We all agonise about finding the right words to promote what we do. Engaging web copy. Glossy brochures. Carefully crafted blogs. They all show the world you really care about your brand and how you tell your story. But can the same be said about the photos you use? Hand on heart – are you relying too much on stock photos? Or do your photos lack personality? (Different team member, same headshot, same pose, same background maybe?) We get it! You have enough on your plate running your business that you haven’t got time to indulge your ‘arty’ side.
But not paying attention to your photos often means business will suffer.
You might have an amazing brand with a logo, colours and all-singin', all-dancin’ fonts, but if your photography doesn’t match, it’s not good for business. All your visual elements need to work together to maintain brand consistency. In fact, brands that are consistently presented are four times more likely to experience brand visibility; and 90% of consumers expect their experience to be consistent across all channels and devices used to interact with brands.
Why are good business photos important?
People form a first impression within only eight seconds, so everything you share has to wow – and wow fast! A range of brand consistent, styled business photos will help you get your business noticed (in the right way!) and help you stand out in the noisy online world for the long term.
By representing your business through a bank of professional images, you’ll attract potential clients quickly. They’ll see that you appreciate quality content that has consistent attention to detail. When you and your team are visible throughout your marketing, it’s clear to potential clients who they would be working with, what the process might be, and what your products and services are about. That makes it so much easier for them to imagine themselves as part of that experience and what might be achieved as a result.
A great brand impression increases engagement.
We are all visual beings. We take in information, are compelled to take action and feel emotion when we see something.
Photos are way more enticing than text. If you need convincing, here’s some ‘bore off’ facts for you. Some 65% of marketing bods say images, short video clips and infographics are key to communicating your brand story. Facebook posts from brands that included images hit 150% of all engagements.
Using business photos for social media.
You’ll find it hard to run a successful business today without the help of social media. Here’s why: 82% of consumers trust a company more and 77% are more likely to buy from a company where the founder is present personally on social media.
When choosing images for social media, it’s easy to rely on stock images. You may be able to find some good stock images that work (kind of) but chances are they aren’t quite on-brand, and guess what? So many thousands of other businesses will be considering using the exact same photo. So, the next time you’re drawn to the ‘trendy millennial in tartan shirt laughing with colleagues in a hip city workspace’ or ‘coffee in sage green mug strategically positioned against a MacBook Air’, know that you’re going to see the exact same photo in other businesses’ social feeds and on their websites. What message does that give potential clients about the authenticity of your brand?
Where can I use brand photos?
Investing in professional photos for your business means you have a whole suite of authentic photos that can be used in so many different ways. Better still, you have them immediately to hand so it takes the pressure off when you’re trying to find something suitable at short notice.
The best brand photos show off the personality of your business – who you are, the origins of your brand, the products and services themselves, your processes, working with customers, and what goes on behind the scenes.
Here’s some of the ways in which businesses use their professional photos:
Social media:
•LinkedIn profile pictures
•Banners
•Business pages
•Instagram profile/ stories / posts / reels
•YouTube channel
•Facebook profile/ stories / posts
•TikTok
•As the graphics for your paid ads
Web:
•On each and every page, and particularly the 'About' page
•Blog posts (either on your website or anywhere else where you might be making a guest appearance)
•As podcast artwork
Digital marketing:
•Email campaigns
•Newsletters
Events:
•Webinar promo
•Training material
•Guest speaker appearances
Promo and print:
•Brochures
•Your media/press pack – whenever you share a press release about your business, editors will expect a photo to accompany the words
•Banner stands
•Book author image
•Business cards
•Complement slips
•Client thank you notes
•Christmas cards
Your branding session with PhotoJENIX.
At your PhotoJENIX photo shoot, we’ll include: photos of you, your team, your products, your process, your space, your customers or clients, and anything else that make your business unique.
Through the use of colours, tone, props, backdrops, sets and more, we will ensure your visual identity is ‘on brand’.
If people are to consider working with you, they need to relate to you and buy into ‘the person behind the brand’. We know - cringe overload! We totally get that not everyone is comfortable with being photographed. PhotoJENIX co-owner Jenny (very much the calming influence in the business) is much happier being on this side of the camera rather than the person being photographed, so she knows perfectly what’s needed to put anyone who’s similarly uncomfortable at ease. We really pride ourselves here at PhotoJENIX that your experience will always be a really positive one. You’ll be chillin’ and chattin’ and, before you know it, you’re ‘working it’ and the dreaded deed is done. You’ve been papped – naturally.
Even if you are just starting out, a few unique, perfectly on-brand pro images will make all the difference and be an investment that benefits your business for many years to come…
Get in touch.
