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May 30, 2013

The magic of good photos

I usually write about communications that are specifically used to raise money—hence the title of this blog.  But today I want to share something with you that I found very striking, and isn't about getting money in the door.  It's about saving the lives of shelter dogs.

A professional pet photographer in Texas, Teresa Berg, has been donating her time to take photos of dogs up for adoption in shelters.  Unfortunately, many photos of dogs on shelter websites show the dog looking lethargic, scary, or similar.  She believes (and I agree) that these bad photos make the dogs less likely to get adopted.  So Berg spruces up the dogs and takes pictures of them looking adorable and friendly, like a pet you want to take home.  After she started taking photos for a shelter, their adoptions went up 100%!

This is basic marketing at its finest.  I'm sharing this with you to reinforce the point that what you put out in front of people matters.  You have to inspire them to envision what you want them to envision (in this case, taking home a shelter dog).  Also, photos tell your story, and can be so important in affecting emotion in your donors.

If you missed my post with basic photography tips, it's here.

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