Taking good photos for your ads can be done with either your mobile or a photo camera. Which device you use to take the photos is not decisive for the photo result. In fact, any device can take good photos. As long as you follow our tips, you can take the best photos for your ads.
In this blog article you’ll read:
- Why are good advertising photos necessary?
- Tip 1 | Take at least 5 photos
- Tip 2 | Create guidelines
- Tip 3 | Pay attention to the correct photo frames
- Tip 4 | Visibility of your logo
- Tip 5 | Take honest photos
- Tip 6 | Avoid distractions
- Tip 7 | Sharp advertising photos
- Tip 8 | Pay attention to the light in the photos
Why are good advertising photos necessary?
Professional advertisement photos contribute to a faster sale. They give a clear picture of what the buyer can expect. Or they create an ‘experience’. This means that the potential buyer can already see himself driving your truck or working in your machine.
Tip 1 | Take at least 5 photos
With one or two photos, the buyer doesn’t yet know what to expect. Therefore, take at least 5 photos of your vehicle, machine or part with all details on the photos. The more photos you take, the better the buyer will get a good impression of what you are selling.
Do you want to sell a truck or machine? Then take pictures of both sides, the front, the back and the inside of the cabin. Extra professional are photos of:
- The condition of the tires (show good tread depth in the picture)
- The dashboard/the control system/mileage or running hours
- The chassis with the fifth wheel on it
- The information on the vehicle/machine itself. For example, there is often a nameplate or sticker on it with information about the type, number of axles and payload per axle.
- The rear of the cabin on tractor units
- Detailed photographs of (extra) features such as a PTO, hydraulic system, truck mounted crane, microwave, cooler, parking heater and stand air conditioner
For parts you can think of photos of: both sides, the front, back, top and photos of the bottom. For extra profesionality, take detail photos of important aspects of the part.
Below is an ad detail page from advertiser ROSIERVANDENBOSCH Used Truck Centre. Although the image is in Dutch, you can see in the left corner of the photo that they have added 9 photos of the truck, which gives a clear impression for the buyer of what to expect.
Tip 2 | Create guidelines
Establish certain guidelines that your ad photos must adhere to. Guidelines ensure that your ad photos are photographed in the same style. This radiates professionalism and ensures recognition.
Previously you read about the number of photos you should make and the examples. It’s important to think of guidelines. For example: you always photograph your trucks and machines in the same place in front of your business premises.
For a section you can set a guideline that the photos are always taken in the same space. We understand that you may have large and small parts. Then make sure you have a space that can accommodate both types of parts. Or pick two rooms: one where you always take the photos for large parts and one where you always take the photos for small parts. Think of a well-lit room (indoors) for taking pictures of small parts. And a large hall or (roofed) place outside for large parts. Always make sure that there is enough (natural) light on the photos. That way the photos are the best visible.
As an example we will take some photos of Geurts Trucks, advertiser on TrucksNL. You see that they maintain clear guidelines in their advertising photos: all photos are taken in front of their company premises (from set angles). Details are also photographed well.
Recommended photos
Photos of details
Tip 3 | Pay attention to the correct photo formats
Want to get the best display of your ad photos on sales platforms? Then take certain image formats into account. For the best display on TrucksNL, our advice is to take your photos in horizontal format, with certain width and height ratios. These proportions are also known as the ‘aspect ratio’. The best aspect ratio on TrucksNL is 3:2. This means that the best resolutions for photos on TrucksNL are (in order of quality):
- 2560 x 1700 pixels
- 2160 x 1440 pixels
- 1920 x 1280 pixels
An example of a landscape photo of a crane
When you stick to the right formats and aspect ratio, you prevent your ad photos from getting white or blurred areas on the sides or top.
An ad where the photo size is not optimal, resulting in white areas (circled in red)
An advertisement where the photo format is not optimal, and as a result gets blurred areas (circled in red)
On a professional photo camera, the aspect ratio is always easy to change through the settings. On smartphones, this is sometimes a bit trickier. Smartphones usually keep a photo format of 4:3. But 4:3 is a ratio that comes close to 3:2. So good enough for an almost perfect photo display on TrucksNL.
In the image below you can see the difference between 4:3 and 3:2. The 3:2 photo format is just a little bit wider than 4:3, which you can see when the areas overlap.
We understand that sometimes you may have a aerial platform, a tower crane, or other vehicle/machine/equipment that would be better photographed while standing. That’s fine, but at least make sure that the first photo is a landscape photo. This is the photo you will see in the search results. The statistics from our website also show that ads with a landscape photo as the first photo receive more clicks and reactions than ads that start with a portrait (vertical) photo. This is because there are no white or blurred areas around it.
Below you can see (even though the screenshot is in Dutch) that the first photo of advertiser Truck Centrum Sliedrecht is landscape and has the correct photo size. This ensures that the photo is displayed optimally on the TrucksNL search results page.
Tip 4 | Visibility of your logo
Having your logo visible on your advertising photos increases brand awareness. It also prevents people from illegally using your photos.
You can do this in many ways. For example, park the truck or machine in front of your company banner/company flag with logo. You can print your logo on an A4 sheet of paper and place it next to the photo. An “ordinary” A4 sheet may look a bit unprofessional. Our tip: put the logo neatly on a piece of sturdy paper and plastify it.
Another thing you can do is add a watermark to all your ad photos in addition to your company logo. This further prevents your photos from being used illegally.
In the image below you can see an example of a truck in the picture parked in front of TrucksNL’s premises
Tip 5 | Take honest photos
Do not hide damages, but show them clearly on the photo. Give, for example, tips on how the damages can be (easily) repaired.
When you hide damages and the buyer comes by, he will of course not have foreseen this. This can result in the sale not going through or that he starts to deduct from your selling price. Two things you would obviously prefer to avoid.
Or if the buyer buys your vehicle online and then receives it with damages, this is of course not good for your reputation. You may receive negative reviews as a result.
Tip 6 | Avoid Distractions
Make sure the focus is on the truck/machine/part you want to sell. Only this should be in the ad photo. So avoid distracting things in the photo like people and animals.
In this image you can see that there are distractions in the photo, which is the man walking his dog
Tip 7 | Sharp advertising photos
Take advertising photos that are sharp. With a camera, you can use a stand for this. Are you taking photos with your mobile phone? Make sure to keep your mobile phone still. Sharp advertisement photos make it easier for potential buyers to see what you are selling. In addition, our website statistics have shown that blurry ad photos get fewer responses and clicks.
This image shows a blurry photo
Tip 8 | Pay attention to the light in the photos
It’s best to take your ad photos during the day or in a lighted area. If you take your photos in the evening or in a dark space, your photos will not be as visible. In addition, make sure there is no backlight. This is light shining straight into your camera, which will overexpose the photo and make it impossible for you to see anything at all in the ad photo.
In this picture you can see that it’s evening and the crane isn’t visible anymore
In this image you can see that the photo is overexposed due to the sun, so you can no longer see the crane properly
This image is an example of a good photo: there is no overexposure and it is not too dark. So you can see the crane well
Above all, practice by taking lots of photos using these tips. That way, you are sure to get great advertising photos that will ensure a quick sale.
