If you are running a business, and you need to use images for your company website or your promotional materials, you may be wondering whether it’s fine to use stock photos for this purpose.
The easy answer to this question is yes, but there are a few important things to consider before you sign up to a stock library – issues such as cost, any potential copyright issues, and what kind of images you require.
Need a little guidance to help you get started? Read on for some handy tips on sourcing stress-free stock photos for your business.
When it comes to using images, one of the main issues is copyright, and its potential infringement, which can come with some hefty penalties.
To avoid any potential copyright violations, the easiest thing to do is to use stock photos from an online library or invest in a professional photographer or graphic designer to create original images for you.
Which option you choose is all going to come down to your business budget and how much you want to spend on your images.
Hiring a professional to create work specifically for your company is most likely going to be more expensive than paying for stock photos. However, the flip side of this is that the work they will create will be specific to your business. Stock photos, on the other hand, can be rather generic.
If you put a high premium on specificity and originality, and if you have enough money in your budget to dedicate to hiring a professional, then having your own images created specifically for you may be the best way to go!
If you don’t have the budget to hire someone to create original images, but if you’re a little unsure about using stock photos, why don’t you sign up for a free trial? Various stock libraries offer these complimentary tasters, so you can get an idea of the kind of images you can find, without having to pay a fee upfront. By the time your free trial is over, you may find that you’re so impressed by the quality of the library’s images that it’s well worth your while to pay a subscription.
One of the great things about stock libraries is that there are generally few restrictions on what you can use the images for. Just make sure that any image you’re interested in has been deemed acceptable for commercial use by its creator, and you’re good to go! These images can be used on your website, in your advertising materials, and even in your company branding.
To make sure you always have a helpful record of image copyright and sources, as well as other helpful data, why not invest in iBase’s digital asset management software? This sophisticated system will store all of the relevant information, ensuring you never fall foul of copyright law.
Contact us today to find out more with a free one-to-one demo!
