How to Choose the Best Car Stock Photos

Your marketing is the face of your company, and it’s important to use every element to support your brand’s image and aesthetic. When it comes to creating a striking, eye-catching website or ad campaign, images are everything. 

Keep these tips in mind to choose the best car stock photos to represent your dealership.

Quality is Everything

There is no excuse to use grainy, low-resolution images to market your car dealership. Whether you use your own photos or stock image photography, the higher the image quality and resolution – the more impressive your page will be.

This also sets that stage for how you want people to perceive your brand. Using high-quality media will give off an elevated, high-touch tone when anyone interacts with your business online.

Purchasing high-quality stock images will immediately elevate the atmosphere of your dealership.

Stick with Realistic Poses

We’ve all seen the same basic stock photos circulating around the internet. Cheesy, straight-on smiles and rigid posing should be left in 1998 where they belong. 

If you’re using images that feature a human element, choose photos that seem genuine and candid. The more realistic the better. You almost want customers to believe that those people are happy customers, or helpful members of your staff. 

Everything from the type of car to what the models are doing in the photo can speak volumes about your brand’s image. When your webpage or social media feed is complete, it should give off the exact look and feel of your brand strategy.

Utilize SEO

Did you know that the images you use can impact your website’s search ranking? Using the right photos and videos can increase your brand’s visibility online, bringing more visitors to your main page.

Earning visibility in the image carousel or in the Answer Snippets can give you Position 0 rankings – above organic results – and generate a large volume of visitors from Google.

Be sure to incorporate keyword-rich descriptions, file names, and alt-text to maximize each image’s SEO potential. 

The more complete each image is formatted on your website, the more traction it will gain in search engines over time.

Think Outside the Box

Your images don’t have to be exact representations of the accompanying text on the page. It’s okay, and often preferable, to use images that are more loosely related to the primary subject matter. 

For example, a blog post about German sports cars might go with a main photo of an open, winding road and beautiful background scenery. This helps your content stand out from your competitors, and increases the creative value of the information you’re presenting to your audience.

Use Comedy to Engage Your Audience

Humor goes a long way in a world where you have less than 3 seconds to retain someone’s attention. If you make your reader’s laugh, you’ll have a much easier time getting them to stick around. 

Funny images bring a light-hearted tone to virtually any topic, and can be a great marketing tool in an otherwise sharp and commercial industry. 

Using comedy increases the chances that your content will be shared, making this tactic ideal for social media marketing. 

…But Don’t Take Humor Too Far

Being funny is a great way to grab the attention of a potential customer, but be aware that humor is incredibly subjective. It’s easier than you might think to cross the wrong lines and turn a hopeful would-be buyer into a lost customer.

When in doubt, go with your gut. If you’re questioning whether or not a joke, image, or meme is appropriate – it probably is not. 

Timeliness Counts

The last thing you want to do is post a photo that is outdated, offensive, or tone deaf in an ongoing situation. When it comes to sourcing the best images for your dealership’s marketing materials, you should keep an eye on what’s going on in the news and current events. 

This can also be beneficial, as more people will be inclined to read or view relevant or trending content. Use memes to your advantage, as long as they’re still going around. And, whatever you do, know when it’s time to put a specific trend to rest. 

Even basic stock photos can become offensive if they’re used in the wrong context, or at the wrong time.

Use Color as a Focal Point

One of the most important things to consider when sourcing images is your color palette. Using specific hues, especially in regard to your own branding, can immediately influence someone’s perception of your enterprise. 

This is also important because certain colors evoke certain emotions, which can positively or negatively impact your strategy. Blue, for example, promotes feelings of security and tranquility whereas yellow is proven to have an energetic connotation.

The coloring of the images you select will create the overall look of your branding strategy.

Be Sure You’re Allowed to Use the Image

Images are all over Google, but that doesn’t mean you can add any photo or video you found on Twitter to your own marketing materials. 

Be sure that the images you choose are free use, or you’re able to purchase the right to use through the media’s licensing agreement. 

Purchasing high-quality stock images is one of the safest ways to ensure that the images you’re using are free from copyright or licensing restrictions.

Imagery is one of the most critical – and effective – ways to get your brand’s mission across to your consumer audience. Whether you’re trying to attract a certain clientele to your car lot or you want to revamp the look and feel of your business, great photos go a long way. Choosing the best car stock photos is one of the simplest ways to give your brand a boost in 2020.