This weekend, why not increase the value of your shop’s merchandise photos with a little craftiness?

We’ve talked about captions being so useful for your business photos on the web. We’ve even talked about using words in your photos.

So let’s take the next step: reinforcing your shop’s name and image by including a tag in your photos. A real, honest to goodness tag that adds a little sales pitch to every photo of your merchandise that you post on your site or blog, use in your e-newsletter, stick in your business page’s photo albums over on Facebook. Heck, even on Twitpic or some-such, though I don’t suggest you use that. (See why, if you enjoy diversions. And more why Twitpic is a waste of your efforts to grab customers’ attention.)

You can make honest-to-goodness physical tags. These might be the default tag on all your merchandise, a larger version for your photo sessions, or used solely for photos, window displays, and interior displays. Up to you.

Real Tags and Virtual Tags

Photo from Peonies in Connecticut, whose shop/ marketing image is very au courant and stylish.

Rags apparently uses photo manipulation, a super-handy way to add a virtual tag (and here, a virtual bow from last holiday season!) with no muss and fuss

Here's some more photo manipulation. This tag with actual prices on it could be included with the outfit photo.

If you're getting crafty and making real tags to use in your photos, try these for your sales floor while you have the craft supplies out. Changes uses these in her shop to draw attention to things she really wants to get rid of, tagging different items every day.

Tags Gone Bad

That’s not to say that all tags in photos are good. They’re good when they add your name, your branding, or even your values to photos of specific merchandise. They’re bad when they distract the eye from your general shop sales floor photos.

A nice room vignette, yet all you see is those price tags. If you want to have a photo that subliminally suggests "your home can look this good", remove the price tags.

Really. Do those hot pink price tags make your merchandise look more or less desirable?

So there you have it. Good tags and bad, and a weekend to think about how you might use these ideas in your shop. Tell us how you use the ideas in YOUR shop.

Still with me? More Auntie Kate suggestions on photos to build your business image.

• Cut it Out
• Why You Need a Little Help From Your Friends Lest You Look Like a Loser
• Some Super Examples you might have missed.

There’s probably even more here on Auntie Kate (I am very keen on the power of web photos) but that’s enough. It’s the weekend!