The importance of using professional photography for your personal brand

Today I am sharing a guest blog post by Ailsa from B is for Brand, a Branding Consultant who works with business owners to achieve brand clarity by working out the key things you need to do to build a strong, memorable and lasting brand for your business.

Photo courtesy of Ailsa - B is for Brand

Hey there, I'm Ailsa from B is for Brand. As a Branding Consultant, I just wanted to share a few thoughts with you about why personal branding has become more important than ever when you're running a small business.

Brand photography is all about creating images that showcase your personal brand in a professional and impactful way. It’s a crucial part of building a strong, recognisable, and memorable personal brand.

Does this resonate with you? In the world of social media and online networking, as a small business owner, do you find yourself constantly looking for ways to differentiate yourself, get noticed and stand out from the competition? Whether you are a business owner, entrepreneur, or influencer, having professional images to represent your brand can be the difference between creating a strong brand image or falling behind.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “people buy from people.” By working with a professional photographer, you can create a set of images that showcase your unique personality and characteristics, while also conveying the essence of your brand. What's more, the big corporates would absolutely LOVE to have what you have.  The opportunity to make real human connections...

As a small biz owner, your personal brand can work side-by-side with or intertwined with your 'corporate' (or business) brand to drive your business forward. It's especially useful to build your personal brand and show 'behind the scenes' if your product or service is not an 'instant yes' purchase.

I experience this myself as a Branding Consultant. Just helping people to understand what it is I do and how that can help them in their business is a long process. There's a whole journey of getting to know people, developing a relationship and helping potential customers to understand the difference a brand strategy can make to the growth of their business. During this process of relationship building, my personal brand is every bit as important as the business brand. If you're a coach or consultant, maybe you've noticed this too?

Showing the 'face behind the business' with professionally curated brand photography can significantly improve your chances of developing relationships, making connections, building leads or making sales online. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or wherever you and your ideal customers prefer to hang out, all serve as important mediums for networking, finding connections and building your brand.

During a brand shoot with a photographer like Emma, you'll work to show the behind-the-scenes of your business, tell your story and most importantly show YOU. Done right, this will attract the attention of your ideal client and help establish you as an authority in your industry.

Here are my own top tips on how to 'brand' your photography.'  

1. Make sure you reflect your brand strategy in your brand photography. If you haven't got a brand strategy - write one and use it as a basis for your creative brief for the shoot. 

2. Your brand strategy contains details of your personality, values and of course your visual language including your colour palette.  How can you build this into the scenes you create with the photographer?  

3. Carefully consider the clothes you wear, the locations you choose to shoot in and the items that appear in the scene so that they all reflect what's written in your strategy.  

4. Try to show your brand emotion (so for example are you light-hearted, empathetic, kind, or serious?)

5. Get creative!  Don't be afraid to do things differently to other people if that will better capture who you are.

Professional brand photography also creates a sense of professionalism, trust, and credibility. Having high-quality images on your website and social media profiles is a clear indication that you take your branding seriously and are invested in your business. It can make a powerful statement about your brand's quality and position it as a professional and competent enterprise.

It will also give you confidence to market your business effectively, because it looks professional.

Investing in professional brand photography is an essential step towards building a standout personal brand. It not only enhances your visual identity but also helps to establish trust, credibility, and recognition for your brand. By working with a skilled photographer like Emma, you can present a professional and consistent image that helps you stand out from the crowd.

I hope these few tips help you build your brand and grow your business!

Bye for now...

Ailsa - B is for Brand - Achieve Brand Clarity

To find out more about how a brand consultant can help you stand out from the crowd, drop Ailsa a message. And if you’re interested in booking a brand shoot with me, then please contact me for a no obligation chat!