The Power of Visual Storytelling: Why Brand Photography Matters

Brand Photography

What the heck is Brand Photography, Anyway!?

Brand photography is professional custom imagery (custom is key!), curated with the intent of providing a visual identity to a business or brand, using color (your brand colors!), tone, props, etc.   

This can include:

  • Headshots of you and/or your team
  • Group photos
  • Images of your space/your tools of the trade
  • Images of your process/how you interact with clients/your work behind the scenes
  • Product photos
  • Styled, on-brand stock imagery
  • Visual representation of anything that makes your business unique

Many times, people get their feet wet with brand photography by getting a nice headshot.  But this is just one piece of the bigger picture.  A true visual identity consists of a full range of consistent, intentionally created images that keep your brand looking fresh and professional across all marketing materials, and throughout time. 

Why is Visual Identity Important?

  • Research has shown that the human brain processes images/visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
  • Social media content with images/visuals receives up to 5x more engagement than those without.
  • Most consumers will look at a brand’s online presence before interacting with them in person; having a solid personal brand (showing your face!) will bring a human element to the digital world, and help build trust, which increases the likelihood that potential clients will want to work with you.

Breaking down Brand & Visual Identity

  • Brand Identity: The internal elements of the brand – the mission, values, personality
  • Visual Identity: The external elements of the brand – the design, logo, colors, photos

Brand photography, when done well, can bring these two elements together, and can reinforce you mission, values, and personality through a visual medium.

Before we go too far, I do want to touch on the importance of Personal Branding, because it’s a big part of what makes Brand Photography work so well. 

Personal Branding

  • Personal Branding has been described as the unique combination of skills and experiences that make you who you are
  • It is one of the strongest marketing techniques you can use
  • It allows you to present yourself authentically, and in your best light, to your ideal clients; you can
    • control the narrative
    • communicate your Why
      • I think this is a critical part in developing your personal brand; it helps keep your efforts and messaging focused, and authentic to you!
    • put the focus on what makes you unique and different in your industry
    • position yourself as an expert
    • set yourself apart

Thought Experiment: Think about the last time you made an online purchase. 

  • Think about how you were first introduced to the product or service
    • Was it by an influencer?
    • If not, did you search the internet for information about the product/service before purchasing?
  • Chances are, the answer to at least one of those questions was yes. 
  • Generally, we are not making purchases before getting a human being’s opinion first; whether it’s from an influencer we like, or from reviews

Thought Experiment: Imagine that you’re ready to purchase an online course

  • You’re looking at two different courses with the exact same description
    • One is presented to you in text
    • The other is presented to you by someone who you feel like you know, trust and who you identify with – you have similar businesses or are at similar points in your entrepreneurship journey – they tell you how much they loved and benefitted from the program
    • Which do you choose?
      • Probably the one recommended by someone the person that you like, know, and trust.  You’ve just been influenced!

Ultimately, Personal Branding is a type of influencing.  But it’s more authentic because you’re not being paid to sell something you don’t believe in.  You’re simply attracting the RIGHT clients because they identify with and trust YOU. 

Back to Brand & Visual Identity – Why are they important?

  • Brand and Visual Identity help to create brand recognition & awareness: when your potential clients are used to opening up their email, networking apps, or social media and seeing your face, your logo, your colors, they will start recognizing your content before they even know that it’s you – this is a huge part of the Know, Like, Trust formula that’s required for people to invest their time and money into your services or products.

“All things being equal, people do business with, and refer business to people they know, like and trust.”

Bob Burg
  • Brand and Visual Identity help to establish credibility and professionalism: while professionally developed logos, websites, color palettes, and even brand photos are not necessary for a successful business (we all know you shouldn’t wait for these things to get started), they absolutely communicate a dedication to a high quality of work and professionalism, which then builds trust with your clients.
  • Brand and Visual Identity help to connect and engage with ideal clients: your brand and visual identity should be carefully curated to attract your ideal client. 
  • For example – if you want to attract bold, powerful, professional corporate lawyers for your services, you’ll find a graphic designer to develop logos and color palettes that communicate those qualities. And in your content, you’ll likely communicate in a straight-forward, professional way.  Your brand photos should communicate these qualities as well.  For example, you’ll want to be photographed in a suit in a professional setting.
    • On the flip side – if you want to attract a fun, creative service provider, you’ll   want a logo and color palette that communicate a more laid back, approachable quality.  Your content will probably be more casual and light-hearted. 
      • You can communicate all of this with your brand photos as well by dressing more casually and infusing more personality in your images with your colors and props. 
  • Brand and Visual Identity help to create consistency: once your clients recognize your brand and visual identity, having a catalogue of these visual elements (photos, as well as email and social media templates, etc.), will allow you to maintain that recognition and trust with images and posts that consistently communicate your brand to your audience.   

Now, how about that powerful Visual Storytelling?

We’ve likely all heard that stories are a much more memorable way to draw in our audiences, and they make our content more memorable.  The same can be said for visual storytelling with brand photography.  And we should be telling our story, because people want to know about it.  Believe it or not. 

We, as humans, are curious and want to know about one another. (Just think about how often you’ve “Googled” or “Facebook Stalked” someone!) We want to know more than just what someone does; we want to know:

  • Why they do it
  • How they got started
  • What their values are
  • What their hobbies, likes, and dislikes are
  • What their morning and skincare routines look like! We just want to know all the things!

If we like or admire someone…we’re often looking for a clue as to how they are “just like us”.  It makes us feel closer to them, it makes us like and trust them more…and it may make us buy from them.  So – how do we tell that story?

Brand photography is a form of visual storytelling; it can tell your brand story.

Just like other stories, your brand story should have characters, a setting, and a plot (plus a few extras).

Characters (this is you!)

  • The images of yourself should be authentic to you, relatable, and personality-driven
  • Think about ways to infuse personality into your images:
    • guilty pleasures
    • how you engage in self-care
    • favorite books, movies, etc.
    • example: for my most recent brand session, I included some of my favorites – sparkling water, donuts, & of course: sweatpants

Setting: This is your workspace and/or where you serve your clients!  This can be your office, home office, coffee shop, or wherever you conduct business.  If you don’t generally work in a space that’s visually appealing, you can find a spot that fits your vibe.

Plot: This is the most significant element of your brand story, and there are SO many ways you communicate this to your audience

  • How did you get started? Is that a key part of your brand?
  • What does your morning routine or a day-in-the-life, look like?
  • How do you serve your clients?
    • What does it look like when you’re working with/for your clients?
    • What does behind the scenes look like for you?
  • What are your tools of the trade? (Great for thinking about what props you can use!)

Plot Twists & Props!

Plot Twists: Special events & milestones

  • New services/launches
  • Client wins
  • Business anniversaries
  • Pivots, niches

Props: On-brand stock images

  • Instead of searching Canva or the internet for stock images that don’t quite fit your brand, Brand Photography sessions can provide you with a library full of personalized, on-brand stock and filler photos (perfect for using on websites, emails, freebies, reel covers, story backgrounds, etc.)

Return on your investment

High quality brand photography should be an investment!

  • It’s important for establishing a strong brand and visual image, which can last for years; so it’s not something you want to skimp on.
  • Experienced brand photographers will prioritize the planning process – they will not just “show up and shoot”.
    • Planning is critical for getting a return on your investment.
    • It ensures that your session will be authentic to you and your brand, and that will achieve your visual identity goals.
    • Increased sales – when you increase brand awareness, credibility, and connection and trust with your ideal clients, your sales will follow.

Time that you don’t have to spend attempting to take your own photos, or searching for the right photos to use, you can instead spend on doing the things that light you up, and make you money.

In Conclusion…

Your brand identity and your visual identity are an essential part of your business and your brand.  And brand photography plays a critical role in developing and maintaining both of these. Use your brand photography session to tell your brand story, and look for an experienced photographer to strategically plan and execute your session, to get the most out of your time and financial investment!