Your business visuals are important to help convey your message but sometimes we have to ask the question, is original or stock best? Truthfully, both have their place and depending on the business one may even be better than the other.
As part of an annual survey into content marketing and design best practices, Venngage asked participants which kinds of visuals they were most likely to use in content. Original graphics, like illustrations, branded pictures and infographics took the top spot with 32.5% of the votes. Stock photos still followed closely behind, however, at 29.5%. *Info borrowed from here
The study also found that original or custom graphics and photos helped them reach their goals whereas stock fell a bit short. This isn’t surprising as a picture really is worth 1000 words and it can make you fall in love with a brand.
Stock images (graphic or photo) are useful for certain business types where the goal is to achieve more of a feeling or mood. Sometimes these businesses don’t have anything they can photograph so a photoshoot isn’t really possible. I personally find nature scenes great to mix in but tend to customize any graphics or illustrations.
In the case of a service-based business where real people work with you or a product-based business where the product must be shown custom imagery is a must. Photos should be original to truly capture the brand story and having graphics that tie in cohesively will go a long way. A great example is all the images shared in my posts are branded originally so as you get to know me you associate the brand style with me.
To sum it all up, original visuals will always benefit your brand most so it’s worth looking at how to build up your library. There are some great photographers and graphic designers who can help you to level up your original visual assets regardless of your company size or budget so don’t hesitate to start asking.