You’re Not Really Paying for Brand Photos…

If you’re thinking about investing in brand photography, it’s easy to look at the price and think you’re essentially paying someone to take some nice photos of you. And obviously, good photographs are a fairly important part of the deal.

But I don’t think that’s really what you’re investing in.

When brand photography is doing its job properly, you’re investing in being more visible, making your marketing easier and having a visual presence that actually matches the business you’ve worked hard to build.

You’re investing in being visible

There’s a big difference between knowing you should be visible in your business and actually doing it.

You can have all the ideas in the world for LinkedIn posts, blogs and emails, but if every time you want to put your face alongside one you think, “Urgh, I haven’t got a photo,” eventually it becomes another reason not to post. Or you use the same headshot you’ve been using for the last four years because it’s the only photograph of yourself you actually like.

Having a good collection of photographs you’re happy to use removes that barrier. You don’t have to find something to post every time you want to say something. It’s already there.

You’re investing in photographs that actually feel like you

This one matters enormously to me. Brand photography shouldn’t create a fictional, shinier version of you that only exists for the afternoon of your photoshoot.

I want someone who already knows you to look at your photographs and recognise you. Perhaps it’s you on a particularly good day. You’ve thought about your clothes, your hair is behaving itself and we’ve paid attention to all the details. But it’s still you.

Because there’s very little point having beautiful brand photographs if you don’t feel comfortable sharing them.

Your photographs should keep pace with your business

Businesses don’t stand still. What you’re selling changes. Your audience changes. You become more confident. Your positioning changes. Your website evolves. You start talking about different things. And sometimes the photographs you’re using simply don’t represent the business you’re running anymore.

This is why I’m a big believer in keeping your image library up to date rather than trying to create every photograph you could possibly need for the next five years in one shoot.

Different clothes. Different seasons. Different things happening in your business. Your photographs should evolve with it.

If your business has moved on considerably but your photographs haven’t, there’s a disconnect between what potential clients are seeing and the business they’re actually considering working with.

Good brand photography can make marketing considerably easier

This is where investing in brand photography starts to make marketing considerably easier. Instead of searching for something suitable every time you want to post, you’ve already got a library of images showing different sides of you and your business.

You don’t need a photograph with every LinkedIn post. You don’t need to show your face every single day. But when you’ve got a good collection of photographs, you’ve got choices.

You can talk about something personal and have an image that fits. You can talk about your work and show yourself actually doing it. You can launch something new, update a page on your website or get asked for a photograph for a speaking event without having to frantically search your camera roll.

Your photographs become a resource for your business rather than something you only think about when you suddenly need one.

Being visible helps people remember you

One of the less obvious benefits of brand photography is familiarity. When you show up regularly, people start to recognise you. They get familiar with your face as well as your name and what you do.

People might have been quietly reading your posts for months without ever commenting. Then they meet you somewhere and feel as though they already know you. Or six months later they finally need the thing you sell and your name comes to mind.

Visibility isn’t always about somebody seeing one photograph or one LinkedIn post and immediately booking you. Often it’s about becoming familiar enough that when they’re ready, they remember you.

And having photographs you’re comfortable sharing makes that much easier.

You’re also investing in the experience

Having brand photographs taken is something a lot of people put off because they imagine the experience is going to be awful. An hour or three of feeling self-conscious while somebody points a camera at you doesn’t sound like an especially appealing way to spend a Tuesday.

It shouldn’t feel like that.

A good brand shoot starts before the camera comes out. We plan what you’re going to wear, what photographs you actually need, where we’re going to take them and what you want people to see when they look at them.

On the day, there will be clothes everywhere. There will probably be a point where I tell you to move your hand because it’s doing something weird. But there should also be talking, laughing, coffee and the feeling that somebody else is taking care of the details for a while.

Ideally, you leave thinking it was considerably less painful than expected.

So, is investing in brand photography worth it?

If all you’re going to do is download your photographs, look at them once and leave them sitting in a folder on your computer, probably not.

The value comes from using them.

Put them on your website. Use them on LinkedIn. Add them to your proposals. Use them in your email marketing. Send them when somebody asks for a headshot. Keep showing up with them.

Because you’re not really paying for brand photos.

You’re investing in being seen. You’re investing in making it easier to market your business. You’re investing in having photographs you’re proud to put your name next to.

And ultimately, you’re investing in showing up properly.