Building a brand is possibly one of the most critical steps to gaining success in business; it really can be the difference between success and failure. This is because in business, it’s never about just selling products- what will earn you your customers (and enable you to keep them) is by selling them a lifestyle. You’re promoting the way that they want to live, rather than merely offering products or services. There’s a lot of psychology involved in branding and it’s a complex area, but unfortunately, this crucial element is something that new or smaller companies can easily overlook. Not only do people trust brands meaning they’re more likely to shop with them, but you can charge more money for your products and services and it can help you to differentiate from your competitors. 

What is brand photography?

Nearly all brands have a visual element of some kind, which is defined by a balance of illustration, print materials, and real-world imagery. However, some do it much better than others, and they’re able to gain better rewards with business success. Custom brand photography establishes your brand across all of your visual platforms, this includes your social media, your website and even your print collateral. Photos are an extension of your logo, fonts, colors and designs with brand photography being a suite of professional images that visually represent your business and fit with your visual identity through their use of colours, tone, props, sets and more. To make your company look it’s best and present it in the best way; you’ll want a range of consistent, well-crafted photos. These will ensure your business is kept looking tip-top across all of your marketing material over time. 

Why is brand photography important?

Good quality, consistent, professional brand photography is going to help capture potential clients interest, as they’ll see that you appreciate the attention to detail, high-quality content, consistency and great aesthetics. Having all of your visual elements work together, cohesively is vital in maintaining brand consistency. Research shows that brands that are consistently presented are three to four times more likely to experience brand visibility. Visual content goes a long way and has much better engagement than text-only content. The data speaks for itself:

  • Facebook posts from brands that included images gained 87 percent of all engagements.
  • Tweets with images gained 150% more retweets than tweets without images.
  •  Articles with an image once every 75-100 words received double the social media shares as articles with fewer images.

What can brand photography include?

Brand photography can include photos of you, your team, your products, your process, your space and other things that make your business unique. Make it personal, instead of flawless stock images that depict flawless people enjoying their job a little too much, show a more realistic side. It will present a more realistic view of your company and something that customers are better able to connect with. 

Avoiding stock images

It’s no secret that real photography converts better, the stats above speak for themselves. This is because stock photos lack authenticity, they can be used by anyone and arent an accurate reflection of your brand. While you might be able to get a few relatively well fitting images, these will be being used by hundreds of others, and aren’t able to be easily swapped in and out. Consider building on your own brand or identity with your own stock library of images so that they can be easily swapped in and out for variety to keep your online presence current and competitive. Quality brand photography will help establish you as a professional with a successful business that is polished and consistent in your message. With good brand photography, your clients will know that you are serious about your business and value yourself enough to invest in it. On-brand photos will convey the quality of your work and customer experience, which will allow your customers to feel confident that they can trust you.

How to develop your brand photography

Select photography that’s more than just filler, choose something that brings a new level to your message. Ask yourself, “does this photo make me feel something when I look at it? Is there a story here that draws me in? You could ask photographers to avoid staged photos of people staring at the camera and use engaging images of people enjoying themselves. Try to avoid clutter, leave space for your logo and keep it as natural as possible. Consider tone and palette and how this should be used in regards to your message. Do you want bright, bold, standout tones or pretty pastels, do soft earthy hues suit your message? It’s important that you get to the heart of what your brand is about and the message you want to portray before starting out with your brand photography so you can get it dead right. 

Brands that are strong photographically have some great advantages when it comes to attracting and keeping customers. They’re dynamic because new photos are relatively easy to get and create more of, and they’re able to send a huge range of different messages. They are emotional too, because photos can impact us immediately with real-world stories and feelings. People want to feel connected to the brands that they buy from; big faceless corporations have much less appeal, so utilise your photography as a way to connect with your customers. Your brand is about so much more than just a logo. Consider what it’s about at its heart, what customers are you targeting, how you can get the message out there. Interested in launching your Personal Brand for 2020? Get in touch here for more information.