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You might not know it, but the model photography on your Amazon listing is more important than you think.This could make or break your sales.
Daisi Pollard of myproductmodel.com
Daisi is a “Modelpreneur” – former Miss Jamaica, Founder of My product Model.com which is an agency for eCommerce entrepreneurs to get incredible photography; also the founder of “Brazen Influencers”, an agency that links eCommerce sellers and influencers.
Why use a model?
This is a big debate. A lot of eCommerce sellers just put up photos.
A lot just use the manufacturer’s photos – that doesn’t differentiate you, you need to model photography on your Amazon listing.
Clients – newbies
A lot of clients are new to space – looking for hand-holding.
A lot are new to entrepreneurship in general
– it’s a side hustle
- Or quit 9-5
What are the classic mistakes?
They make a lot of mistakes in the beginning.
Having had these guys as clients Daisi has learnt they don’t know what they’re doing!
They have watched a youtube video or read a book and want to do everything.
They don’t realise how many small projects are within a bigger project.
You firstly need to know who is a suitable model.
Conveying a message about someone who has an issue with their product
You need to put it in their demographic – say a working mum, sitting
Someone who looks like a mum or who looks like a working woman.
Need to do a before and after photo.
- Hunched over the desk before
- Sitting up straight after
- Carrying a baby – very taxing on the back – women learn that (whether mother or not), Purse, groceries
- After: performing her duties better.
The model must be relatable.
What are the classic issues for new entrepreneurs?
A lot are new to entrepreneurship in general
– it’s a side hustle
- Or quit 9-5
They make a lot of mistakes in the beginning.
Having had these guys as clients Daisi has learnt they don’t know what they’re dong!
They have watched a youtube video or read a book and want to do everything.
They don’t realise how many small projects are within a bigger project.Z
Eg: white image – the product should be 60% of it.
Not familiar with post-production tools like photoshop etc.
It’s a lot to learn for the first time out. And that’s the time they could be spending marketing product, or building a better business.
Why use a professional model
Using a professional model especially fashion especially on Amazon and Etsy.
They know how to show clothing – posing is a skill and art at the same time.
Your beautiful girlfriend may not show that on camera other than her being beautiful.
What do you do?
Create content for eCommerce companies
- Social media
- Etsy, Amazon, eBay
- Shopify stores
- In-store posters, display banners etc.
Also copywriting
Have done video and content for service-based companies sometimes eg: testimonials.
Video with eCommerce has been slow to evolve but it will be the next big thing in 2020.
What are the other big issues?
First Image
First image – trying to touch out the background around the model or the product to get a pure white background.
That looks bad! Especially if left rough edges.
Consumers are now very image aware.
Using manufacturer photos is also terrible – we know where the photos came from
Eg: bodycon dress on Amazon – different listings with same photos.
In future Amazon, will probably enforce very specific rules around that in future.
“Garlic press” is another classic – these are the same generic photos again.
You need to be creative in how you use the first image listing.
Don’t just use only product photos
Use case photos.
Lifestyle photos.
Lose weight, make money, find love are perennial markets – if you can link into any of those things, you are tapping into strong drives.
Even if you use a garlic press.
What are “lifestyle photos”?
We’ve gone down to the nuclear family using images to sell on an e-commerce platform is part of a bigger story – helping people figure out where they fit in society and how they fit in in the world. “How to be in the world”.
A garlic press is an example of how to be in the world –
- Garlic press, woman cooking and husband looking over with an approving face
- In background kids playing waiting for dinner
- Around the table, everyone looking happy – Italian because associated with garlic.
What is the process?
Discovery call
Every product is not the same. First thing Daisi does is listen to the client –
- What are they trying to achieve?
- Create a content creation plan.
A lot of the time the client is thinking very simplistically “We just want it on a white background, back and front”
Daisi will research the market, a lot of similar things.
There has to be a budget and scope – a number of models and locations all eat into it.
It has to fit into the client’s mental model – often they will need to go on to a second call.
The actual shoot
- Send product to the agency (Maybe promo code to get it sent)
- Play with the product – fitting if it’s clothes
- Sometimes need additional locations if not in a studio (In Los Angeles there are lots of locations and lots of people understand the filming process)
- Daisi still is actively involved in the shoots – sometimes models for products, (have other models including plus-size models, babies etc.)
- Execute – start the shoot
It might be a one-off for a client or they may have a subscription where the agency shoots for them every two week.
Brand consistency, style consistency
Professional vs. Amateur looking
One of the things about Amazon is that the photos can be quite separate.
It matters more with fashion brands or electronics eg Headphones.
When quality matters, it’s important that you have brand consistency and the images look like they are in the house.
There are a lot of established clothing brands on Amazon – so fashion mustn’t look like knock-offs.
Have image consistency across your products and in your storefront.
Beauty
In the Beauty space, there’s a huge trust issue because there are a lot of fakes or “dupes”.
They are often filled with toxic products, e.g., lead!(esp. from China) – there are now a lot of regulations. European or American brands are more expensive
Listing ingredients and sourcing is important
Financials
How expensive? ROI?
Outsource what you can afford. Your main focus should be keeping customers happy
- Eg responding to reviews etc
Daisi used to sell on Amazon and familiar with that.
myproductmodel.com has kept prices very reasonable.
Their classic customer is new to Amazon.
Get a trusted content partner
They’re trying to navigate through it.
You can spend a lot of time and money and get nowhere.
“I have spent so much money and I haven’t had a sale yet” is the number one thing.
If you lose the files, they keep your images.
Any stats on the different ROI between pro photography vs DIY?
Their packages cost anywhere between $100 and $1500
So it can be very affordable.
It can also be very simple – it’s not “nickel and diming you” so you know what costs are
Using photos
You can use them across your channels
ROI on photos
Ebook – manufacturer stock photos vs. Creating own content
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What have you seen in the evolution of model photography?
The structure of the site is never likely to get more modern than it is.
It is going to be similar because the tech that is so heavy, changing it will be difficult.
Within the listings, some people are catching onto the photo game.
A lot of bigger brands are now doing it – it used to be that they just threw it up there as extra. Now there is original content. Even celebrities are getting bigger within the Amazon ecosystem.
Daisi was looking at earbuds
- Used pro model
- 2nd photo had an audible logo – telling a story
- Bottom – had the name of audible book listening to (marketing fro the author)
- Conveyed a lifestyle eg long trip listening to an audiobook
- Listen to something personal development
Then you can start imaging all the ways you can use it.
Example “breast petals”
Purpose: When can’t use a bra, to stop nipples showing.
Can’t show this on amazon directly. But if they’re effective, you won’t see the item under the garment
All the listings on Amazon showed a flesh-toned petal.
But the whole point of it is to NOT see it!
Showed chiffon dresses etc things that can’t use a bra
Showed it NOT showing!!
Actually showed the product only ONCE
His ranking went through the roof – went up to over $10K a month – they are a cheap generic product – but they became really differentiated.
Example 2 – linen pants (trousers)
There were existing listings on Amazon.
Daisi piggybacked on listing to gauge volume.
That listing had a very generic on white photos.
Serious customer research
Daisi did FBM – then she could see the addresses and names of buyers.
Most of the customers were from the South and Mid West and were all plus size women.
Googled nearly every customer and looked on FaceBook – what did they do for a living?
A lot were call centres or tech support – sitting at a desk all the time
Nearly size 1x, 2x, 3x – that really conveyed that they have Thursday type of body where the body hangs over traditional waisted pants/trousers.
If you’re sitting down 8-12 hours on the phone, anything constricting waist causes a lot of water retention, it’s uncomfortable and it’s bad for your organs.
Daisi hired a plus-size model (size 16), created images of her sitting at her desk. Daisi did photos of her walking – to show ease of walking.
Dressed them for casual, work and dinner party.
This implied: they are good for every occasion; a variety of colours when we model photography on your Amazon listing.
Being appropriate to the situation – because the clothes that are comfortable for plus size women are often not appropriate.
Changed the listing and copy – increased price by 3X – people still bought them at $60.
At the original listing, Daisi was selling them for $10. Then sold them for $30, 40, 60.
Were paying something like $40-60 a piece.
All the imports come through the port of LA and the showrooms are downtown – 3 blocks away from Daisi. If Daisi saw $9 for a 6-pack – 9×6 pieces – sometimes clearance sales on certain colours and certain packs.
Eg nobody buys white in the winter.
Some people worked in the medical field so needed to buy white!
NOT USED
How we construct a visually great listing?
Daisi’s process: example
Look for products with an audience in Amazon
Linen pants/trousers
Those days could “piggyback a generic listing”
Then when ready to create a new listing: audience mostly plus size women
Wasn’t selling small, medium and large – why? No use case for why to buy them
So create content to show the lifestyle.
At work
Yoga in park
Date night
Be casual
The reason PLUS size women were buying them is they had a flexible waist
They also didn’t leave a line around stomach if 1X, 2X, 3X size.
Did additional photos to show how comfortable it was for plus size.
So that really sold like hotcakes.
Here’s something for you:
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Watch my full interview with Daisi Sepulveda
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