8 Ways to Make Your Ads More Interesting With Stock Photography

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8 Ways to Make Your Ads More Interesting
With Stock Photography
When an advertisement is created and posted on
the internet, it's customary to use stock images.
One way to make your ads more interesting is by
using an appealing image to attract attention.
And I know what you're thinking stock images
are just used by companies because they have no
money and can't afford their own photographer
but that's not true! There are actually eight
ways for you to b u y s t o c k i m a g e s for
your advertisements without going broke. Some of
us need more time or the ability to keep an
extensive collection of professional photos for
our business ads. Many of the people reading this
post are digital marketers and business owners
who want to be able to run their ads without
spending a lot of time in a photo studio.
Although photography is a creative and enjoyable
process, it can also cost time and money. People
who need more time or inclination to use a fancy
DSLR are not alone. Stock photography is an
excellent option for busy people. It doesn't
matter if you want to add a photo to your
Facebook ad or Google Display you need a visual
element that appeals directly to your target
audience. Stock photography is a valuable tool
for modern marketers. First,... What is stock
photography? Stock photography is a collection
of photos available for public use under various
licenses. Stock photography is more popular than
Instagram or Google Ads. It was actually in the
1920s that H. Armstrong Roberts created stock
photography to save publishers money on
professional photographers for their advertising
needs. The number of photos taken has increased
exponentially since 2000. This is in addition to
digital cameras and mobile phones (remember when
that was a distinction?). They are easier to
access and have improved. This has led to an
increase in stock images. Many stock photos won't
make you feel guilty. Let's move on to the
history lesson. Many people are now familiar with
stock photography.
Some can even spot a stock image when they
appear. You might think that all stock photos are
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• clichéd and cheesy. We've all seen enough stock
  images of salespeople wearing suits and headsets.
• However, if you use stock photography well, it
  can be highly effective and make great ads. Let's
  look at ways to ensure stock photography doesn't
  hurt your marketing efforts.
• Avoid being sued
• Don't laugh. I'm serious. Stock photography is
  not immune to this. This is why it is essential
  to follow the rules concerning stock photography.
  Let's not let lawsuits ruin your business. They
• are expensive and time-consuming frankly, there
  are better ways to get attention. These are the
  three types of stock photography you should be
  familiar with
• Royalty-Free Photos This is the following most
  commonly used license that you will see when
  looking around. This allows you to pay once, and
  the license will be re-purchased. You must
• understand and read the fine print, including the
  attribution requirements.
• Right Managed Common stock photography licenses
  allow one-time use of the stock photo specified
  in the license. There are better ways to use
  stock photos in advertisements. You will need
  another license to use the photo in a second
  advertisement or on a different platform. The
  best thing about RM is that it allows you to
  purchase exclusive rights to a stock photo. This
  will prevent embarrassing moments with a
  competitor.
• Find stock photos that don't look like stock
  photos
• We've seen thousands upon thousands of images
  with similar looks, so it's not a joke. These
  stock photos are not a good choice for marketers.
  Instead of adding a visual element to their
• ads, they add an element of cheesiness to the ad.
  According to MDG Advertising, 67 of online
  shoppers consider high-quality photos "very
  important" in their purchasing decision.
• Anna Johansson, business.com, says that stock
  photos are easily identifiable and overused.
  Consider Jennifer Anderson, the internet's
  "Everywhere Girl." Her face was painted by many
  of the world's largest brands, such as Microsoft,
  Greyhound Bus Lines, and Hewlett-Packard.
• I believe wow when I see advertisements with
  easily identifiable stock photos. That marketer
  was being lazy. When choosing to buy stock images
  to use in your online ads, your goal should not
  be to select a photograph that communicates the
  tone and message of your campaign.
• Think about how effectively a photo can entice
  users to click on your ads and follow your
  marketing funnel. These critical questions will
  help you choose the best visuals for your ad.
• 3. Save money for stock photo ads
• Although you might decide to search for stock
  images in the public domain, it is still
  essential that you have a budget for stock
  photography ads. There will be occasions when
  buying the

budget when buying stock images for your ads.
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4. Select an image that is relevant to your
message. Irrelevant ads have been seen many
times. Suppose you scroll through Instagram and
see an adorable photo of a puppy wearing
sunglasses. You might initially think this is an
advertisement for a shelter for animals or
sunglasses. You then look at the caption to
realize it's an advertisement for finance
software. Huh, strange... Your audience should be
aware of your ads. It will increase their chances
of losing trust in your company and abandoning
ship before they engage with your ad. Harpoon
Brewery avoids irrelevancy and does a great job.
Although they use cute dogs in their ads, they
never forget to stay true to their brand by
including their product in the shot. See the
example below. It would be misleading if the
Facebook ad featured just the dog. But, because
their beer is also featured, it powerfully uses
imagery. Although you cannot add your products to
stock photographs, you can select relevant images
for your brand and advertising goals. You can
ensure that your ads are relevant by focusing on
the message you want to convey. What is your
ultimate goal? How can you communicate your end
goal with as few words as possible?

• To grab attention, use emotional and human photos
• How do you know if your stock image is authentic
  enough to provoke human curiosity? Your intuition
  will guide you! Use your intuition!
• Photo
• This Facebook ad is an excellent example of how
  actual human emotions can make ads more
• engaging to their audience. This ad shows two
  friends having fun together. I don't see them
  looking bored in their clothes, but I do see the
  models. These positive feelings will encourage me
  to interact more with the advertisement and to
  visit the website to find out where the models
  purchased their adorable clothes.
• Stock photos will capture your audience. Humans
  relate to each other, so it is essential to use
  them. Choose images that are human-like and
  convey the message you want to communicate.
• Be simple

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• You might be tempted to pick super-busy images in
  various bright colors when choosing
• to stock images for your ads. Although some
  situations require more detailed photos, it is
  best to keep your images simple, clear, and
  concise. It is essential to convey a clear
  message to your audience. Pushing them into chaos
  will be less effective.
• Consider how you want your audience to feel when
  they see the stock photos. Excitement? Joy? Fear?
  Fear?
• You don't have to change the image to make it
  more relevant
• Stock images can be personalized to reflect your
  brand and make them more relevant to your
  marketing campaigns. A simple crop or adding text
  to a photo can make it more relevant to your ads.
  Remember, you must legally check the licensing to
  modify stock photos (see tip number one). That's
  the licensing that applies to that specific
  image.
• Test your ads with A/B
• Your image collection will grow exponentially if
  you become an expert in stock photography. There
  are millions upon millions of stock photos online
  to stock images. Once you have mastered selecting
  the right images for your ads, feel free to get
  greedy. This means you can use more than one
  image per advertisement. You will be more
  successful if your ad campaign has multiple
  versions with different images.
• A/B testing is a method that allows you to
  simultaneously run two ads to the same audience
  but switch out 50/50 to see which one resonates
  best. Both ads should be identical in terms of
  CTAs and copy, but I recommend that you use a
  different stock photo. You can be confident
• that the different image is responsible for the
  differences in reaction.
• You can test your ads to find the images that
  resonate with your audience. This will allow you
  to make more conversion-worthy choices when
  buying stock images for future campaigns.
• Stock images don't have to be scary. These tips
  will help you make your ads more engaging and
  valuable.