By Anne Violette
Online auctions and Internet businesses are booming. The lure of sitting home and running a business from the coziness of your own living room is entirely appealing, and who wouldn't want to work in their jammies, wearing fuzzy slippers while sipping green tea?
You can find anything online from autos to Xboxes, from bellybutton rings to yo-yos, and whatever your heart desires. Conversely, there is someone, anywhere who will buy what you might be selling on the Internet.
In order to command top dollar for any product, it's important to have better marketing than the competition. This is common sense. The companies or individuals who outsell the rest do not always have the best product... they are just better marketers. You can be one of those marketing gurus with a few simple tricks of the trade.
Tips for a great photo
First of all, a great photo is extremely important. If you surf through the auctions and even Web sites that sell a specific item, the highest bids and prices are carried by those whom have mastered the art of displaying those products in an appealing and visually pleasing manner, like those shown in Figure A.
FIGURE A
These are examples of photos taken using a simple homemade tabletop setup with burlap textured fabric. White or tan burlap is effective and inexpensive. Photo by Anne Violette. (click for larger image)
Clean up your scene
Some people take simple snapshots without attention to detail -- meaning the living room, car or other distractions can be present in the backdrop. Look through the lens and see if any unnecessary items are visible, and be sure to remove them from the scene.
Never use a camera phone
Second, never take photos with a camera phone or low resolution camera. The images look shoddy and your advertising will scream amateur. It scares away prospective buyers. Think about it, would you feel more confident buying an item from a company that looks like they took the time to make a professional appearance over one who just casually snapped a photo and slapped it up online? Of course you would. You'd probably assume that if the company couldn't be bothered to make a nice photograph, then they could be just as sloppy about shipping your item on time or in a manner that would keep it from arriving without harm. Also, a sloppy photograph with low pixels will be a turn-off and may ruin the image of your product.
If you think you can't afford a decent camera to take photos with, I am here to tell you that you can't afford not to have one. On average, your best pictures will increase sales by at least 50% or more, conservatively. No matter whether it is an auction site or a site selling your specific products, the best photos sell more. Period.
Your instant portable studio
Here is a simple way to make "set-ups" of your images from the comfort of your own home. Call it your instant portable studio. No agency fees necessary. No need to hire a photographer.
It's time for your close-up
Make sure your camera is able to take adequate close-ups. You may need one lens that is able to zoom in. A 2.8 series lens is the best, but a 3.5 mm lens will do if you can't afford the more expensive one. These are, of course, typical to an SLR. But many consumer cameras can also take close-ups or macro pictures.
Flash with bounce
Purchase a flash with a pivoting joint that is able to bounce light from a white ceiling. Even if it is the cheapest model you can find, as long as it has a bounce feature you will be able to produce even lighting.
Give yourself the necessary table space
Create a small space with a folding table. The table must be large enough to span the length of your lens when you look through the camera. Your camera should be very close to the table. If it isn't, then your lens is not a close-up lens.
Get some inexpensive fabric
Buy some neutral colored fabric. Burlap works very well and has natural textures which are visually appealing. Burlap comes in white or tan. Cover the whole table and nail or tape the top side to the wall. Smooth out obvious creases.
Add two lamps
Put two lamps on each side of the table. The kinds that have clamps work well. Make sure they use 80-100 watt bulbs. Position them from the front of the table so that they are shooting light into the background. You can adjust lighting as needed to create a bright display. The other trick would be a mirror or big white poster board to serve as a reflector. Use it to bounce the light. If you use flash, you can bounce your flash unit from the white poster board.
Use a tripod
Position the camera on a tripod or flat surface. Some people like to use a cable release so as not to shake the camera while shooting. If this seems a little too difficult, then simply place the camera on a non-moving object, like a tall stepstool or on books.
Pay attention to detail
Pay attention to details while shooting. Dark spots, lint, or price tags should be turned away and removed from the picture.
Keep refining
Of course, you may have to play around with these techniques until you get the results that are most pleasing. Your images will look "studio professional" without having to spend the money on hiring a photographer. This will be an instantly productive method of getting higher bids from prospective customers.
Digital images are also able to be color-corrected using computer software, if necessary. Once you've finished your photo shoot, load the photos onto your hard drive and scan through your photographs to see which angles best highlight the products you're selling. You can then simply pump up the colors using a software program like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom to drastically improve the colors. If you're working on a lower budget, you can use Adobe's $79 Photoshop Elements program or even the free Paint.NET program we've recently reviewed.
With that said, if the items that you're selling are too large to be used in your little homemade studio, you can produce similar results by making your own bigger studio with a neutral painted wall or outdoor scenery that is appealing. Clothing sells better when it is shown on a person. Think catalog-style. Wouldn't you want to order something if you could see what it looks like on a real person? Use friends or family as models to save on costs.
Scan through eBay, and if you're doing this as a business, even your competitor's Web sites and take a look at how their items are presented. Stay one step ahead of your competition with a little effort and planning. Great photos are guaranteed to maximize your selling potential. With the age of Internet marketing, the sky is the limit. You're sure to be amazed and bedazzled at how effective your efforts will be.