5 Ways To Use Your Personal Branding Photos
So you’ve just had your Personal Branding Photoshoot - congratulations! At this point, you’re probably feeling excited to share your new photos with all of your friends, clients, & followers, but you may also be asking yourself: “Where should I upload these photos first? Which types of photos are best to use on which platforms? How can I use these photos to increase my brand’s discoverability, engagement, & sales?”
The most effective marketing strategies utilize a timeline of unique photos that show up in a consistent, cohesive way across all of your social media platforms. When telling your brand’s visual story, it’s important to consider the message that each type of photo will send to a potential client or customer, & to then decide which platforms it makes the most sense to use each photo on. To learn more about different types of branding photos, be sure to check out my blog post on the “10 Types of Branding & Business Photos”. For now, think of it like this: Portraiture depicts who you are, photos of your product & service communicate what you do, & lifestyle content communicates more about what you do & how/why you do it. Read on to learn more & to see a few simple suggestions on how & where to begin using all of your different branding photos!
#1. On Your Website
Finding the right images to use can be one of the most overwhelming parts of updating or creating a website! Many business owners find themselves spending hours searching high & low for quality images to use & often end up completely frustrated by their lack of options. We’ve all been guilty of using old headshots, blurry phone photos, or vague stock images on our sites just out of desperation - but no more! If you’ve had a branding session recently, your website should always be #1 on your list of places to use your new photos.
Having high quality images on your site that are properly sized & properly alt-tagged not only boosts your SEO performance, but it also instantly communicates to your future clients who you are, what you do, & why you do it. When you’re adding images to your website, make sure to include them in a way that makes logical sense, too. For instance, photos of yourself are often most effective on your “learn more” & your “about” pages, photos of your product/service should be front & center on on your home, blog, & product pages, etc. Having high quality, current photos on your website isn’t just important, it’s imperative!
#2. On Your Social Media Accounts
No matter whether you’re only on a couple of social networks or you’re maintaining a presence across multiple platforms, using your branding images to create a sense of visual consistency & to communicate your message is a must. Multiple marketing studies have shown that social media posts that include an image receive far more engagement than ones that don’t, & posts that show your face receive even more attention. Depending on your strategy, you can use portraits, behind-the-scenes, specific advertising imagery, etc. Social media is the perfect place to post multiple types of content that will tell your story & attract new clients & customers.
It’s important to not only post a variety of imagery that supports your brand’s style, values, & message, but is also sized properly for social media sharing. When working with a Photographer, be sure to ask them how they’re planning to size the final images they send to you. An image that is too small looks fuzzy, & an image that is too large can end up being automatically compressed by whichever platform it’s being posted on & will end up looking - you guessed it, fuzzy. Quality over quantity is a great rule to go by!
#3. For Press & PR Opportunities
Entrepreneurs who are speakers or authors are often asked to submit a recent headshot of themselves along with their biography or as part of their PR/Press/Media kit when they have a publication opportunity or are booking a speaking engagement. If you are writing guest blogs, have a column, are featured in an article, etc., be prepared for this request! Occasionally a company or publication will have their own photographer in-house, & they may ask you to make time for a session with them to get a high quality photo if you don’t have one already. In the long run, you’ll save yourself time & money by having a recent headshot that you already love on hand.
The best types of photos to use for these opportunities are most often headshots, a lifestyle portrait, or your team &/or business partner photos. If you're really looking to streamline your brand, it’s important that your image depicts a consistent, professional, & accurate representation of you & your brand. This is especially important when it comes to any high-profile public speaking & networking events where a headshot of you is being printed or featured in some way. Always be prepared to make the best first impression that you possibly can!
#4. for Digital & Physical Products
It’s become increasingly popular for many business owners & entrepreneurs to create their own workshops, online classes, tutorial videos, e-books, etc. & to make them available for free download or for purchase. Regardless of whether your product exists in a digital &/or physical format, having specific imagery to use when creating your products is absolutely essential. You’ll need images to create video thumbnails, e-book covers, an author’s headshot for your book jacket or “about me” section, images of your product/service to illustrate instructional or tutorial content, etc.
When you’re creating products, you’re not only working to show off your unique personality & teaching style to your customers & clients, but you are also working to show them exactly what types of educational information your product contains. Depending on your product, you can use a wide variety of your branding photos to help you get your message across. Portraits, of course, are a must - but detail photos, flatlays, action & interaction photos, product & service photos, etc. are the perfect images to use when creating your products!
#5. in other Areas Of Marketing
There are so many miscellaneous areas of marketing that are made instantly more engaging & effective by the use of customized photos that were created with a brand’s color scheme, values, & overall mission in mind. Many of us business owners are always managing new email newsletters, exclusive landing pages, & multiple ad campaigns, just to name a few examples… we are constantly creating & sharing content in order to stay in touch with our clients & to attract new ones.
Online marketing isn’t the only place for your branding photos to end up, either - don’t forget your print marketing, too! Many people use their photos on their business cards, leave-behind materials like guides & catalogs, coupons, service menus, & more. No matter the situation, having a wide variety of customized personal branding photos will not only help you to market yourself & your business more quickly & easily, but will also help you stand out & share your unique voice in a world that is brimming with competition!
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Meet miranda
Hello! I’m a Portrait, Lifestyle, & Personal Branding Photographer based in Portland, Oregon & Los Angeles, California.
