There’s no doubt about it: effective photography is key to telling the story of any business. Did you know the average person sees 3,000 advertisements in 24 hours? You’d better find a way to stand out.
Take a hard look at your website, marketing materials and business cards. Is the photography telling the story of your business as it is today, with the entrepreneurial spirit you and your team exude as you look towards the future … or are the photographs you see dated, vanilla, even stale?
We’re all much the same when it comes to browsing the internet. Just think about when you’re in search of information about a product or service. What attracts you to staying on a website for more than just a few seconds?
Photography carefully crafted will pause the eye to take a longer, closer look at a website’s content. And the very best way to accomplish this is by hiring a professional who is an expert in Brand Photography.
Just what is a Brand Photo Session?
It is highly personalized and strategically planned photography bringing together a professional photographer with a client to tell the story of the who, what, where, when, why and how that makes a business special.
An effectively planned Brand Photo Session will provide you with just the right photography to tells the story of your business today, but also where it plans to be in the future. Also, you will finally start attracting the right clients when the right messages are being sent.
After you have researched and hired your Brand Photographer, consider the following 5 ways to maximize your Brand Photo Session:
1. Be authentic to your brand.
What’s different about the way you do business when you compare yourself to your competitors? What expertise do you and your team bring to the table?
Whether you’ve been in business for decades or your entrepreneurial start-up is just off the ground, there was a very good reason why you decided to take that leap of faith and go into business. That story is the authenticity of your brand.
High-quality professional photography provides the best way to capture the attention of busy people who are looking for products and services that you have to offer. Well-stylized Brand Photography provides a way to quickly grab their attention, providing them with an intimate look into why using your business will be a great decision.
Your uniqueness should be reflected in every aspect of your Brand Photo Session. Most important, your customer needs to know they can trust who they’ll be spending their time and money with. Good Brand Photography tells the story of the people on your team who strive to provide superb customer service day-in and day-out.
This uniqueness extends to the special nuances making your business special. It may be in the way you package your products. Perhaps it’s the service you are known for after the point of sale and everyone raves about. Or maybe it’s the location of your business that was so carefully selected to target a particular market.
2. Know your target audience.
Just who is it you want to reach through the photography that is created during your Brand Photo Session?
Your business plan and market research will hold the key to that answer. Brand Photography is more than lights, camera, action. It’s just as much about the important preliminary conversations you have with your photographer.
Those conversation might begin with some standard demographic information about your target customer, such as age, ethnicity, gender, marital status, income, education and employment.
But you might be surprised about other things you might want to take into consideration before a single photo is ever taken. More than likely there are some intrinsic characteristics in your target audience that might better help you find a fresh approach as you and your photographer plan your Brand Photo Session.
Here are a few ideas starters.
What hobbies does your target audience enjoy? What local sports teams, community events and nonprofit causes do they support? Are they a coffee shop crowd or are they more likely to enjoy an evening out at a supper club? Is their Sirius tuned to Sinatra or Rap? Do they enjoy a visit to the library or is all the information they need found in the palm of their hand? Take some time to learn something about the personality of your customer.
In the end, you may be surprised by what you discover about your target audience: it may be bigger and wider than you ever dreamed, and effective Brand Photography will tell that story.
3. Coordinate your brand.
Potential customers need to feel the enthusiasm and energy you bring to your business.
Think about what it takes to create just one scene in a movie and that will give you a sense of what will bring together all the pieces and parts that create a Brand Photo Session. Just like a movie, you’re out to create a story. Stylizing is an art that can truly make a story come to life. Oftentimes it’s the right accessory or prop positioned just so in a photograph to make all the difference. Perhaps consider working with your vendors and customers for collaborating with those accessories and props. It’s also a great way to tell them you appreciate their customer service and customer loyalty.
Make sure where you choose to do your Brand Photo Session makes sense with what kind of business you are and who you desire to attract to your products and services. You may very well do the session on location at your business, but you and your photographer may decide there are other locations which will better communicate the story you want to tell.
4. Invest in professional hair and makeup, and don’t forget your wardrobe!
The importance of this “frosting on the cake” can’t be stressed enough.
This photography will be in the public eye for a very long time, so make the most of your investment and strive to show off your very best self. Have some fun with this, and trust the professionals to make you and your team shine! Again, consider partnering with your customers and vendors to provide the services you need in terms of hair, makeup and clothing.
Keep in mind the colors you select should harmonize with the brand colors you use on your website, business cards and other marketing materials.
When you create the look to tell the story of your business, you tell potential customers you and your team are true professionals.
5. Finally—be organized.
A Brand Photo Session is an investment in you and your business. Your photographer is the expert in helping you make some important decisions. Creating a well-planned timeline of your photo session helps everyone stay organized. In the end, the time spent will be much more productive, efficient, rewarding and enjoyable experience because you’ll know what to expect before the big day arrives.
All the details need to be planned for, like transporting props and people to the session location or making sure there’s a place with privacy for you to change your clothes in during an outdoor photo session. In the end, it’s all about good preparation ... and preparing for the unexpected.
Hire the right Brand Photographer and you’ll be assured to have a person partnering with you who cares about the future success of your business. My favorite part of working with brands is making them shine in creative, outside the box ways.
Let’s get started with your story!