Every business has a story to tell. A story of why and how they started. Who works there. How they're able to solve customers problems. What they're doing that day. Success stories. The possibilities are endless.
A good marketer is a good story teller. The better your photos, the better your stories. The better your stories, the more people out there connect and engage with your business.

Here are 5 Simple ways you can use photos to improve your business through stories:     ​

• 1. Keep the story in mind. Whenever you're shooting stuff for your business, always have the question "What story am I trying to tell?" in the back of your mind. This will help keep you focused and make you look for specific shots that will convey that particular story. If you're not focusing on the story you'll end up shooting a         mish-mash set of photos that don't really say too much.

• 2. Show different stories. There are many different aspects to every business. Management, admin, production, manufacturing, delivery and distribution, installations, repairs and maintenance, collections, IT, design, marketing and advertising, community work, outreach programs, building....and the list goes on.                                                                                   Each one of these things is a great opportunity for you to tell a story about your business. Concentrate on one aspect at a time instead of trying to show everything at once. Doing this also gives you the opportunity to tell your story over a period of days, weeks or months, using a handful, or three, of quality content pieces. Do everything in one go and you've got nothing more to say after that. You'll end up repeating yourself over and over, making you sound repetitive and boring.   

Show people the details that can't be seen from a distance.

• 3. Get up close. Just finished making an amazing cupboard for a customer? Great, show people what it looks like up close. Show them the hinges and handles. Show them how well it's been finished off. Just finished installing a security gate? Great, show us how you've attached it to the wall without damaging the walls paint job. Just finished some really cool wedding guest presents? Great, show them up close. Show people the beautiful bow you added and and how you tied it. Whatever work you're wanting to show your potential customers, show them up close so they really see the effort, time and precision that's gone into it.

•  4. Before, during and after. It's a great way to create a short visual essay about a particular project you've worked on. Take your customers on a quick journey through time, showing them your starting point, the process you went through to complete the project and the finished product itself. Ever watched the show "How's it Made"? They do the same thing, only in video format. People love it! It's content that's interesting, entertaining and informative. It takes a bit of time and planning but it's worth it.

Having an office party? Let your customers in on the fun.

•  5. Connect on a personal level. Give your customers the opportunity to connect with your business on a personal and emotional level. Show the human side of your organisation. Use your photos to show them what goes on behind the scenes, the day-to-day stuff. Is it someone's birthday? Show people how you celebrate. Got some team building exercises going on or an office party happening? Let them in on the fun. Giving customers a sneak peak behind the proverbial curtain gives them a good idea of the personality and culture of your organisation. It gives them a sense of the type of people they would be working with if they used your services and introduces them to your valued staff members at the same time.

A post with albums or photos gets 120-180% more engagement from fans than text based posts! Our brains process photos 60 000 times faster than text. Within a second or two viewers will decide whether they want to see more or not, so use images that are colourful, well balanced and interesting. Put some thought into the story you want to tell and then tell a great one.

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