They say a picture speaks a thousand words and this couldn’t be truer for cafes and restaurants. While helping with marketing your venue, great food photography can help you to stand out from the competition and lure in potential customers. There’s no denying that you’ve been tempted by some of the mouth-watering food shots that saturate Instagram feeds. And now even science has proven it! Researchers have found that “the mere sight of delicious food stimulates the appetite” (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, 2012), therefore having a solid collection of professional photos to complement your venue is a necessity if you want to succeed in a highly competitive market.
In an age where social media marketing is taking hospitality businesses to new heights, simply asking your staff member to snap a shot of the daily special on their iPhone simply won’t suffice! Investing the help of an experienced professional food photographer is one of the most valuable investments you can make for your business. Below we will discuss the top reasons why food photography is key to getting ahead.
CPM Client: Basket Brothers in Surry Hills invested the help of CPM to overhaul their online presence.
It’s the name of the game
Food is your primary product, so obviously, the way it is presented to your audience will have an impact on their decision to dine in your venue. Imagine you were researching two neighbouring restaurants to eat at. You open up Instagram to compare the two. One venue has a collection of poorly shot, blurry and dull photos making their food appear unappetising. The other restaurant has beautiful photos. They are bright and inviting and you are salivating over what you are going to order. In a situation like this, there is simply no contest. The venue that has invested in food photography wins every single time.
CPM Client: Social Hideout, Waterloo
It enhances your reputation and perceived quality
Seeing sloppy, dull pictures of a venue’s food offering gives off the impression that owners just don’t care. If they haven’t taken the time to capture a sophisticated image that looks fantastic, why would they care about the food they are serving you. Bad imagery can turn away potential customers and also diminish the credibility of your brand. High-quality images enhance your appeal, offering and your brand name.
Humans are visual creatures
You wouldn’t buy a shirt online based on a description, so why would it be any different for food. Research has shown that we are actually 90% visual beings and are more likely to remember pictures as opposed to text. Pictures speak where words don’t have to and so if you don’t have great photos to complement your offering, chances are your audience is not engaged. High-quality images will capture the attention of your audience and showcase your venue in its best light.
CPM Client: Punjabi Fusion, Millers Point
High-quality images can command the attention of customers and keep it
If you only have one chance to appeal to your potential audience, getting it right the first time is crucial. If you fail to capture your audience’s attention, you’ve instantly lost them. When a potential customer is browsing your online channel, you want them to be drawn in. If the image they see appeals to them, they will be more likely to stay on your page and browse more of your content and may even be persuaded to visit your venue.
CPM Client: XS Espresso, Bondi
The initial cost is offset by the benefits
You may think that hiring a professional photographer can be costly. However, paying for this service will allow you to accrue benefits to your business. You will be able to use the imagery across your website, Instagram, Facebook, Online ads, your menu and all marketing collateral so you are actually getting some serious mileage out of your photo collection, giving you a decent bang for your buck.
Are you proud of your venue’s online reputation? Investing a little in a professional food photographer has the ability to pay off in a big way. If you’re looking for help with your food photography, or are interested in enhancing your online reputation, contact info@cpmonlinemarketing.com today to see how we can help you.
Great photography is just the beginning and the basis for the start of a great marketing campaign for your cafe or restaurant. To read about all the other aspects you need to pay attention to read our blog here:
CPM Client: Song Kitchen, Surry Hills