Tips for Using Photography on Your Website
One of the best ways to use custom Personal Branding photography is on your business website. Not only does it look more cohesive than using stock photos, but it also makes your business seem more trustworthy and professional to anyone considering working with you. But it’s sometimes hard to know exactly HOW to use these images.
In this post, I’ll outline five great ways to use custom photography on your website and the reason why it will benefit you and your customers.
1. Use environmental imagery for headers
A lot of websites are designed to include a header image at the top of the page. This anchors the content and eases the viewer into the page. So it’s only appropriate that environmental or detail shots are used in this area to present your business in the best light. This is a great opportunity to focus in on the little details, textures, and create a feeling with a more abstract set of images.
This is why color is so important during personal branding photoshoots - working with a brand color theme will automatically make everything look good together visually. You can use these header images to reinforce your brand in a way that’s more interesting than using a solid color and less distracting than using a more literal set of images or stock photos.
The format for these graphics is also worth considering as they are usually wide and narrow, with some required “white space” so that text can still be readable over the image. Often I will take the same portrait in different orientations just so we can end up with a wide shot that would be perfect as a header or be used in an advertisement or magazine article that requires a text overlay over the photo.
2. Show a professional portrait on the About Page
One of the most important pages on your website is the About page. Any potential client is going to want to know who they are buying from. They will want to be able to relate to you and find you credible before they will ever consider buying from you. One of the best ways to build trust is to appear professional, and that goes for in person, and online.
Just as you wouldn’t show up for an important interview wearing sweatpants, you also shouldn’t put up any old iPhone photo that your friend took on your business About page. Looking like a real business owner is going to be more important than avoiding the camera because you don’t feel comfortable posing for pictures or don’t want to spend the money.
This is why hiring a professional to take your headshot is a great solution, because a pro photographer will be able to not only get a good-looking headshot, but will also put you at ease to draw out that effortless natural smile. The key here is to be approachable and friendly, but also appear competent and qualified to run the business.
3. Create a gallery
If you have a physical location, as Studio, or a store, or a set of artwork pieces that go together (shown above) having a gallery of images is a great way to show off your space and introduce your website visitors to your business. Interior photographs give a really great idea of what a potential customer can expect when they work with you. It’s also a good way to show off your style and let them know that you care about the environmental qualities of the space. Websites nowadays give a lot of great options when it comes to putting a gallery together, which means you can use many different image formats all at once.
4. Use for Blog Posts
If you want to take advantage of improving the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) of your website, having a Blog with a regular posting schedule is a great way to accomplish that goal. And instead of using glaringly obvious stock photos, you can stand out by using your custom images on your Blog.
We all know that visuals are important. They make blog posts more interesting to read. But we are also incredibly conditioned to ignore anything that looks like an ad, which unfortunately, most stock photos do. This is why custom photography will always be the best solution for businesses who want to Blog in a way that shows off their expertise in the field. This is one of the reasons we get so many different photos during a personal branding session - it’s a way to guarantee that you’ll have enough variety to keep going with Blogging and always have branded graphics to pull from to illustrate your point.
5. Illustrate your process
Spelling things out for your visitors is one of the best ways to help them become customers. Using visual representations to illustrate the process they will go through if they work with you is one of the must-haves for a website that converts leads to income. If you don’t currently have a step-by-step process outlined on your site, you are missing a huge opportunity to demystify and reassure someone who might be considering working with you!
This doesn’t have to be complicated: a simple 3 or 4 step process is all you need. But having photographs that go with the text will elevate this section and make it super easy for people to understand it. This is why one it’s so important to have these visuals as part of the photoshoot - it’s one of the best ways to sell your product or service on the web.
Having custom imagery for your business doesn’t have to be complicated or confusing. The most important thing is to make sure you have a strategy and plan in place for what type of images you need and how they will benefit your business.
This is why I always include a strategy concept meeting before the photo session and sit down with business owners to go over every aspect of their business. We create a strategic plan that covers everything from wardrobe to locations to how the images will communicate the right message to their perfect target market.
And if you’re interested in learning more about the process and the benefits of doing a Personal Branding photoshoot, you can learn more by clicking the button below.
