Getting traffic to your site is great. But we all know it is not your main goal. Instead, your primary goal is to make sales or to convert your visitors into buyers or subscribers. For that reason, it is ideal that you also focus on conversion the same way you focus on getting traffic.
Images can engage people. We can communicate with them in a clearer way. In fact, pictures are better than words. Hence, it is necessary that you carefully choose images to improve your conversion rate.
Readers or customers expect freshness each time they go back to your site. If you have an eCommerce site, it is vital that you provide personalized recommendations to your online shoppers as they are more likely to purchase from your site.
On the other hand, most shoppers will give out their personal information if they think they could benefit from it. That is why personalized ads convert way better than an ordinary advert.
But how can you use images to influence your relationship with your customers and convert them? Here are some real estate photography tips that you can use, regardless of what kind of website you have.
1. Increase Empathy
You may be happy with stock images. But it is a big mistake if you just put some random image choices. Remember that images can draw a lot of attention. Not using them correctly will mean wasting your primary real estate on your site.
In a study, researchers found that doctors empathy to their patients increased when they see a photo of patients attached to their medical reports. Doctors said that they feel a better connection with patients who had pictures on their medical records than those who do not.
Online marketers have a similar problem. You and your customers do not meet in person. Hence, how can you create a connection with them? You need to use images and utilize it wisely on your sales and service.
One way to connect with your customers is to put your photos along with your name on your About Us page, instead of just a huge list of names. By implementing images, you are forming a connection with your customers more easily.
On your sales page, do not just add crappy stock images that you can find online. Instead, add real images of the product. You may also add photos of your customer support representatives on your contact us page. On your testimonials page, you can ask your customers to submit their images. Any images that can relate well to your readers or buyers can boost your conversion rate.
2. Use Images of Women, Babies and Beautiful People
Although it is true that you need to add images to your website to increase empathy and boost conversion, you cannot just use any images. Women, babies and beautiful people can attract more readers. They always work in many cases.
It is especially true if you are using cute babies. They always sell. Humans are wired to react to a beautiful face of a baby. In this study, it showed that babies encourage a high level of activity in our brain, that’s why we react emotionally. Unfortunately, adult photos do not have an impact in this area of our brain.
But, just because babies can have that influence in our brain, does not mean you use baby photos on your sales page.
Apart from using baby photos when necessary, you can also choose photos of women to help sell your products to men or women. Between a picture of a beautiful woman and an image of a man in a mailing packet, the former has a higher response rate than the latter.
Furthermore, the use of images with attractive people can boost conversion rate. The reason for this is that these people are considered to be more intelligent, successful and charismatic. But not all people share the same perception because, for them, attractive people lack intelligence. For instance, when you look at the late Steve Jobs, you can say that he is charismatic and successful, but he is not good looking.
But all of us succumb to allow attractiveness to affect our judgment of a person through the halo effect. Studies after studies showed that attractive people are often considered as more charismatic, intelligent and successful. In fact, with their attractiveness, they are given shorter prison sentences than those who are not so attractive.
That is why models are extremely good looking because their main role is to entice you to purchase the product they are selling.
So, should you use those photos of models on your sales page? Not really. The main goal here is to use photo quality that creates attraction.
And when you state facts, you need to show related photos to increase the likelihood of the facts to be accepted as true. It is one of the reasons publishers on Kindle use realistic book mockups to make them look legitimate in the eyes of their readers.
3. Add More Detailed Images
In addition to using baby photos, and images of beautiful people and attractive women, you also need to provide your visitors with more photos that showcase your brand more clearly. Opt for shots that show different views and close-ups of your product, for example. The more photos you provide to your customers, the more likely they are going to convert.
4. Use Trust Badges
Online fraud is rising. For that reason, it is vital to ensure that your customers feel safe and secure when they shop at your site. When someone trusts in your brand, he is more likely to buy from you.
You can put a trust badge on your checkout page to increase conversions. Your site’s trustworthiness rises if your site has a trust logo. Most customers will not compete for their purchase if they do not see a trust logo on the checkout page.
However, images may slow down your website. Hence, before you upload some photos, make sure to optimize them first. Opt to use a lossless image optimization tool to leave the image look the same even though its file size has been reduced.
