[Carpet Dawg]

Might want to put some branding on those pics as someone can easly nick them without paying like Dennis has shown... my 2 cents

tony

[Ian Gourlay]

Although I will use some , on the next shoot could you try for brighter images

Also need full room shoots

Lounge Bedroom typical customer family like that one you have on a sofa on your leaflets

Agree Offices

[Simon Gerrard]

Guy's,
I don't understand all this talk of 'stock pictures' for your websites.
Why not get a digital camera and take some pictures of your carpet cleaning company in action and have your website speak to your prospective customers about your company and what it can provide, instead of filling your website with meaningless images that mean nothing to either you or your customer. No disrespect intended to anyone using stock pictures - I just don't think it is the way to go.

Simon

[elliott cleaning]

Totally agree with you Simon.
On one thread I read about guys bitching that their  text has been used by someone else - yet on the other hand  they are keen to use stock picture (which technically are some elses).
Surely - if you're running your own show - do you're own thing & have confidence in what you are doing.    If you need to depend so heavily on others - then I guess it's best to be 'employed' by others

[derek west]

i'm the one bitching about my wording and ive never paid for stock photos. guess you were refering to me,

[Simon Gerrard]

Frans,

I've seen so many websites that use stock pictures, images that say zero about the company, it's ethos, what it does, where it does it, or how it does it and is therefore inert from a marketing perspective and is a giant 'turn off' to the prospective buyer. If your going to invest in a website why not get one that makes you stand out from the crowd and not bury you in the crowd. Marketing is about being different - just because everyone else does things a certain way doesn't mean you have to - quite the opposite, in fact.

Simon

[elliott cleaning]

Would I criticise you Derek!   You appear to have more 'umph' than 99% on here in terms of 'go getting'.     In fact I quite like you're posts    

[Mike Halliday]

the reason people use stock photos is they are usually taken by a professional so are of a  higher quality, to advice someone to just take their own photos  is like us telling customers to hire rug doctor, a professional will always do a better job whether its photography or carpet cleaning. Crappy, amateurish  photos or photos taken of suppliers websites (which are of a low resolution already)  will make your website look cheap and home made

i think photos on website (or most marketing) are used incorrectly. a picture should reinforce the text on the webpage but often they are just there to fill up space or make the page look  'pretty'

[Mike Halliday]

Simon what do these photos say about your company? they are  as you put it [meaningless images that mean nothing to either you or your customer][/i]

perhaps you should take your own advice

[Shaun_Ashmore]

IMO to get the right message across you have to tell a little story and set a picture in someones head, so as Mike suggests you fit the carefully worded text to the correct picture a little like a comic book, you see the picture and read the captions BUT that's providing todays customers read that way I think there's so much to read on the web that customers sometimes want a telephone number.

Shaun

[happy mondays]

This pic posted below and many other good quality photos are used by many successful carpet cleaning companys and franchises including Chem dry purchased from companys like istock, most are taken by professional photographers with cameras costing many thousands of £'s, simon, the pics on your very well presented website are ok for something like gallery pics, but as main pictures on a home page or a header, then imo no. Btw I have paid for full rights on this optimised pic  

[derek west]

 

nice modification paul

[happy mondays]

nice modification paul

  didnt want any1 pinchin it mate, cost me 2 credits I think, lol

[Shaun_Ashmore]

Too late

Shaun

[happy mondays]

Too late

Shaun

 

[Simon Gerrard]

Mike,

As usual we see things differently - nowt wrong with that though.

Simon

[Ian Gourlay]

I usually forget to take my camera.

Pity I did two chocolate Box Homes last week.

[Mike Halliday]

as with photos and most things we look at them with the knowledge of a carpet cleaner, we know exactly what the are meant to say. But a customer has no idea what relevance a particular photo has.

that's why all photos should have a title saying what the photo is and if you overlay the title onto the photo no one can then pinch it.

look at this picture, what does it say to a customer? not a lot but if you over lay this.....

'our stain-guard can protect against accidental spills, please ask for information'

then the photo serves a useful purpose

[gwrightson]

I have plenty of my own photos but felt i couldnt get exactly what i wanted put together from what i have so plumped for stock pics, yes they cost me but resolution far better and exactly what i wanted for my van signage.

[Joe H]

Looks a good combination Geoff.

and I think Mike has highlighted very well the need for a description of photos.