Stock art

Stock art is a great and affordable alternative to doing a real photo shoot. That being said, it has become so pervasive that people are learning to tune it out. You don't have do away with all stock art on your site but it's a good idea to have some real pictures on your site or in your ad. In particular if you are in a business that customers demand and need a certain level of trust (like housekeeping, auto mechanic, household repairs, etc.) this is even more important. Most intelligent people can deduce that the girl wearing the headset that has a perfect face, hair, & smile in the picture for the customer service page probably isn't the girl actually answering the phone at your company. Having some real pictures of your business and or employees can make a real statement and tell people that you are more than just some fly by night internet entity. And yes, you need to hire a PROFESSIONAL photographer to do these, this is not the time for DIY especially if it is for a print ad.