7 Ways to Use Brand Photography
7 Ways to use your Brand Photography
Brand photography is a relatively new term or buzzword running around in the marketing world. Basically, it is professional images of and for your company that represent your brand, show personality, and create brand awareness.
I believe in business owners investing in custom photography for their brand, not only for their website but also for social media, blogs, courses, and much more. Brand photos can give your brand personality, show off what makes you unique, and boost the level of professionalism.
“What do I need brand photos for? I use stock images, and it seems to work just fine.” When I am talking with business owners, I get this question often, and it is a valid question, so I thought I would share not only what you can and should use brand photos for and some fun tips too.
Website
Like most online platforms, your website is likely to have a lot of graphics and images. Having personal and unique images will set you apart from your competitors. This alone is a good reason to invest in brand photography because you will have a whole collection of images that you can customize for your website. You will need them for your homepage, landing pages, about page, service pages, you get it, all the pages need images.
PRO TIP: If you are redoing your website, it is smart to consider your photography in the planning process. Your designer or photographer should be able to help you determine the feel you want potential clients to have when visiting your site so you can create a brand photoshoot around each of these website pages and elements.
Social Media
Facebook is still number one and having a profile that represents your brand and provides value to your audience is crucial. For your header images, for example, you could use stock images, but that will not help you stand out at all. Having a brand image or images be one of the first things people see when visiting your page will create consistency, which will create trust in your brand. It will also elevate your level of professionalism in the viewer's mind.
Instagram is a fantastic platform for businesses to be active on as it is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms out there right now. I don't think it is a secret here that using original photos that speak to your brand's personality will help your audience connect with you. And just in case this isn't obvious, Instagram is darn close to being a 100% visual platform, so brand imagery really matters! You want people to recognize you from the images you post right away.
LinkedIn is another great platform. It is a way to connect with business mined people, which is extremely helpful if what you do is more B2B. If you have not been on there in a while, you may be happy to know that LinkedIn has really adjusted their platform to be even more social. Now more than ever, they are working to create a platform that business-minded people want to spend their time on. It is no longer just an online resume that you visit once or twice a year. You may not realize it, but you can update your header image, share blog posts, and other media. believe it or not, LinkedIn even offers stories now like Facebook and Instagram. Sharing industry insights, your brand's story, and even selling on this platform is more than acceptable you can be sure to stand out from the rest by using your brand photos for your profile, blog posts, and even in your stories.
Great images are more likely to get shared. When an image of yours gets shared, repinned, or re-grammed on social media, it's an opportunity for you to make a lasting impression and get noticed by other people's circles. If your images never get shared, it's is limiting your engagement, and that, my friend, is holding your business back. Sharing images that are compelling and unique to your brand will help you grow your brand awareness.
Blog Graphics
In this digital age, a blog is a very powerful way to attract new clients. So it is no surprise that one of the most common ways my clients use their images is for their blog. Let’s be real for a second; chances are that whatever you are writing about, someone else has written about it before too. That’s ok, they don’t have the same audience or your perspective, but the last thing you want is to use the same stock images they do to go with it. Many bloggers share their posts on Pinterest because it is a good way to get your blog found but your ideal client. I don’t know if you have spent much time on there, but there are many different businesses that are using the same images, and it doesn’t really look great when you have two very similar posts with the same images used in them. If you are using your own brand images on your blog and someone pins your blog, you will not have to worry about anyone else using the same image and looking like a copycat. Your posts will always look unique and professional. Guess what that will set you apart from the crowd.
Creating Connection
Images have a way of making people feel things, and that is a powerful thing. Emotions create connections, and connection leads to brand loyalty! Brand photography can create images that will create connections. As an example, Starbucks has a very loyal client base, and as one of them, I can tell you that I am very aware that I can make coffee at home at a fraction of the price. I justify my high-priced coffee as I am worth it, and it is worth it. Why? They have built a brand based on passion, high quality, and freshness. They had a very specific brand expression guide that reviews colors, logos, and imagery because they understand the power of their brand imagery. They want you to see their images and recognize them as Starbucks and see the handcrafted products and quality. When you decide to go with brand photography, you're choosing to create the feelings you want to create as you create the images.
Advertising
When you have great brand photos, they speak for themselves, and they can do the selling for you especially if you sell a product. When you place high-quality images of your products, you will need very little words to attract your ideal client. Local publications, magazines, and even Google My Business recommend high-quality, unique images for your content.
Brand Collateral Items
If you use any type of print products for your marketing, brand photography is essential for creating a professional look. Business cards are a great example of this. Your business card should make an impression, and one way to do that is to use a stunning photo on one side of your card. When this photo matches the style and vibe of your website and social media, your brand looks seamless, cohesive, and with consistency builds trust. You may also use your brand imagery on ebooks, price sheets, educational materials, and more. Your brand photographer will help you decide what type of images will work best too. If you offer a service, like business coaching, your photographer may want to capture the process from consultation through a session and maybe even speaking events to capture all you have to offer to your clients.
Communications
You may use multiple ways of communicating with your prospective clients. Your brand images are great for your emails and not only as a headshot in the signature. Adding images to emails and newsletters will increase your read rate because you are more likely to grab the reader's attention. Do you snail mail? That old fashion way or thanking someone is making a come back because it seems more personal now. Make your postcards, thank you stationery, and more really pop with some unique and authentic brand images.
Bonus all this effort leads to getting clients. This is what you are after, right? I mean, I hope so, the goal of any business person is to make money and we do that by attracting clients. Brand photography lets you show what you do, who you do it for, how and even WHY you do it to help you attract clients who want to buy from you.
I know that photography is a key element of your visual branding. That’s why I offer brand packages from the one-time brand experience sessions to quarterly content creation packages that complement my social media services. Want to learn more click a link below to get started.
Brand Content Creation Packages