes.

You Might Look Crazy

While talking into your phone might get some getting used to, it can save you a lot of time, and as you get used to it, you will find it more and more convenient. 

These are some of the great tips that I use everyday on my cell phone.  You may have to update your phone if some of these aren’t working as well as I’ve advertised, but for the most part they have been a part of your phone’s operating system for quite some time.  So, for now I have to make an appointment for a meeting.  “ok Google, “Schedule me an app with….

Some more information on the subject.

5 Reasons Why You Should Up Your Social Media Game

Using social media for your marketing, isn't just a good idea...It's essential!

1.  Increased Customer Satisfaction

"Every interaction on social media is an opportunity to demonstrate your compassion for your customers."

Social media is a networking and communication platform.  By creating a brand on social media and interacting with your customers it humanizes your company.  Customers appreciate being heard, and when they post on your page that they receive personalized responses rather than automated.  By acknowledging each comment, you show that you are attentive of your visitors’ needs and aim to provide great customer service.

Every interaction on social media is an opportunity to demonstrate your compassion for your customers.  Whether you are answering a question or responding to a complaint, social media allows you to address the subject with interpersonal dialogue.  A brand devoted to customer satisfaction that takes time to respond to personal messages even when responding to a complaint, will be viewed in a positive light.

2.  Improved Brand Loyalty.

"With social media you can regularly engage with customers and develop a bond with them." 

One of the biggest goals of the businesses I work with is brand loyalty.  This can be difficult to achieve considering that customer satisfaction and brand loyalty typically go hand and hand.  With social media you can regularly engage with customers and develop a bond with them.  Social media is not just limited to showing products and promotions of your brand, but more importantly, customers see these platforms as a service channel where they can communicate with you.

The millennial generation is known for being the most brand loyal customers of all time.  They are the largest generation in US history, and are next to dominate the market.  They are 62% more loyal to brands that directly engage with them on social media.  Since this generation of technology natives require communication with their brands, businesses must implement social media marketing to get the attention of their most influential customers.

3.  Increased Brand Awareness

"Implementing a social media strategy will greatly increase your brand recognition as you are engaging a broad audience."

Social Media is one of the most cost-efficient digital marketing methods used to produce content and increase your business’ visibility.  Implementing a social media strategy will greatly increase your brand recognition as you are engaging a broad audience.

All you need to do to get started is create social media profiles that match the personality of your business, and begin interacting with others.  Get your employees, business partners and sponsors to share, like, and comment on your page.  Engaging people and interacting with your audience with your content will increase brand awareness and begin building your reputation.  Each post that you share has the potential of reaching new customers, and the more people who know about your business, the better.

By investing only a few hours per week, over 91% Of marketers claimed that their social marketing efforts greatly increased their exposure.  There is no doubt that simply having a social media page will benefit your brand, and with regular use and content it can widen your audience considerably.

4.  Improved Search Engine Optimization

"Let’s face it, everyone uses Google to find information, and they won’t navigate past page 1 because their answer is normally on the first page of results."

Your business website being on the first page of a Google or other search engines’ results is of vital importance for your business or brand to be noticed.  Let’s face it, everyone uses Google to find information, and they won’t navigate past page 1 because their answer is normally on the first page of results.

While Social media doesn’t directly increase search engine rankings, Social Media Examiner states that more than 58% of marketers who have been using social media for one year or longer still see improved search engine rankings.

To give yourself the best chance of ranking better through social media, create high quality content that integrates your targeted keywords.  Putting together content such as blogs (like this one), infographics, case studies, business information and employee photos will make your business’s social media profile both interesting and credible.  This gives you the opportunity to get in front of industry influencers who will write about your business and provide links back to you which will help you directly increase search engine rankings.

5.  It’s Cost-Effective

"Using paid advertising on social media allows you to see your results so that you can better tune your campaigns into effective ones."

Social media marketing can be the most cost-efficient part of an advertising strategy.  Signing up with most social networking platforms is free, and paid promotions you decide to invest in are relatively low in comparison to other marketing tactics.  In turn, this allows your business to have a greater return on investment and retain a bigger budget for other marketing and business expenses.

Using paid advertising on social media allows you to see your results so that you can better tune your campaigns into effective ones.  They allow you to start small, and give you insight, such as how much engagement you are creating, how many people see your posts, and the best times to post your content.

Hit The Ground Running

It’s clear in this day and age that social media marketing has it’s advantages, so if your business or brand doesn’t already have the appropriate profiles, create them!  Fill out your business’ information and post some engaging content to gain followers.  Ask people who are involved in your business to “like” “share”, and “comment” to help build your profile. 

If it’s intimidating, it’s very inexpensive to have us (Socially Correct) to create your profiles and get you started with a little training.  We even offer monthly packages to keep your posts current, engaging, and branded.

With consistent updating, the right social media marketing strategy will lead to increased traffic, better SEO, higher conversion rates, improved brand loyalty, and much more.

There are almost no reasons not to implement social media into your marketing strategy.  It is so cost-effective, so there is hardly anything to lose.  Your competition is most likely already well on their way with social media, so don’t let them take away your customers.  The sooner you start, the sooner you will see results.

Check Out These Resources to Get You Started

The Do's and Don't's of Social Media

It seems like using social media for your business has unlimited possibilities, but the balance between creating a positive brand experience and annoying potential customers is a fine line to navigate.

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Here are some positive ways to engage with Social Media

The Do's

Know Your Customers.

Your social media pages should be tailored to suit the needs and interests of your customers, and not you.  Try to tap into posts that relate to them or give them reasons to visit your page often.  Use the rule of 80/20, which means, 80% content that is relative to what your customers want, and 20% or less of your posts to be used for promoting your goods, services, or your business.

Quality Over Quantity.

Many people feel like they need to have their brand in other's feeds as much as possible, but it is rarely the case.  When you try to post to often, you will find that people start to get annoyed with what you are posting and end up deleting you from their social media feed.  Keep posts relevant, use high quality, and engaging articles that represent your brand, but more importantly, reflect the needs and wants of your customers.  Spend more time creating quality posts, and less time searching for content to overload your feed.

Be Original.

Don't be afraid to show your personality in your posts.  Make yourself stand out from your competitors, by providing entertaining and unique posts that catch your customers attention.  

Time Matters.

Experiment with different posting times.  You will know your customers best and when they look at their social media feeds.  Keep track of what times work and don't work over time so that you can better target your audience.

Provide Great Service. 

Never before has customer service been more important.  You need to be a level above what people expect or you may here about it.  This is what scares people away from using social media as an effective tool.  Don't be afraid of it, use it to your advantage.  With social media you now have the tools to monitor what your customers are saying about you, and the tools to fix the problem.

Use Social Media That Is Relevant.

Don't think that because everyone is using one social media app that you need to as well.  Look for apps that you know your customers will make use of.  There is no use in creating content for something like Twitter if all your customers are using Instagram for example.  Before jumping into social media feet first, take the time to poll your customers and find out exactly what apps are the most relevant to them, and then tailor your social media strategy to your customer.

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Here are some not so positive ways to interact with social media.

The Don't's

Don't Like Your Own Posts.

Of course you like your own posts!  Why wouldn't you?  However most customers find this a cheap trick for you to get your ads out to their personal feed.  One thing that you should definitely do is encourage your staff to like and comment on your posts.  Another great way is to tag your staff or customers if there is opportunity with posts that contain photo's or videos.

Don't Be Neglectful. 

The biggest problem with a company getting into social media is that they start off with the best intentions, but within a short period of time, they start to neglect their pages.  Be very aware that it is not simply enough to have a Facebook, Twitter or other social media account, you need to maintain it regularly.

Don't Connect With Everyone.

Don't just follow everyone that follows you.  Think about each person you follow as a business client, and ask yourself if following them will in any way harm your business's reputation by association.

Don't Be Spammy.

Too often businesses re-use posts over and over again to try to promote their business, and who can blame them?  Re-posting is much easier than finding fresh and relative content.  This was the way we always advertised before.  On social media this is the number one way to lose followers.  People view their time on social media as private time where they get to choose what they want to engage in.  If you don't have new and interesting content they will get annoyed and leave.

Don't Ignore Those Comments.

At times you will get comments from customers.  The great thing about social media is that it allows you to connect with your customers in ways that were never possible till now.  Remember that when they take the time to leave a comment however, that they expect a follow up.  Deleting a negative comment is also not wise.  Acknowledge their concerns briefly, then direct them to dealing with the problem in person.  People will see that you care about the negative comment and are working to fix it.  Nobody is perfect, they just expect you to try.

Don't Use Automation

Stay away from automated responses.  Customers will be able to tell right away.  Be ready to deal with the customers the same way you would deal with them at your place of business.

For more information about managing your social media, please contact us through this website.  We would be more than happy to talk to you.