Branding used to be a term you’d only hear thrown around by marketing professionals and graphic designers. But these days, everyone is talking about branding, and if you’re a small business, it’s more important than ever to know how to use brand photos to your advantage!
So What’s A Brand Anyway?
Simply put, a brand is what people think or feel about your business. The trick is to teach those people how to think and feel, and you do that by creating a branded experience! In fact, with the proper marketing, you can turn folks interested in you and what you do into walking-talking advertisements for your company!
There are a few key elements that people think of when discussing brands. Even if you are new to marketing, I am sure you can think of a few common ones off the top of your head…go ahead; I’ll give you a minute…
If you are thinking logo or brand colors, you are spot on! These are arguably the most identifiable aspects of popular brands. If I mention Golden Arches, you immediately think of a giant yellow M and a red building, don’t you? McDonald’s is very recognizable worldwide for its consistent branding. And if you think back far enough, you can probably conjure up some mental images from their ad campaigns over the years. Like maybe a picture of a happy family eating together, the table littered with wrappers while kids played with their free toys.
The Power of Imagery
That image I just described is an example of the power a brand image can hold over the narrative you tell to your customers about your business. Great brand images aren’t just photos of your good-looking mug grinning at the camera. Branded imagery needs to tell the story of what you do and how you do it. Essentially, you are taking charge of your company’s brand story and showing your customers through imagery how to talk about who you are and what you do.
Research shows that people remember photographs better than they do words. Did you know that your brain can process images in as few as 13 milliseconds? That’s a lot of bang for your buck when it comes to marketing impact!
Reasons You NEED New Brand Photos
Whether you are marketing on social media or using your images on your website, having up-to-date photos is crucial to building trust with your customers. Social media is the first resource for new customers looking for a new product or service. Posting photos regularly is essential for letting your clientele know that you are actively pursuing your business and keeping them up to date on what you are working on. We call this form of marketing “social proof” – it’s proof to your consumers that you are active in your market.
Personal Branding and Personal brand photography isn’t a new concept – way back before social media even existed, there was a book called The Brand You by Tom Peters. In it, he shared:
“We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You. It’s that simple — and that hard. And that’s inescapable.”
And that quote is only becoming more accurate with the invention of online marketing and social media. The truth is that people buy from those they trust, which means YOU are your brand regardless of what you are selling. It also means that you have to share that YOU with your consumers – and what better way to do that than through powerful images that convey your unique story?
3 Tips for Making Your Brand Photos Work For You
Be authentic
Don’t just tell the story you think people want to hear – tell YOUR story. People want to trust the person they are buying from, which starts with forming an honest relationship based on being true to who you are. Trust me; your ideal clients will love those things that make you unique – your fun quirks make you stand out from the crowd, and they will also remember your authenticity.
Go for emotional connection
Tapping into your client’s emotions is a great way to build rapport and leave a lasting impression. When it comes to marketing, you have roughly 8 seconds to capture a potential client’s attention. Therefore, it’s important to use thoughtful imagery to maximize that impact!
Visual Impact Matters
That’s where I come in – visually stunning images make an impact, but what really sells a business is when your photos are beautiful and tell a compelling story!
We will be sharing more in some upcoming posts about how to plan for your brand photography session. Are you an Erie, PA small business owner looking to up-level your client experience through authentic storytelling? We’d love to assist you in creating some brand images that show your potential customers just how incredible you are. Message us to learn more about our branding packages!