Personal & Professional Brand Photography (Why Every Business Needs This)
/Real Photos. Real Results.
Brand image is all the rage right now, but it can be confusing. How do you create a brand? What is personal branding? Why is building a brand image so important, and how can it affect the success of your social media marketing? I can feel your overwhelm and confusion. However, the fact that you are here with me and reading this means you are determined and know the value of a good content strategy and brand identity and want your business to succeed. So let's break this down into bite-size steps we can overcome together. In this article, I will help you understand why quality brand photos are such a fundamental aspect of the online content strategy for your business.
Let's kick the overwhelm to the curb and make your business soar to the top!
What is Personal Brand Photography, and why does your business need this?
Many small businesses, entrepreneurs, and MLMs fall into one of two pitfalls with regard to creating a personal brand:
Pitfall Number 1: They don't recognize the importance and value of the images in their online presence, and they either don't post pictures at all or, when they do--they post low-quality photos that do not represent their brand or showcase their personality. These businesses produce little to no engagement and may struggle to thrive.
OR
Pitfall Number 2: They DO recognize the importance of their aesthetic, images and brand representation and are spending too much time on this and are overwhelmed by it. These businesses burn out quickly, get overwhelmed and often don't reach their potential.
For your potential clients to trust and identify with you and ultimately buy whatever it is you are selling, they need to SEE you. When you look at pictures, you feel like you know that person or want to get to know that person. Images jump out and grab you and pull you into the story. You feel an emotion. Emotions sell. Images sell.
Let's simplify your success.
You may not have a lot of time. Maybe you are super particular about the look you are going for, or perhaps you have no clue what pictures you need to represent your brand best.
If you could trust that a photographer understood how to tell a story (YOUR story), if they could peel back the layers and capture you in genuine, authentic moments...would hiring this task out be worth your time and money?
Personal branding is marketing YOU. People only buy from people they trust. But, unfortunately, they do not trust people they don't see and understand. So unless you identify and properly market your online brand with images that include YOU, it will be challenging to succeed in today's market.
If you gain visibility and trust through high-quality images that cohesively and authentically represent who you are and what you can do for your clients, your business can and WILL succeed.
The human brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than it processes text. It takes 1/10th of a second to process an image!!
A common misconception is that branding is for blogs and businesses that are already established and successful. Waiting to invest in your images until you have enough followers or a big enough presence is tempting. Successful influencers and entrepreneurs are where they are because they have a strong, identifiable brand. It can evolve and improve, but it was solid and identifiable early on. Please stop showing up online with cell phone selfies. Instead, invest in your business and represent yourself well in the marketplace with professional imagery.
Instagram Photos showing Faces, get 38% more likes than photos not showing faces.
Your online relationships are dependent upon your visual appeal. And while we are discussing the visual appeal, let me make another point:
Being beautiful is NOT the key to a successful brand and a large following. Being REAL is the key.
Be real. Share YOUR story. Who are you? What do you represent? Build trust and relate-ability, and you will build and grow your brand and following. Your audience needs to consistently see you as authentic, trustworthy and approachable to connect with you. You must define your story with the right images (I can help you with this!) and then keep that story fresh in your viewer's mind.
Blog Posts with an image every 75-100 words get 2 times as many Shares as articles with fewer images.
Businesses get 60% MORE inquiries when images show up in the local search results.
What other people are saying:
“ It was probably one of the least stressful photo sessions I’ve had. We received the proofs back quickly and there were plenty of great photos to choose from! ”
“Chelsea is such a blessed photographer! She makes the whole experience easy going and fun. She is professional, but has the innate ability to make you feel as though you have known her for years. ”
