Letting Your Practice Speak for Itself: The Importance of Photography in Marketing
Why Photographs?
We’ve mentioned some of the benefits of high quality photographs before, but it bears repeating: A picture is worth a thousand words. Naturally, a well-written description of your practice and services is an important part of any direct mailer or website, but photos, like your logo, help establish your practice's visual image. They also give evidence of and add credibility to the words used to promote your office.
A good photo shows people your office, and a great photo invites them in. Modern marketing is a visual field. Quality photography helps potential patients feel familiar with you, your staff, and your office before they've even called to make their first appointment. In truth, most people don't spend much time reading a mailer. After a quick glance over each panel, maybe a longer look at a section of particular interest, and more attention given to the special offer, it’s the images that solidify a good and memorable first impression. Considering that your mailer is probably not the only advertisement fighting it out in the mailbox, having those well-staged photographs can give your marketing piece a competitive edge.
An office's atmosphere is proving more and more important in the dental field. Gone are the days of out-dated magazines, dusty fake plants, and folding chairs. Discerning patients now expect a comfortable office with a warm, yet polished feel. Professional photos convey that image, especially photos that capture attention to details like fresh flowers, pleasant lighting, and smiling faces. Photos of impressive amenities (such as stylish furniture, beverage bars, internet stations, children’s play areas, and TVs or movie glasses) show that you offer more than just dental treatment—you offer a dental experience.
Especially for start-up practices and recently renovated offices, photos enable new patients to get to know you, or show existing patients that you're committed to keeping your practice fresh and state-of-the-art.
Tips for Taking Good Photos
Digital cameras make photography easier than ever. The images are clear and crisp, beginners can easily adjust flash and lighting preferences, and, best of all, you can preview pictures as you go. We recommend taking a wide variety of photographs, because even if they don't get used in your direct mailer, there will be room on your website. Also, take photographs vertically and horizontally, as we never know what's going to work best with your individual design. Additionally, don't be afraid to get creative with angles or staging! Another tip for photos is to remove eyeglasses to avoid glare and reflection off the lenses.
If you'd rather have photos taken professionally, a good photographer is easy to find. The process doesn't take long and, contrary to what some people think, you don't have to close your office. In fact, the more smiling people, the better! For less expensive options, check out your local university's or community college’s photography department. Student photographers are often well-qualified, flexible with their hours, and looking for extra work opportunities to build their resumes and experience set.
Sending Photos to Us
So you have your photos—what next? Digital files are best sent via email, formatted as a jpeg file. When it comes to file size, the larger the better. In general, files larger than 300K are what we’re looking for, because they print clearer. Lower resolution photos and smaller files tend to look grainy, pixilated, and unprofessional when printed on a big press. When measuring the quality or resolution of an image, designers refer to the amount of dots per square inch, or dpi. In order for your photographs to remain crisp and appealing when they're printed in your mailer, a good rule of thumb is to send photos with no fewer than 300 dpi. At that level of clarity, our design team can enlarge or alter your image without compromising the clarity.
Please, please, pretty please: Avoid sending any image for your mailer, or any marketing project for that matter, in a Word document. If you have trouble getting your photo files to send through your regular email, try yousendit.com. Through this service, you can send files up to 100 MB in size for free. On top of that, it’s important to consider copyright laws. Discuss licensing with your photographer of choice before contracting their services, and remember that we can’t use just any image off the internet without permission and the right kind of file.
In the end, it's common sense, but it can make a world of difference for your practice: Excellent photographs make your marketing piece look more professional, personalized, and put-together. Even if it seems like a bit of work, gathering photos of your office can be a fun and rewarding project. You've worked hard to create a practice you're proud of, so show it off!
If you’re a Practice Cafe client and would like to see some actual photo examples of what we’re talking about here, please let us know. Just 1-2-3-Cheese and we’ll send you a packet of photo ideas to help!
