Photo Credit: Steve Titus @ Muskoka Sawmill
The Importance of Documenting and Photographing your Work
Today I’m going to talk about why it is important to document and photograph your work. With the rise of social media, Instagram, Facebook, even TikTok, getting people to see your work, especially during this pandemic time is crucial.
Social media is basically like your digital storefront especially when someone can’t just come to your location, or walk into your shop to see who you are and what you do. So I really believe it’s important and for my clients I want them to be successful in that digital space. I believe on way to be successful is to invest in good photography, good video, and the tools you need to capture your process whether those be apps or a smartphone with high photo resolution capabilities.
People don’t just want to see the finished product, they want to see the process. Especially for custom work, people love to see the pour and the mill, they want to see how things are done. You’re selling an experience, not just a product and these small touches add a layer of ownership and involvement for your clients.
Tree to Table Movement
It’s just like the local food movement. The local food and farm-to-table movement grew so much because people got tired of this big box mentality. They wanted to know that the cows they were eating had a good life and they wanted to know where their meat was coming from.
We apply this exact same method to the Woodpreneur and tree-to-table movement. The Urban Wood and Salvage movement and the maker movement are exactly the same for our industry. People want to know where the wood is coming from, and who is making their products. Quality is also a huge point, you can’t expect something that will last generations from a big box store.
Photo Credit: @thewrightedge
Important Investments in Your Business
Photography is such an important investment for those reasons. Also, don’t worry if this might seem intimidating, there are things you can do! For example, if you’re working on something, and it’s really hard for you to do the videography, I’d suggest hiring somebody part-time to come in and take photographs.
I have a client who, at the end of every build, brings in a photographer/videographer to take really great photos and he uses them for content and for his website and marketing materials. Ultimately being able to provide that extra experience to your customers through great photos and progress updates will set you apart from your competitors.
Please check out the Woodpreneur Facebook Group, for more Business and Marketing Information.