Brand Photography, an Investment that Pays for Itself
It’s sometimes hard to weigh the benefits vs cost when thinking about investing in our business. Will that course really make a huge difference or will it be a waste of money? Likewise, when we consider hiring a photographer to create custom imagery for our company or small business venture, the required budget and cost can vary drastically.
Photography in general has a very wide range in terms of how much a photographer will charge for their work. You’ll have hobbyists and friends who are willing to photograph anything you like for a very small price (or for free), and you’ll have established pros who charge many thousands of dollars for a day on-site. So how do you decide whether spending more makes sense?
In this post, we’ll take a look at some real world benefits of spending more to hire a professional photographer for personal branding and why that amount will most likely directly lead to increased income, making it a very worthwhile investment.
The advantage of looking professional online
More than ever, businesses are marketing their products and services digitally. And as a result, potential customers are using what they see online as a way to judge whether a business is worth buying from or not. This means that throwing whatever you like up on your Instagram feed isn’t going to cut it anymore. Successful people and businesses who are using social media now are delving into strategy, having a cohesive approach to colors and styling, and are thinking beyond the surface level of simple communication.
But in the end, it all comes down to visuals.
You would probably think twice if you saw a luxury handbag marketed with a mediocre iPhone photo. The same goes for any business. If your customers assume that you don’t have money to spend on some decent photography, they are also probably going to assume that you are cutting corners elsewhere. Now, it’s certainly fine to mix in a few “behind the scenes” shots into your feed, it just can’t be the only way you show off your products or services. The truth is, it’s simply a lot easier to sell to customers if your visuals are professional-looking, pretty, and deliberate. Don’t give a potential client a reason to second-guess you, make it easy for them to buy!
Why Personal Branding is essential
Likewise, if what you’re selling if YOURSELF, it becomes even more essential for you to be in front of the camera. Now, most of us don’t start a business because we want to be photographed or appear on video all the time. In fact, it’s probably something you have to work at to get used to. Small business owners often don’t realize that they need to approach running their business just like the big companies do - with processes in place, marketing strategy, and yes, branding! In the end, you are the face of your company and putting yourself “out there” is the best way to build a relationship with your customers. I, personally, am the last person to ever want to be in front of the camera, but over the years, even I have come to realize how important it is to appear in photos and on my social feed. We all need to get out of our own way and embrace the fact that we are the brand.
The benefits of having a large variety of images
I often hear “I have no idea how I would use all of these images”. And yes, if you don’t currently have a social media strategy in place, it’s going to be really difficult to envision how a large variety of images is going to be used in your business. This is why our initial strategy meeting is so important. Not only do we select and style your outfits for the session, but we also go over what you’re trying to communicate, where you currently use images, your ideal customer, and your personal interests - all of this ladders up to a set of concepts or stories that you can tell with your photographs.
Photography can be incredibly powerful to illustrate your creative process, show the benefits of working with you, or to simply put a potential customer at ease because they will have a picture in their head of what a future of hiring you will look like.
The biggest advantage of having a wide variety, from portraits to abstract detail shots, is that they can be used to compliment just about anything you would want to talk about. Different images keep things fresh and interesting on social media, and a series of photographs keeps things cohesive on your website. Most of all, no image is captured by accident: every single one has a purpose and the potential to bring you more clients and more money.
You will either be paying with money, or with time
You can hire a photographer for just a couple of hundred dollars or for thousands of dollars. The biggest difference, aside from quality, is how much time you’ll be spending on the work yourself. This isn’t something that most people consider when they compare personal branding photographers, but they soon realize that a photoshoot often involves a lot more than a few hours of taking pictures.
Things like location scouting, wardrobe styling, coordinating hair & makeup, creating concepts for what will be photographed, and having the experience to know what potential issues might arise so that everyone comes prepared and the day runs smoothly, are all required for a successful session. After the photoshoot, you might be stuck with images that you’ll have to resize and reformat yourself, which takes more time and software knowledge.
It’s very much like planning your own wedding. You can put in countless hours yourself (with lots of stress that comes with it), or hire a wedding planner who will do everything for you. The work will be done either way, you just have to decide whether you want to pay with your money or your time.
How custom photography directly brings in more money
Whenever you advertise your business, you have the potential to generate more money. And the best way to advertise is with a strategy and plan in mind. Throwing a few things together and hoping they will work is an amateur way to run a business, and tends to waste a lot of time (and money) in the process. The thing I love most about personal branding sessions is the strategic approach we apply to every part of the process, which saves you time and has the deliberate result we work towards for your images.
What story do you want to communicate to your potential customer? What will resonate the most with them? What problems are they having that your product or service can solve?
The truth of the matter is, clear and communicative imagery sells. Whether it’s allowing your audience to get to know you or showing what your creative process looks like - photography that is clearly professional, high quality, and didn’t come from a stock website clearly demonstrates to the viewer that your business is serious, trustworthy, and cares about the details. It’s no longer an advantage to simply be good at what you do or to provide a great product - if you’re not being exceptional in every part of your business, your customers simply have hundreds of other identically good-enough options to choose from. The imagery you use is how you can stand out, and it’s what can drive your success forward.
Some Ways to use images from your Brand PHoto session to make more $$$:
Look professional on your About page.
Create Facebook and Instagram ads.
Add a section on your website showing your process and illustrate the benefits your clients will get from working with you.
Create a mailer or a postcard to send out to potential clients.
Get featured in a magazine or newspaper article.
Create a PDF lead magnet on your website to build your email list.
Use images in Stories to sell your product/service.
Save time by scheduling your social media posts a week or a month at a time, since you have all the photos already.
