The Importance of Branding Photos

The age-old adage that “a picture is worth 1,000 words” doesn’t exist in our collective consciousness for no reason. It’s true. And in today’s world, pictures work to create the heart and soul of your business and really make it sing to consumers. No matter what you sell—a service, a product, or an experience—branding photography elevates your game and can launch you into the next stage of your success.

Why Is Brand Photography So Important? 

Your brand needs to stand out among all the other ones jockeying in your industry, and branded photos can harness the power of the brand in a variety of ways.

Become Relatable and Human.

Putting a face on a company makes it personal. Statistics show that an overwhelming majority of consumers trust companies more when they have a photographic presence. People want to connect with people, relate to them, and see the face behind the business. Photos also help customers understand who you are in business as well as behind it. When you are seen in your marketing, clients gain confidence and comfort about working with you and can better imagine themselves being part of your experience. On the other hand, if you sell products, having people in the photos makes the goods go from seemingly unattainable or hypothetical to achievable and tangible. 

Create a Great First Impression.

With attention spans what they are today, people establish their first impression in just 50 milliseconds. Everything you share needs that wow factor. This can be done through consistent and professional brand photography. The key is to attract then intrigue then inform with attention to detail, quality content, and wonderful aesthetics. A solid, polished presentation makes people want to interact even before they know anything about what you offer.

Increase Engagement.

Especially online, visual content has a far greater engagement than text alone. Of course, you can further explain with short-and-sweet text alongside the pretty pictures, but you should start with a visual bang. Photos, videos, illustrations, and infographics are key to communicating about your brand, but they also need to be good quality and on brand.

Establish Brand Consistency.

Once you have your logo, colors, and fonts chosen, the photography needs to match. Part of maintaining brand consistency is making sure all the visual elements work cohesively together. Consistent presentation results in a higher interactions and engagement across the board.

Keep Your Brand Unique.

Although there are good stock images out there, they may not be exactly on brand, and hundreds of other people can use the exact same photos. This is okay when you’re first starting out, but having your own unique photos is a far better strategy.

Where Will I Use Branded Photography?

The short answer? EVERYWHERE. Every portal lends an opportunity to use images to get branding out there and engaging consumers. The options are endless, but here are a few to start your brain bubbling: 

• Social media (profile photos, posts, stories, process photos)
• Website, blogs, newsletters, and email signatures
• Paid ads 
• Business cards and thank you notes
• Bio profiles for speaking engagements and webinars
• Podcast artwork

So, How Do I Start?

The first step is to make a plan, and here’s what that means.

Understand Your Story.

Before the camera clicks, know who you are, what your brand is, who your audience is, and emotional takeaways you want people to have. Whatever story you’re trying to tell should first be unique and clear to you; then you can spend the time and money on photography to share that story with others. 

Know Your Shots.

You don’t need to know every photo you want taken, but you should come up with a basic plan for what kinds of photos you need. Is it a headshot, photos of your workspace, products photos, you in action at your craft? You know your business best, so think it through before you shoot.

Choose a Photographer.

Find someone who does brand photography, whose work you enjoy, and with whom you have, or could have, a rapport. You need to be comfortable with this person and have fun. Your emotions will show in the photos! If you don’t already know someone (hint hint: Little Powerhouse Branding), ask for recommendations or check social media groups or other online lists. Get in touch with a few and make sure you mesh!

Have fun! And let your photos do the talking!