Stop using stock photos on your web sites!
Rich media gets people to stay longer
Now that folks are aware of stock media providers like
iStockPhoto et. al., companies that use stock images on their web pages should
beware. Those photos of nicely dressed
young and middle aged CEOs and corporate managers may take more away from your
image than they give.
How many times are we confronted with a pretty mid-30ish
woman in a gray business suit standing in front of a boardroom meeting, handing
papers off to a handsome guy in a pin striped suit, sitting down with the
Real people make the difference. How much effort does it take to either hire a
professional photographer (they, like all of us could really us some work!), or
whip out your own Canon or Nikon and take some real photos of the folks that
work in your company?
In my long experience, people like doing business with people, not stock photos.
It just makes your web site look old and unimaginative.
Better yet, get away from using too many still images. We are a population on the move and we don’t
want static. Think fluid. Think moving images that can be displayed as
slide shows, Flash media, or video messages.
You want and need people to spend time on your site, so
don’t make them stare at static images and text. They’ll get bored and click themselves the
heck out of there.
It doesn’t have to be complicated and it doesn’t have to be
expensive. Usually the retro-fit is not very complicated, and for the effort, you’ll
find folks spending more time at your site.
SEO and aligned methodologies may drive more people to your site, but keeping
them there is entirely your responsibility.
For more information, feel free to contact us, or visit our web site at www.flashback.tv.
Norm Strassner
Flashback Media Productions
303-545-9955
Flashback Media Productions is a woman-owned 8(a) SDB
