- There's not many things I'd say
are make or break when it comes to growing
a successful handmade shop
but your product photos are definitely one of those.
When you create photos of your products,
you are essentially creating the hook
that gets people to click and visit your listing.
Even if you have amazing SEO that drives people
to your website or shop, if your photos
don't invite those shoppers to take the next step,
they won't click through to your product listings,
which means essentially that without good photos,
all of the marketing efforts, SEO and traffic strategies
that you're using are not going to pay off.
So how do you know if your photos need to be updated?
Today we're going to find that, ready, let's dive in.
(upbeat music)
Bonjour, my name is Deb and I'm the founder
of Tizzit Deco, a membership community for makers
and Handmade shop owners, just like your fabulous self.
You can learn more about our community Tizzit HQ
via the link below this field,
but for now let's jump straight into today's conversation.
Four signs your product photos need a refresh.
There are many reasons why the photos you have
for your product listings are so important.
We've already talked about the most important reason,
that they are the first step of getting people to click.
When people are shopping and have a page
full of thumbnail photos to choose between,
your photo has to sell them, they aren't in your listing,
so they can't see the details you have there.
It's all up to your photo to convince them to click through.
Your photos also help you sell at higher prices
because they help you boost the perceived value
of your products.
If your photo is high quality and the setting conveys value,
you're able to charge a higher price.
That said, even if you've been taking fabulous
and professional looking photos, it's important to remember
that what was a top-notch photo five years ago
may not work as well now.
The way we use and see pictures evolve over the years
and you need to stay on top of the latest trends
and keep your listings current.
What that means is you may want to take new photos
for your listings from time to time to make sure
that still look current
because you want your pictures to look good
next to all of the competition photos.
Your competitors are either improving or they are new
and on top of the latest trends
and following the newest standard of photography,
so it's important that you level up too to make sure
that your shop or your products don't look dated.
So how do you evaluate your photo to decide
if they need a little refresh, let's go through
the four signs that tell you it's time
to take new product photos.
The first sign is you took them a little while ago
and I know that first you're going to be like, well,
that's kind of obvious, Deb, but it's not as cut and dry
as you might think.
You might have some old pictures that are still really good
but you also have have some that maybe aren't the quality
of photo you would have if you were to retake them today.
This may be because you've improved a tonne
since you took those photos,
maybe you've launched a lot of products since then
and you're getting more experience in photography.
You also might have better gear, better lighting
or an improved backdrop or background for your pictures
and because of these reasons, there may be some older photos
in your shop that don't look quite as good
as the new ones that you took more recently.
They might stick out or look a little old
and they're not getting the clicks that they used to
because your new items look more current.
Now you may even have noticed
that one of your products used to sell really well
but now it's just not getting as many clicks.
Of course, that can happen for many reasons.
But if your photos look a little bit more dated
compared to your newer products or compared to
what your competition is now doing,
you definitely need to go and redo those older shots.
Before you redo your photos,
it it's important to take a look at
what kinds of photos are standard in your niche.
Notice what people in your niche are doing
with their photos, because you want to level up
to the current standards and trends.
The next reason you might need to take new product photos
is if you only or mostly use white backgrounds
on your photos.
White backgrounds used to be a lot more accepted
on platforms like Etsy and in e-commerce in general,
in fact, years and years ago
when I started creating videos for you guys,
I think I even made a tutorial about how to remove
the background on your photo to create a white background,
or something like that.
But those times are definitely gone.
This is not where you should be focusing
your energy anymore.
So if you are using musclely white backgrounds,
your photos definitely need a refresh.
Now, there may be some cases where white background
will be necessary for things like holiday gift catalogues
and PR opportunities, for example, but in your online store,
they're absolutely not a necessity.
So there's no need for a pure white background.
It really screams eBay or Amazon, which is not the vibe
that you want when you're selling handmade.
It's also hard to get white background photos,
right from a practical and technical standpoint.
I'm sure many of you have tried and struggled with it.
It can be a nightmare to try and take a photo
with the perfect white background that doesn't like change
the colours of your product, looks grey.
It's perfectly white with no shadows.
You know, it's not that easy.
It also doesn't convey emotions, which is a big factor
in getting people to click on your photo.
All these reasons are why you definitely need
to redo some pictures,
if your listings are mostly white background.
One option to consider is using a plain colour background
to match your brand instead.
So if your brand has a joyful vibe,
you could have a pink or yellow background
and if your brand has calm or earthy vibe,
you can use greens, blues, or browns
or your actual brand colours directly.
If they work well with your products
and offer enough contrast between the background
and the product or you can ditch
the plain background altogether
and use a lifestyle background or props instead,
which brings me to my next point,
you don't use lifestyle props or models.
A lot of the movement from white images to lifestyle photos
is because people got used to seeing lifestyle photos,
or photos with props or models on Instagram.
Instagram taught us to think magazine much more
than ever before in the sense that we sell a lifestyle,
not a product, all of the curated images
that we are seeing on Instagram are what we are now seeing
in e-commerce and product listings
and so you need to be doing that too.
If you're selling me a mug, you want to put coffee in it
and a little croissant next to it to sell me
on the actual feeling that I'm going to get
when I drink my coffee and I eat my croissant.
Think how many more clicks that will get
versus a photo of just a plain mug.
So if you're not using props, models or lifestyle shots,
it's definitely time to add those images into your listings.
Another thing that has changed is how models
are used to showcase products.
Years ago, it was common to see products
like jewellery photographed on plastic
or like those black velvet bust
and it was okay because it was everyone was doing it
but now most people using real people,
taking photos of the jewellery on actual necks or hands
and so it's really important
that you level up to that as well,
or your competition will always be clicked on before you.
The final reason your photos may need a refresh
is that you don't use graphics.
If you don't have some photos that are graphics,
or they're incorporating graphics into the photos,
it's a big red flag that there is a lot
that your photos are not communicating
to potential customers, which is sure to cost you sales.
Graphics can be something you create like in Canva
and then upload to your product images.
Or they can be a photo with text, arrows, et cetera
mixed in to help explain the product features or processes.
Both are a great way to communicate important information
that is in the product description because the fact is that
many people don't read the product description.
It can also simplify the ordering process
and clear up confusion about product options,
which make customers feel confident
about what they're going to get and how to order it.
So if you're not using graphics,
there are definitely things that you're not saying
with your pictures, that you need to be saying
with your pictures and I have a video
about the two things that make for great Etsy photos
with fantastic examples of how to use graphics
in your product listings that is showing
on the screen right now.
So be sure to click on it and go watch it to learn
all about using graphics and make sure that your Etsy photos
and graphic images are actually getting you sales.
Thanks for watching, make sure to check the links below
and until next time, au revoir.