Month: October 2017

Summary

In this age of running a home service business, photos are everything. With so many businesses to choose from online, people feel reassured when they see photos from your business that prove that you do brilliant work.  In this lesson, we’ll go through the different photos that are crucial to gaining momentum in your business and winning more work. 
You’ll be pleased to hear that there is no need for a professional photographer. We’ll show you how to take these with just your smartphone.
The photos you take are going to be used again and again as we start working through the next module, “Marketing Basics”.

7 Photos you Need to Take for Your Business.

1. A picture of you.

Not everyone likes having their photo taken, but when people see a photo of a person it helps them bring the business to life.  It’s even been proven that a picture of yourself near the contact form on your website will encourage more people to get in touch with you. 
cleaning-business-photos-2
What we want is something not too serious nor too informal: make sure you appear approachable, yet professional and reliable.
To take this photo, we suggest using the portrait mode on your phone’s camera. Stand with the natural light shining on you, rather than behind you. It makes a massive difference! Take a look:cleaning-business-photos-1

It’s as simple as that. Aim for a headshot, rather than full-body, and remember to smile! Now you have a nice professional photo to use for profile pictures, in your email signature and on your website.

2. A picture of your van

This one emphasises your professionalism. Get someone to take a picture of you with your van, again with the natural light on you. The weather makes a big difference to the feeling of the photo; try to take it when there is a blue (-ish!) sky.

3. A local picture

People love engaging a local business to help them out. Show them that you and your company belong to your local area by taking a photo of a member of staff or your company’s van in front of a well-known attraction in your city. This can help you compete with bigger, impersonal franchises in your area.

4. A Before and After Picture

A great way to convince potential customers that they should choose you is by taking before and after pictures. This helps customers visualise what you can do for them, and proves you have the ability to do it. If you want to take this a step further and add your logo, go to our tutorial here.

5. An action shot.

To boost your credibility, get a photo of you or your staff “in action”. It could show any part of your working routine, but one that shows you right in the middle of a job works well. Showing customers an insight into your daily routine highlights that this is your area of expertise.

6. A picture of a baby or a pet

This is effective in two different ways: First of all, if someone was looking for carpet cleaning because they have children, seeing a photo of a child on your website will make them feel directly spoken to. 
Secondly, most people have children or pets and have a basic desire to protect them, so seeing a cute baby or a pet on your website has a psychological effect on people’s minds. Subconsciously, they start to connect their most important needs to your services, e.g. cleaning to improve the health of their loved ones. The service you offer becomes “necessary” to protect their family.

7. Pictures that reflect your services

Do you offer a range of services? Make it easy for people to see exactly what you can do by using pictures of your fields of work. These will illustrate your description and customers will know immediately how you can help them.

Once you’ve taken all of these, you’re ready to move on to the ‘Marketing Basics’ module. Let’s win you more customers!

 


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