Your Roadmap to Growth with Brand Photography in 2024

Wherever you are in your business or journey with brand photography, the beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect and sense check you are on the right track with your visual strategy. Are your images working hard for you, sharing your message and values? Are they engaging with your audience and building relationships of trust? Do you have all you need to maximise your potential with brand images?

In this article we will share the simple steps to growth with brand photography using the analogy of building relationships. After all, that is a key role your brand images should play to grow your business in 2024.

At each step you can answer a few quick questions and sense check where you are on your road map and the gaps you may want to fill.

1 - IT STARTS WITH 'HELLO'

As with any good relationship, your first point of contact is important to make the right impression and build trust from the outset. In the digital space this first touch point comes through your welcome imagery. With just 7 seconds to make that impression it's key that it is reflective of you and your message to share. That it stands out and shows you to be the professional you are. These first points of contact really do count, hence why it's the first element to ensure is on point in your brand imagery.

It's so much more than a profile picture too. If one of your goals is to get more visible and grow in 2024, here's some of the places you will need to have fantastic welcome brand imagery:

Social media profiles, PR Packs, Speaking promotion for guest slots and stage, Bios, Book launches, Events, Partnerships and Collaborations

YOUR WELCOME IMAGERY

To sense check your images:

Ask yourself....

• Would it pass the 'Blind Date Test' (i.e. is it current and looks like you?!)
• Is it reflective of your brand values and personality?
• Does it come across as welcoming and engaging?
• Are you facing the right direction (i.e. looking towards your headline or text?)
• Is it consistent across all profiles and touch points? (not necessarily the same image but recognisable as from the same family of shots)

2 - THE SMALL TALK

Having made initial contact, the next step is to get chatting. In visual terms this is your story telling imagery that gives an insight into what you do and how you can help your audience. It also allows you to start building a relationship with them so that they can see what it's like to spend time with you and want to know more.

You could have many brand stories that you want to share but the key ones tend to come under the 3 main categories: Work, Lifestyle and Passion stories

• Your Work Story - how you solve people's problems, your different approach, being seen as the expert in your field
• Your Lifestyle Story - how you spend your time, what you enjoy, what makes you smile
• Your Passion Story - the dream you are pursuing, what you are championing

Together these stories in images give the bigger picture to you, your brand personality and values. You will find they overlap and have common threads that showcase you and your essence. All the elements that attract your ideal clients to you.

Story telling imagery is key to your marketing but especially important for your social media content, websites, lead magnets, articles, presentations, ebooks, funnels and sales pages.. to mention just a few

YOUR BRAND STORY IMAGERY

To sense check your images:

Ask yourself....

• Do your images authentically tell your stories?
• Are they showing exactly what it's like to be a part of your world?
• Can you be seen as the expert you are?
• Are they current and reflective of you and your business today?
• Do they engage with your audience?

3 - THE CONVERSATION

The next level conversation is where the relationships really start to build as you're passed the polite conversation and small talk. Here with your brand images it's the next level of story telling with images that give the full picture

There are 3 types of story telling images that you need: The Scene setter, Honing in, The Close up

• The Scene Setter - The overview image, the book cover to grab people's attention
• Honing In - The image giving an insight into the detail and story, the index and chapter overview
• The Close Up - The focus of the story, the copy and punch line

These images can work independently but together are powerful in showing all aspects of your brand stories. They really engage with your audience and reveal the deeper essence, keeping them entertained with the variety approach too.

These storytelling images are particularly good for blogs, articles, presentations, emails and websites where you want a variety of images

YOUR STYLES OF BRAND STORY IMAGERY

To sense check your images:

Ask yourself....

• Do you have a variety of brand story images which tell the whole story?
• Can you set the scene as well as signpost the focus of your story?
• Are you entertaining and captivating your audience with a range of images that are consistent in look and feel i.e part of the same story but different aspects of?

4 - THE DEEP DISCUSSION

This is the stage, with all the other steps in place, where your images will be 'silent selling' for you. Sharing your message and signposting your content to engage with your audience and continue to build next level relationships where people are ready to work with you.

The trick here is to align your images with your messaging and social media content so they can not only be relevant to your copy, but encourage people to read it as the visual will be seen first. A good portfolio of brand images will also give ideas for content creation.

One of the most powerful styles here is the Brand Image on a Mission. This is a shot taken with space to one side to allow for text. They not only show case you and your personality, but your marketing message too. Win win win

These images are brilliant for social media, websites, ads, promotions, sharing quotes, mission statements and messaging

YOUR MESSAGING BRAND IMAGERY

To sense check your images:

Ask yourself....

• Do you have brand images aligned to your content pillars, allowing you to signpost your copy?
• Are you able to bring mission statements and key messages to life through your imagery?
• Do you have images with space for your marketing messages?
• Have you expression images which grab attention with your personality

5 - THE CAPTIVATING CONVERSATION

With all these elements in place you are well and truly putting yourself on the map through your brand photography. You are not only showing up and sharing your true value, but building real relationships of trust as you tell your full story. You are the person people want to talk to in the room, the go to where they know the conversation will be valuable.

The next phase, simply to ensure you are always current and relevant. The more relatable we are to our audience, the more likely they are to trust we can help. This can easily be done by refreshing key images regularly so that you are current and seasonal. We would recommend that you plan for updates through the year so you have the budget to always stay ahead and be in tune with current thinking.

Finally, it's also recommended to review your customer journey as if you were in your audiences shoes. Is there a consistent look and feel to your visuals across all the touch points? Are you sending the same message to continually build trust wherever they land? Are they having the same experience whether they are on your LinkedIn or website?

WHERE ARE YOU ON YOUR ROADMAP?

Having asked yourself these questions at each phase, can you see any gaps? Are you where you want to be?

If not, don't worry! We're here to help!

At every stage we have a service tailored to help you, whether it's getting started with your welcome imagery, taking next steps with your story telling or you're looking for seasonal refreshes. You can see a snap shot of our brand shoots HERE

As a quick guide relating to where you are on the roadmap:

• Step 1 - Hello Brand Shoot ￡245
• Step 2 - Get Chatting Shoot (1 brand story) ￡395
• Step 3/4 - Full Brand Shoots from ￡1295
• Step 5 - All Seasons Shoot Membership from ￡75 pcm

Don't forget we have a mini brand shoot special this month too in London

Room2 Chiswick - Thursday 25th January 10-2

Just ￡225. Perfect for refreshes or your welcome images.

Book your slot HERE

Would love to chat through what option would best serve you as I know it can be overwhelming and it's good to talk! Book your complimentary Connection Call HERE

Thanks for reading! Here's to a prosperous 2024 making the impact we want to with our brand images