Can we all agree that using pictures that have a watermark on them is tacky?
I’ve got a pet peeve and I need to get it off my chest today. If I’m being honest, I have a shit ton of pet peeves but for some reason I gotta share this one. When I am scrolling on social media OR [even worse] I see a printed flyer and the picture used has a watermark on it I cringe a little. To be clear, I’m not talking about seeing a professional photographers logo on the picture. I’m talking about the grayed out X or camera image through the whole picture.
I’m a little nervous even bringing it up because the businesses I see using it are actually trying to create content and I have to give big kudos for that! But here’s the problem. That photo is trademarked or watermarked for a reason. Someone took that photo or created that image and wants compensated for their work. So, number one, if you are using that image, you are using it without paying for it. Number two, it just looks tacky. Amiright?
If you are guilty of using watermarked images for your marketing don’t fret. We all make mistakes. We live and we learn. Now let’s fix the problem. I have some resources and tips that you can use right away to ensure all of your photos look professional.
Surprisingly enough there are several different places you can obtain beautiful images that are free or damn near close to free. My current favorite place to get free photos is www.pexels.com. You can simply type in some key words and a plethora of options will appear. You most certainly can choose to contribute to the photographer but it is not required.
Aside from free photography sites I wanted to share two more tips that you can use right now to up your marketing content game.
- Hire a professional photographer. Seriously. If you find yourself struggling with creating content for your business because you just can’t seem to find a nice photo, hire a professional. I’ll share more about this in a future post but hiring someone for an hour or two can produce enough content for six months if you do it correctly.
- Canva Pro. If you aren’t familiar, Canva is a bad ass online program that allows you to create fantastic content for your business. They have a pretty robust free option but their paid version offers a ton of very beautiful photos. You can go to www.canva.com to get more info.
Ok, be real. Are you guilty of using watermarked photos? Can you commit to at least checking out Pexels the next time you need a photo? Let me know, what questions do you have? Would you find it useful to have a guide on what brand photos you need for your business? Leave a comment!