Considering my profession, I felt a lot of pressure planning my own brand photoshoot. I’m supposed to be guiding other people through this process… but this time, I had to be my own guide.
Planning a photoshoot is much more than just creating a Pinterest mood board. It’s about creating content for the clients you want to connect with. It’s also about stepping outside your business for some real strategy work. Let’s talk about how I prepared for my own brand photoshoot.
In preparation for the shoot, I had two big questions I wanted to answer:
Question #1: What is my audience most interested in?
This is an important question, and there are several ways to figure out the answers.
Simply asking your audience on social media is a great way to receive feedback.
Reaching out to your most loyal clients to ask what kind of content they would like to see is very helpful.
Checking your social media analytics to see what type of content is receiving the highest views.
Asking yourself what kinds of questions you repeatedly get from your clients. This is a great way to speak directly to your audience and tailor the content to create a more informed experience with your brand.
All of these details will help generate a shot list for the most valuable brand content you can get.
For my brand’s audience, education is key. People are still learning what brand photography really is, and as a dedicated brand photographer, I find myself spending time with strategy to really give my clients an edge.
Pretty pictures are easy but smart, strategic images with purpose actually convert. I made sure to spend time during my brand photo session showing my visual planning process and how I use a style guide. This helps people understand my process and why working with a dedicated brand photographer actually gives you a big edge.
Question #2: Where do I want my business to be in 3-5 years?
Many businesses are very eager to showcase what they are good at now, but I want to push my clients to see where they want their brand to grow in the next 3-5 years. This is where the juicy details start to take shape, and where brand photography can start manifesting your ideal projects.
The work you show is the work you attract. Make sure to take the time to visualize where you want your brand to grow.
For my brand, I am planning for a studio space in the near future. So for this photoshoot, I rented a photography studio, made sure to bring my favorite production equipment such as lighting, tripod, diffusers, styling props, cameras, and lenses, and set the scene for exactly how I want to create brand photoshoots and product photography.
In addition to these important questions, I also worked on where I want my business to be this next quarter. I planned wardrobe choices to coordinate with the upcoming seasons so my content was relevant, and used this shoot to announce new product launches happening this quarter.
Both of these questions are important parts of the process to create a collection of images to connect and convert your ideal projects.
Brand photography is not like any other type of photography - because the images are essentially your marketing! Coordination and strategy make a difference, and taking the time to do your research with a brand strategist is well worth the time.
Keep an eye on my blog and social media for more images from this new shoot.
Julie M Gile Brand Photography: Visual storytelling strategy to connect with your next customer.