Using Stock Images and Videos in Marketing – Your Best Choice

Image via Freepik

High-quality visual assets are the heartbeat of branding. They set businesses apart. Nearly all marketing campaigns use visuals to capture attention and deliver messages effectively.

There are many ways of creating visuals, but one that can be instantly done is using stock images and videos. While many have used them for a while, others are still skeptical due to common concerns such as lack of authenticity and creativity.

Even if that is true, some situations make stock images and videos the best options. We’ve determined when and how these ready-to-use visuals can benefit your business. Let’s go more in-depth!

What Benefits Can You Get With Stock Images and Videos?

Compared to conducting photo and video sessions, using stock images has several advantages for marketers and business owners. Some of the main benefits of using stock images are:

Cost Effective

One main advantage of using stock visuals is their cost-effectiveness. Hiring professional photographers and designers can be budget-consuming, especially for small businesses and startups.

For instance, organizing a photoshoot involves the photographer’s fees and potential costs for models, locations, props, and post-production editing. These expenses can quickly add up, making custom photography a significant investment.

In contrast, stock image platforms offer a wide library of high-quality photos at a fraction of the cost.  Websites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, and Unsplash provide subscription plans catering to different budgets.

A monthly subscription to a stock photo and video service, which grants access to hundreds of images and videos, might cost around $99.

Additionally, many platforms offer free images and videos with Creative Commons licenses, making it even easier for businesses to access professional visuals without incurring high costs.

Time-Saving

Stock images and videos are also a significant time-saver. This content reads as if it is human-written. Instead of organizing and executing photoshoots, which can be time-consuming and logistically challenging, you can instantly access a wide variety of images with just a few clicks.

This can benefit projects with tight deadlines, such as social media updates or urgent marketing campaigns, where quick turnaround times are essential.

You can design visual content in minutes, compared to the days or even weeks required to plan, shoot, and edit original footage.

High-Quality and Diverse Options

The quality of stock images and videos has improved dramatically over the years. Today, many ready-to-use visuals offer professional-level photography and editing that meet high-quality standards.

These platforms employ skilled photographers and editors to produce visually appealing images. Websites like Getty Images and iStock offer high-resolution assets meticulously edited to ensure professional standards.

Additionally, stock image and video libraries give access to diverse themes and styles. You can find images that perfectly match your brand identity and campaign needs. This diversity helps you maintain consistency in visual presence.

Situations Where Stock Images and Videos Are the Best Choices

When should you use stock images and videos? In a nutshell, you can always use them anytime for your campaigns, especially those with free licensing. Here are some situations where they can be your best choice.

#1. Limited Marketing Budgets

Again, one of the most significant benefits of using stock images and videos is their cost-effectiveness. Many options are free, while some professionally captured ones require a subscription.

If we want to calculate, paying for a subscription can still be even cheaper than hiring a photographer or commissioning custom illustrations. Platforms like Freepik are worth subscribing to as they provide high-quality photos, illustrations, and animated videos.

Moreover, stock photo platforms offer instant download options. Some also allow direct editing, such as background remover and photo enhancer. All these features save time and effort in content creation for marketing.

#2. Rapid Blog Content Production

Stock images are a time-saver when it comes to rapidly producing blog content. They save a good amount of time that would otherwise be spent arranging photo shoots or creating custom visuals.

You can find and download images and videos to complement your written content. This efficiency boosts reader engagement by adding visual appeal and breaking up text-heavy posts.

Moreover, visuals are good for optimizing SEO. They may improve your website’s visibility in search engine results and ranking. You can also edit images and add branding elements to make them more impactful.

#3. Social Media Posts

Social media is all about visual aesthetics. While using a camera or smartphone is highly possible, it can be challenging to do this consistently in the long run. Not to mention, you still need to edit your footage before uploading.

That’s where stock images and videos can be one of the best solutions. They are convenient ways to maintain visual consistency across your social media accounts without the hassle of constant photo shoots.

Stock images are versatile and adaptable to different marketing campaigns and seasonal trends. You can follow YouTube trends or other content trends and get your visuals from stock image platforms.

You don’t have to worry about not finding a relevant image because stock image platforms offer diverse options. There, you can even find GIFs and short animated videos.

#4. Email Marketing Campaigns

A dull promotional email won’t get you anywhere. But you can turn the table with a stock image or video in your body email. Email marketing campaigns often rely on compelling visuals to capture subscribers’ attention.

When you open an email and see a text block, would you be excited to read the whole message? Perhaps not. Visuals work better in capturing the audience’s attention. They break down written content with appealing images, encouraging people to explore more.

It’s also easier for you to drive them to take action. Use eye-catching visual assets for your CTA and walk them closer to conversions, such as visiting your website or purchasing.

In addition, stock content contributes to the clarity and effectiveness of your email. Relevant and compelling visuals can also evoke emotions while reinforcing brand messaging.

#5. Campaigns with Short Turnaround Times (Seasonal Marketing)

When it comes to seasonal marketing campaigns, timing is everything. These campaigns often have short turnaround times and must quickly capitalize on the current season or holiday trends.

For example, marketing for Christmas, Black Friday, and Back-to-School events. Stock media is precious in these scenarios because they provide instant access to high-quality visuals that can be used immediately.

You can use those visuals immediately since stock images and videos are readily available. This saves significant time and enables you to launch campaigns and take advantage of seasonal opportunities.

However, consider editing or customizing the stock images you want to use. Add text overlays, adjust colors, or crop images to suit different formats and platforms, making them fit specific campaign needs.

#6. Need for Professional Presentation

Stock image platforms like Getty Images, iStock, and Unsplash offer high-resolution, professionally curated images and videos that meet industry standards. Most of the content on these platforms is in high-quality formats.

Why must you ensure high-quality formats? High-quality images and videos make sure your marketing materials look professional. Imagine if your brochures, websites, or social media posts contain pixelated images and blurry videos. Such marketing materials won’t drive trust and results for your brand.

At the same time, you should pay attention to visual consistency across your marketing channel. A consistent visual style is essential for brand recognition. You can find and edit image options to match your brand’s color scheme, tone, and aesthetic.

#7. Building a Visual Identity

Stock media platforms provide the resources to maintain consistency and quality across all visual elements. However, this can be tricky without a paid subscription, as the platform’s options can be limited.

If you lack the equipment to produce images and videos yourself, consider paying for a subscription to a stock image platform like Freepik or iStock. Choose a platform that provides both illustrated images and real footage.

You can explore an extensive library of visuals instantly. Try the filter feature to find stock images that meet your needs. This makes it feasible for you with limited budgets to maintain a consistent visual look quickly.

#8. Testing and Experimentation

Testing and experimentation are essential for optimizing strategies and improving performance. Stock images and visuals offer an efficient solution for conducting visual tests and experiments without significant investments in time or resources.

For example, A/B testing requires two different visual elements to determine which one performs better. You can use illustrations, text overlays, or video footage to see which content drives the most engagement.

Moreover, you can test different images in social media ads, email campaigns, or website banners. Using stock media for A/B testing helps optimize visual content and enhance audience engagement while maintaining efficiency.

Potential Drawbacks and Tips

While stock images and videos offer numerous advantages, such as cost-effectiveness, quick access, and high-quality visuals, they also come with challenges. It’s important to be aware of these potential drawbacks.

Why so? Understanding these limitations helps you avoid common pitfalls and ensure your visual content remains impactful. We’ve compiled some main drawbacks of using stock content, along with tips to prevent them.

Lack of Uniqueness

One of the primary concerns when relying heavily on stock images and videos is the potential lack of uniqueness in your visual content. Stock assets are accessible to a wide range of users, including competitors in your industry.

We can’t deny that there’s a risk that multiple brands may use the same or similar content. This can be challenging for you to make memorable branding and stand out in the crowd.

Potential Solutions

Strategically selecting your stock photos is essential to mitigate the risk of competitors using the same images. We suggest you explore niche stock photo libraries with a more specialized collection of images.

These libraries often feature less commonly used visuals that can help differentiate your brand. Opt for unique images or those with fewer downloads when using mainstream stock platforms.

Consider taking the extra mile by combining stock images and videos with original photos and custom graphics. Original content adds a personal touch and authenticity to your visual identity that stock media alone may not convey.

For example, incorporate original photographs of your products, team members, or behind-the-scenes moments that showcase your brand’s personality. This surely needs extra time and effort, but it ensures your visuals remain unique.

Over-Reliance on Stock Images

Over-reliance on stock assets can lead to a generic visual style. This issue could stop your brand from clearly showing what makes it special and valuable to the right people.

In fact, stock libraries are convenient and affordable options, but they won’t make unique branding or set it apart from competitors. Instead, it may potentially dilute your brand identity and reduce engagement with your target audience.

Potential Solutions

We recommend investing in original photography for key campaigns or important brand elements. Original photos help you communicate your brand’s values in a way that feels real to your audience.

While stock images can be a good starting point, further customization is necessary to match your brand’s look and message. You can do this by adjusting colors, adding overlays, or including your logo and taglines.

Licensing and Usage Rights

Navigating licensing and usage rights is essential when using stock images and videos to avoid legal complications and ensure compliance with copyright laws. Different licenses, such as royalty-free and rights-managed, guide you on how images can be used, distributed, and modified.

Here’s the difference:

Royalty-Free License: A royalty-free license grants the buyer the right to use an image multiple times without paying royalties or license fees each time the image is used. It typically involves a one-time payment for the license. Some benefits include:

• It often allows essential modifications, such as cropping, resizing, and adding text overlays.
• Typically, it doesn’t grant exclusive rights to the image, which means that while you can use the image, others may also license and use the same image concurrently.
• Generally more affordable than rights-managed images.
• Suitable for projects that require flexibility and budget-consciousness.

Rights-Managed License: A rights-managed license provides more specific and controlled usage rights for an image. It may include restrictions on usage, duration, geographic distribution, industry, and more. Some important rules are:

• Rights-managed licenses specify how, where, and for how long an image can be used.
• May restrict modifications to the image, requiring permission or additional fees for alterations beyond basic edits.
• Offer exclusivity for a specified period or within a designated geographic area or industry.
• Tend to be more expensive due to their tailored usage rights and potential exclusivity.
• Suitable for high-profile campaigns, editorial publications, or projects where unique and specific visual content is essential.

Follow the terms and conditions outlined in the image license agreement. Read and understand the usage restrictions, such as limitations on print runs or digital impressions, and obtain permission for any modifications based on stock images.

Wrapping Up

Stock images are cost-effective options and time-efficient solutions for businesses. Within a limited time, you can explore a range of high-quality images and pick one suitable for your purposes.

However, please remember that selecting visuals that align with your brand’s identity is crucial. You must also maintain consistency and relevancy with the audience to drive engagement.

While authenticity remains essential, customization and careful curation of stock images can further enhance their impact on your brand.