Focus on Manatee | Photos and videos: Why you should invest in your business

There are many incredible business owners in the tourism industry (and others) in Manatee County who are constantly keeping up with industry best practices and investing their time and money into making their business better for everyone. But one investment that I’ve noticed many business owners are missing out on is one that seems like it should be a no-brainer – video and photography.

As digital marketing evolves, we are continuing to see trends favoring visual assets over text and audio. Social media, websites, etc. are increasingly more visual and businesses should take note of that. Most people browsing the web are more likely to stop to watch a video play or view an eye-catching image than to read too much text. In fact, nearly one-third of online activity is attributed to streaming video content across various different platforms.

So it goes to say that businesses should be investing more in visual content. But it is surprising to see how few business owners are taking advantage of this. We see so many industry members who are using old photos that are out of date or lacking visual appeal. Fortunately hiring a professional photographer is a simple and quick way to up your business game. This especially applies to the tourism businesses, where we are finding that potential visitors frequently make travel decisions on visual content alone.

It’s also simple to create good and engaging content on your own. We live in a world where nearly everyone has a high quality camera at their fingertips in the form of their smartphone. The BACVB offers a simple to use guide to help create more engaging photos for your business that you can find on our administrative portal at BradentonGulfIslands.com or at this link. For more information, contact Emily Knight at Emily.Knight@BACVB.com or (941) 729-9177 ext 3953. We are happy to share this free guide with any business owner who is ready to create new content.

So the next time you’re ready to invest in your business, consider this – what does your current photography look like now? Would you benefit from new photos or video? Taking the time to create this media can be a huge improvement for your website, social media and business overall. And with new technology developing every day, it’s easy to make sure your content is up to date and doing your business justice.

Elliott Falcione, executive director of the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, can be reached at Elliott.Falcione@BACVB.com or 941-729-9177 ext. 3940.