In the
world of online marketing, presentation is everything.
Why would
you devote hours and hours to lovingly perfecting your handmade items only to
let yourself down by thinking that the photography and presentation is not that important.
Did you
know that how you present your items will ultimately determine how much interest you are likely get from potential buyers.
Here's a little test I would like to try with you. Below there are three pictures. Each one is of one of my handmade items that I would love to sell. I have finally gained the courage and I am going to use the Handmade Markets online Auctions and Markets to gain much needed exposure and promotion for my handmade business.
Now comes the interesting part. I want you to take a step backwards and put yourself in
the place of a buyer and not a seller. Out of the three pictures,
which one would you be most likely to place a bid on? Remember you are looking at these pictures as a potential buyer.
Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Well I
certainly know which one looks the most attractive to me. I am automatically drawn to the one that is bright,
clear, and tells me who the business is that has made the product. I just can’t help but believe that the seller is proud of what they do.
Picture 1 shows a picture that is dark and uninteresting. Photographs that are dark and blurry usually don't attract
bidding activity and generally results in a "no sale".
Picture 2 has been cropped and had the colour tone altered but it is washed out and not a true reflection of the actual item colour. Buyers like to see that you have pride in your
handmade items and are willing to take the time to "show them off"
and make them attractive enough for them to want to purchase.
Picture 3 is perfect. When taking your photographs
use as much natural lighting as possible. Take several shots
of your items both up close and further away.
Don’t rely on just one picture. Use
a photo editor to make them look as professional as possible. Take the
time to crop out unwanted backgrounds and perhaps adjust the contrast. Most
importantly, always make sure you don’t change the image so much that it no
longer looks like the actual item. Do a collage if you can with various views of
your product and also include your Business Logo.
More and
more people are now using mobile devices to interact. One of the greatest advantages of using these devices is the wide number of both
free and paid picture editing applications that are available. There really is no excuse any more that you "can’t take a good picture" of your items.
So next
time you decide to sell an item online, ask yourself - has it been photographed clearly and does it look attractive
to your potential buyers?
Practice, practice and even more practice. This is the only way to experiment and work
out what works best for you and your products.
Try it out and see if your sales improve.
