How to Use Getty Images Like a Boss

In a world that is flooded with advertisements, the content you choose to show your audience is becoming increasingly important. Using high quality images that tell a story to your users is essential to capture their attention. “These days, the careless use of crummy stock photos isn’t going to cut it, and delivering content that’s void of visuals just isn’t an option. Consumers have cultivated too sophisticated of an eye, and, as a result, they expect better” (Newscred). If you can’t deliver this type of quality content, your message is just going to get lost in the abundance of other advertising messages.

Sometimes, your company may not have effective images to use when curating content. This is where stock photography websites and free stock images come in.

Sure, stock images can be tacky and overused, but if you find the right source, they can assist you in creating quality content. One source of stock photography you may have heard of is Getty Images and they can greatly increase your content intelligence. Getty helps in understanding that powerful visual content will resonate with the right target audience.

Companies who succeed in content marketing are in tune with their customers needs and give them this through the visual aid of relevant and authentic content. This is the content that Getty images and similar stock libraries can help you deliver. By accessing their software, your company will have the license to use thousands of free images, that can be a great addition to your resources.

One example of great content marketing can be seen through Redbull. Rather than just marketing and advertising their product, they have successfully created a brand and lifestyle that appeals to their consumers. Upon visiting their website, you will see exciting sports content focused around their slogan - “Redbull gives you wings”, rather than just product information. This type of content marketing you should strive for at your company. It really embodies the brand in a fun way without being too pushy. Using quality images, whether they are from amateur photographers or a stock photographer can help you to reach that. 

Maybe your company doesn’t have all the resources Redbull does, but you can still achieve an effective content marketing strategy with the help of stock agencies. The experts at Getty Images are working hard to make sure they can deliver the high quality stock photographs, as well as content that people will find useful. Getty doesn’t only provide high-quality images for users, but video assets, creative stills, archival photos, and music as well. They strive to stay up to date with technology and trends, as well as keeping their content authentic - which is what customers are currently seeking. The VP of Creative at Getty commented:

“In times gone by the message was more about the effectiveness or uniqueness of the product, but right now this storytelling trend has emerged because people want to feel a real connection with the brand. Visually that means we can also tell more of a story, or have a more ‘editorial’ feel, but that doesn’t always mean stark ‘reality.’ Authenticity is usually derived from subtle advances on that, using the right models, locations, and lighting – coming together to make something that feels convincing.” -Newscred

Going back to the RedBull example, you can see how it would be possible to create a lifestyle and genuine concept surrounding your brand using only Getty Images or other stock websites. Something else that is important to note is that although images can be very powerful and tell a story, they must be relevant to your brand and your user. Using generic stock imagery to add to your message isn’t actually going to strengthen it and speak to your customer.

There are a number of ways you can elevate your written content using pictures and graphics from GettyImages or other stock imagery sites. “Studies have shown that articles that contain images receive 94 percent more views than those without” (Newscred). The obvious solution is to incorporate imagery into your articles, however, as mentioned stock photos can sometimes be bland and boring. Here are some ideas for how you can create a meaningful addition to your content, utilizing stock photo agencies, that will be attractive to your customers

• Infographics with stock photos: Instead of using just a plain image, you can take a set of free photos and use them to deliver content and tell a story that is relevant to your brand.
• Posters: Combining high quality images together with your message can be very powerful. You can use these in online forms or through print ads.
• Animations: Something you may not know is that in addition to their thousands of royalty free images, Getty Images also provides animations. They provide a similar effect to photos, but can be more eye catching to the consumer, and provide a more detailed message that supports your content.
• Stock photos with optimized captions: Say you have chosen a stock photo you think is aligned with your content. Instead of adding just the stock photo, adding a detailed and relevant caption can help tie the photo into your writing, and have an even bigger impact on the reader. It will be even stronger if you optimize that caption for your desired keywords.

All of this information can help give you a better idea of why it is important to have a strong and differentiated content strategy, and that this is something any business can achieve. At Cortex we are aiming to make businesses more effective in their social media content strategy.

Using Artificial Intelligence, we are able to determine what the best content is for companies to post and on what platforms. We even have a partnership with Getty Images, so rather than just telling you what type of photo to publish, we can actually provide you with suggested stock images.

As I have said, content marketing is becoming more and more common. If you don’t have a strategy that will catch the eye of your users, your message will simply be forgotten. Regardless of if you have your own photographer or source stock images, using quality imagery is crucial to the success of your content and it is a good idea to integrate it into your strategy.