How Branding Photography Can Boost Your Business
If you run a business in London, not only do you have to worry about your local competitors, but in today's digital world, you also have to compete with rival companies online. Personal branding photography is no longer a luxury that only large corporations invest in. Even small startups need to have a brand identity, if not, then most likely you’ll get lost amongst the sea of businesses you’re trying to compete with. If you’ve found yourself staring at your website or Instagram thinking “something’s missing”, you’re probably right. You can explain what you do with words all day long, but branding photography is what does the convincing - images are the first thing people look at afterall.
Whether you’re a startup company or a freelance marketer, the right images can be the difference between potential clients putting their trust in you and simply scrolling past. But how exactly can branding photography boost your business? In this article I break everything down for you, so you can take the next steps in elevating your company. Let’s dive in.
What Is Branding Photography?
Branding photography does a lot of the heavy lifting for you. They show who you are, what you do, and what you stand for. It’s more than just simple headshots. They capture portraits, environment, process, products, details, and moments with your customers. When done right, they can be used everywhere your brand lives: your homepage, your LinkedIn, your Instagram grid, you name it. It’s up to you to tell your brand story and these images do all the talking for you; they show your customers exactly why they should choose you from the second they take a glance.
Types of Branding Photography
Branding looks different for everyone. How your branding photoshoot will go depends on the industry you’re in. For example a small bakery will have a completely different set of images to a fitness coach. Here are the different types of branding photoshoots you can choose from:
Business Branding Photography
Business branding photography is for companies where the brand is bigger than one person. This can look like team headshots, portraits, environment images from reception to meeting rooms, and process shots of the work itself. These images can be used across your LinkedIn, ‘meet the team’ page, proposal cover, a conference bio, and more.
Product Branding Photoshoot
If you sell things, your images are your sales staff. Proper product branding photography shows scale, materials, colour accuracy, and context so your customers don’t guess what they’re buying. Whether these product shots are for your marketplaces or your website, making sure these are consistent and aligns with your branding is the key to making what you're selling stand out.
Lifestyle Branding Photography
When it comes to lifestyle images, this is where you get to showcase your service in action. For example a pilates studio during a class or a graphics designer in the middle of a design process. They’re in real-life settings, and they’re where your brand personality lives.
Personal Branding Photography
When you’re a one man band, you’re the face of your business. This means your branding is built around you. If you’re a coach, designer, copywriter, consultant or creator, your personal branding photography needs to reflect your personality that you can use to keep your socials active. This builds recognition and that recognition builds familiarity, and familiarity is what nudges someone from a silent lurker to a new client.
Benefits Of A Branding Photoshoot
Having the right images that truly represent what you’re trying to achieve with your business is beneficial for many different reasons. Everyone is online. Your branding images are your first impression to new customers and solidify your online presence. Not convinced yet? Here are some of the pros of a personal branding photoshoot:
You Look Professional
However big or small your business is, you’ll want to look professional. But that doesn’t mean looking stiff. If your branding is consistent, with good lighting and colours that fit well together, people will be able to tell that those choices were intentional. When potential clients “stalk” you and can see that your images are coherent across your socials too, you subconsciously come across as organised like you’ve got everything figured out. That draws people and makes them feel safe choosing you.
You Get Unique Images
How you tell your story is just as important as the stock/service you sell. Your workshop bench has its own scratches; your packaging tape leaves a specific texture; your brand colours do more than look pretty - they anchor recognition. When we plan a branding photoshoot together, the result is a set nobody else can replicate because it’s built from your process, your people, and your places.
Establishes Brand Identity
Your identity is more than just your logo, it’s a mood that carries through your site, your socials, your press kits and any place your name appears. A brand photoshoot can set the mood with the right lighting, colour, wardrobe etc, so you can reaffirm your brand’s identity. The goal is for anyone who stumbles across your content to immediately associate the feel and look with you and your brand. This recognition drives your business home, and lingering in the memories of your customers means they are more likely to come back when they need you.
Connect With Your Customers
People hire people they feel like they know and can trust. If you’re the face of your business (coach, financial advisor, therapist etc) that might mean a personal brand photoshoot that shows your personality and the environment of where/how you work. For larger companies that might mean having individual staff headshots across your ‘About Us’ page so clients can put a face to a name. These factors help you better connect to the people you’re selling to, and establishing that connection can mean they’re more likely to choose you.
Grows Your Community
Communities don’t appear out of nowhere. They build when people spot repeated signals and decide they like being around them. Brand photography gives you a pool of those signals so you can show up without repeating the same image for six weeks straight. Over time, people stick around because they recognise your world and want to be part of it, whether that’s by buying, booking or simply cheering you on.
You Have Images Ready When You Need Them
There’s nothing worse than a last-minute scramble for a decent photo. When you’ve invested in a branding photoshoot, you have a ready-made library that you can use across your website, social platform and press releases. No need to worry when your web developer needs a photo for the new homepage banner, you’ll always be prepared for any last minute posts or PR campaigns. And the best thing? These images tell your story and represent your branding. So if an out of the ordinary post does creep up, it still remains consistent with who you are and how you want to be portrayed.
Increases Social Engagement
Every business should be on social media at this point. Posts that contain photos or videos perform much better than text posts alone. But that doesn’t mean posting any old image will be guaranteed to do well. Instead, posting high-quality content that is consistent with your brand identity across your socials will encourage your audience to engage, and the more engagement the more visibility for your pages, and the more visibility the higher the chance those profile views will turn into conversions.
Encourages Sales
The images you put out into the world can either do one of two things, they make you look good or they put people off. If you’re investing in getting people to come to your page or website in the first place, you want to give them a reason to stay. Branding photography can do just that. Whether that’s high-quality product photos or shots inside proposals. When a customer or client sees the standard you've set, that often moves from a “we’re thinking about it” to “I choose you”.
Book Shot By Andrew For A Personal Branding Photoshoot
If your brain is already pairing sections of your website with shots you don’t yet have, that’s a good sign it’s time to build your library. I shoot personal branding photography and business branding photography across Wimbledon and the wider London area. Maybe you’re about to relaunch your site and want a homepage that finally feels like your brand or maybe you’re speaking more and need portraits that sit well on event pages and press features. Whatever the reason, I can help you get the shots that fit into your personal brand. I know that not everyone enjoys having their photo taken. But by the end of a photoshoot with me, you will feel like a natural in front of the camera and dare I say, actually enjoy the session. So what are you waiting for? Book a branding photoshoot with me today and see your vision come to life.
