Everyone’s familiar with the expression that “a picture says a thousand words.” And there’s no doubt it’s true; it probably even underestimates the impact of a good photograph.
That’s why having good photos and illustrations of your people, equipment and facilities is of the utmost importance. Whether it’s something as simple as good “mug shots” of your executive team, artsy photos of power-generating devices (such as rows of panels at a solar farm) or your repair teams in action during challenging weather conditions, photographs can make your utility look good and emphasize the importance of what you do.
Those photos can and should be used in a variety of ways.
Press releases and press kits are a natural home for many of these photos.
The same is true for any company reports if you are publicly traded.
Social media is a natural for photos. You don’t even have to be imparting any great message; simply share interesting or unique photos. Whether it’s a crew repairing a downed line or an Ansel Adams-like shot of, say, your hydroelectric operations, photos are the perfect way to add some vitality to your social media feed.
Your website should always contain plenty of photos – too much text is perhaps the most common problem on bad websites everywhere.
You also should consider carving out a space on your website that is devoted entirely to photos. Promote your best photos even days, weeks and years beyond when they were taken.
If you have the bandwidth, consider a photo collage. Magazines use these often because they fill space, and they look nice. They’ll look nice on your website, too.
One note on photographs: Be sure to credit the photographer and make sure you have permission to use their work.
From personal experience, I can tell you there are law firms out there that go around scanning the internet looking for improperly attributed (or unlawfully used) photographs, then filing suit. It’s usually more of a nuisance than anything as they’re looking for small payouts, especially when the improper use or attribution was accidental, which it mostly is.