In an era where everyone is an amateur photographer armed with a cheap point-and-shoot camera, a smartphone, a tablet, or a laptop webcam, the importance of good photography isn’t usually at the top of the list of things to consider when posting on social media, updating the website, or sharing other marketing materials.

That’s not to say that you can’t take nice snapshots with these devices. They take okay photographs for their intended purpose. However, they don’t equate to good quality, professional photography – and that can make or break your marketing campaign.

It doesn’t matter how great your brand, how perfect your content, or how professional your product or service if it isn’t represented that way through good photography. You want your business to stand out above the others and you just can’t do that with blurry, cluttered-looking images. The internet is full of on-the-go quick snapshots taken from camera phones.

Understanding the importance of good photography is essential for branding your business and that starts with ditching the boring stock photos and cluttered selfies. Your business needs, and deserves, more than a selfie snapshot, and that’s where professional photography comes in. Here are 12 things to think about for your brand photography:

1. Use professional photos to visually represent your business.
2. Make a statement about your company, product, or service.
3. Clear and crisp images focus on the statement you’re trying to make.
4. Use uncluttered and dynamic images with vibrant color and contrast.
5. Accurately tell a story and make an impact.
6. Personal, intimate images of the businesses inner workings make a bigger impact than stock photography.
7. Plan ahead and use moments from the everyday workings of your business as photo opportunities.
8. Combine a mixture of staged photo shoots and natural photo moments.
9. Show your product and services positively in the real world and in real life scenarios.
10. Think of good photography as artwork rather than random snapshots.
11. Treat all marketing efforts with equal professionalism, even unplanned social media posts.
12. Hire a professional photographer to help you create dynamic photos.

Whether you’re just starting out branding yourself or you have a set marketing strategy, don’t overlook the importance of good photography. It just might mean the difference between potential new customers or clients providing you free word-of-mouth advertising and ignoring your brand completely.

Using high-quality photos to represent your business on social media, in printed advertisements, on your website, and in other marketing materials tells potential customers and clients your business is professional and cares about quality. Your images are the first impression visitors have about your business when they visit your website, flip through your brochure, and scan your social media posts – make a good first impression with good photography.