Top 5 royalty free image sources for your marketing efforts.

There are many websites out there. That can be used for finding images online for your marketing and presentations. Although, a large majority of these websites require you to pay licencing fees or even a subscription fee. They can be used for your own personal marketing projects or even for a company marketing project or campaign. For companies and projects of any size.

This could also be something to consider for smaller sized companies and start-up companies with a much more limited marketing budget or even bigger and international companies.

Internal use for internal marketing or presentations using any image could be allowed depending on the type and form of licence purchased along with the image(s). They could be used within your internal company presentations. 

Although when you will be sending these images out publicly alongside your marketing campaign(s). That's when the use of images in your marketing efforts or when you don't have the time to take actual photos yourself. For marketing campaigns and need stock images and photos up your sleeves to use when required depending on the topic and topic area that you are presenting on. 

Websites that can be used in this case are as follows:

(1) Pexels (https://www.pexels.com/royalty-free-images/)  

Photo by Denis Zagorodniuc from Pexels (Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/latte-art-in-cup-of-coffee-on-a-round-table-3230010/)

This website allows you to download the photos for free although, gives the opportunity to donate via Pay Pal direct to the photographer and also in this case a link to their Instagram and provides a line of text to include to credit the source also to tweet and follow the photographer. The full URL isn't asked for but I've included them just in case you would like to find the photo directly. 

This particular image could be used to market a cafe or a restaurant although, in this case a photo of one of your own coffee's that you've made in your own cafe or restaurant would be best to use. Unless you state not an actual coffee from our restaurant or cafe. For example purposes only or something along those lines. As, most likely your cafe or restaurant mightn't have these particular floors and / or tables or even that particular cup as this could be seen as false advertising.     

(2) Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/)

Image by 琛茜 蒋 from Pixabay (Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/lanterns-temple-chinese-temple-5766754/)

On this site crediting isn't required but linking back to the website allows the image authors 

to gain the exposure and a line of text can be added that is provided after downloading it. The full URL 

(Uniform Resource Locator) isn't required.

Although, I've included just in case you want to find this link directly to the image source.

One way this image can be used for marketing is that it can be utilized for promotion of Chinese 

New Year (Friday 12th February 2021) possibly a sale or even International Chinese Language Day 

(Tuesday 20th April 2021) or if you are serving oriental cooking.

In the staff cafeteria, restaurant, cafe, ect. and for internal marketing purposes especially if your 

company has an all inclusive company and have an international team and so, need to be culturally aware 

and respectful of all beliefs religious or otherwise and nationalities traditional aware and considerate or that 

could be a Human Resources (HR) that needs to be dealt within the company in marketing role unless you 

are designing a marketing campaign that isn't considerate to other cultures or how yo deal with a fellow 

employee.

(3) Unsplash (https://unsplash.com/images/stock/royalty-free)

Photo by Alvy Martinez on Unsplash (Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/ONCqFPxIuoU)

Please note that this website asks users to shout out the original photographer on social media or copy the below text to attribute (below text is as follows: 'Photo by Alvy Martinez on Unsplash') to say thank you for the image. I just included the full URL just in case anyone would like to find the exact source of the above image.

Also, in the case of this image. I believe a merci (thank you in French) is warranted. What do you think?

In terms of marketing this photo could be used in by a Destination Marketing Organization (DMO) based within Paris or even France to promote visiting Paris due to this key landmark attraction to visit within the capital city.  

(4) Burst by Shopify Partners (https://burst.shopify.com/free-images)

Photo by Shopify Partners from Burst (Source: https://burst.shopify.com/photos/social-media-on-cell-phone?c=retail)

The photos on this website only ask you to credit Shopify Partners. All of the photos are free to use and come in either high or low resolution options or you can create a website with the photo.

This photo specifically could be used in your marketing to ask customers and clients to follow your business on the social media accounts especially if the 3 social media platforms that your company has a presence on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. If, there are other social media accounts that your company has a presence on you could mention them and include direct links to them under this image as an example of one use for it in marketing. 

(5) Free images (https://www.freeimages.com/)

Photo by mark normand from FreeImages (Source: https://www.freeimages.com/photo/business-world-4-1165031).

 

In the case of this website crediting is not essential. Although, they do provide a line of text to include to help give exposure to the photo as they phrase it after you click and download the photo. The full URL is not required to include. I include it so if you are looking to find the source of this exact photo you can.

In terms of this could be used in a presentation on who you aim a product towards in this case business people working in the business world. Possibly to help you stand out in the crowd you can buy this briefcase or suit or if, it's targeted to that 1 business women in the a group 6 business people to help you stand out in the crowd.   

I hope these websites help you with your marketing efforts although, this is not an exhaustive list and there are many more options out there for free images and royalty free photos also paid for photos for entrepreneurs, marketers or anyone involved in marketing or presentations within your role in the company or organization.  

David Mc Donald, BSc (Hons)

Currently completing a MSc in Marketing