Last month we talked about how a picture is worth a thousand words, and how a glowing review is equivalent to a Tolstoy-esque epic. I hope you’ll allow me to keep the metaphor alive, because this month’s package is all about photos. The problem here is that we don’t just want your pictures to say a lot… We want your pictures to speak favorably about your practice, to show that you’re professional, and to highlight that you love sharing the connections you have with your patients and your team. In other words, we want them to be less War and more Peace… (I hope you didn’t have Great Expectations about that joke, because it was pretty bad).
Your practice is busy, and you’re already taking out time to post the details of your patients’ and your office’s lives on social. However, it is so worth it to prioritize your imagery. These days, it’s easy to dive into photography: it’s affordable, film is cheap (and by ‘cheap’ I mean ‘free’!), and resources abound. And once your designated social media manager learns his or her way around a couple easy camera modes, you’ll be taking and sharing professional-level shots in no time.
We keep things pretty simple at my practice: a Canon Rebel T2i with a 50mm fixed lens on Aperture Priority (Av) mode. I recommend the same setup for your office. It doesn’t have to be a Canon, but a basic DSLR and 50mm lens with a low f-stop will serve you well. There’s no major photography concepts to figure out, no film being developed, and minimal edits being made. The result, though, is a tremendously higher quality photo over a smartphone shot. Our fans are drawn to these images when our posts pop up on their timeline, and they’re more likely to engage. Our attention to quality imagery is what makes our time spent on social really worth it.
Think of it like dressing for an interview. You might be the absolute perfect person for the job, you’ve done your research, and you’d fit into the company culture perfectly. Of course, you want to make a good impression! So, after all that time gaining experience and researching this company, would you choose your sweats or that tailored blazer? The answer is obvious, and the same is true of practice photography. Professional-level photos help our office put our best foot forward to connect with patients and earn their highly sought-after attention.
We’re here to help walk you and your social manager through the process of learning the skills needed to take your shots from pretty good to professional. We’ve included a basic guide to getting great shots on a DSLR and will continue to send helpful information to get the shots you want to see on your page. If you have any questions at all, do not hesitate to email us at [email protected]. We’re here to help!