You might be wondering whether you need personal branding photography for your business. Perhaps all you need is a headshot. Or, do you even need to put your photograph on your website? Who needs personal branding photography? It’s a valid question! And as much as I’d love to say everyone and be done with it, I know that’s not strictly true. Let’s chat this through and figure it out!
What is personal branding photography?
Figuring out whether you need something, it usually helps to know what it is in the first place. Personal branding photography explains itself in its title, although there is still some confusion on what it is because of peoples’ lack of understanding about what a personal brand is.
Think about it like this. A personal brand is an overall impression people have of you based on everything about you – your experience, your expertise, what you can do, what you have done and what you’ve within your community, industry or marketplace (thanks to PersonalBrand.com for that definition!).
So then, personal branding is how you communicate your values to create that impression.
In the realms of business, personal branding does typically refer to solo entrepreneurs and solo or small business owners, rather than larger corporations. It identifies a more personal element to business, and it gives your business a face. That face is usually yours!
So, who needs personal branding photography?
In a world of know, like and trust, almost every small business will benefit from having a personal brand. And if you’ve got a personal brand, you’re going to need personal branding photos.
Small business owners, entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, authors, coaches and mentors, consultants, fitness experts and instructors, bloggers, models and influencers, public figures and motivational speakers. These are all the kinds of people who need a personal brand and, in turn, personal branding photography.
You should be considering a personal branding shoot if: you have a website, blog or online shop, if you sell a product or service, if you have a social media following, if you ever use any materials to market yourself and if you ever speak or exhibit publicly and need to provide a biography.
Why?
It was Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, who said:
“Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
Your brand defines what everyone knows and thinks of you, and your business and so branding photography helps to show that in a visual way. Brand photos show your face, your personality and the values that you want your business to convey. And that’s pretty damn important if you’re going to build a client base and make some money, friends!
So, how can you convey your personal brand through photographs?
First, and foremost, brand photographs help to show your face – quite literally! You don’t just have to share the perfectly posed moments either. Some of my favourite brand photos I’ve taken are the ones where the client has pulled a funny face, or they’ve had a proper belly laugh between poses.
Pose. But also, don’t. Stand where the photographer puts you, follow their instructions. But also relax. Chat with your photographer and trust them to capture the great in-between natural stuff, as well as the more posed stuff too.
And share what you do. Bring your photographer behind the scenes. Have them capture you at work, with your clients (with their consent, of course!), in your workspace and in your zone. Let them catch all the details, even your messy desk! 😉
Ultimately, if you want to build an audience, a client base and a business, you need to think about your brand. That means getting great branding photographs. Ready to show your face to the world? Then get in touch and let’s get you booked in.