Imagine. You are out with a group of your best friends and you pass by that boutique clothing shop that everyone has been raving about. As you approach the shop, you notice a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, red gown with perfectly designed embellishments that would make you that talk of that next charity event in town. You know you have to have it!
Stop right there! Now. Let’s take a moment to consider what just happened. You haven’t even set foot in the clothing shop and you’ve already decided to purchase that gorgeous red gown. Why? Because like the rest of us, you’ve shopped with your eyes.
We all do it. We shop with our eyes first and make a decision on that purchase based primarily on how it makes us feel. It’s an emotional decision. And, it’s a decision that typically happens in the first few seconds of seeing what we want.
Why is This Important for Personal Branding?
The same logic should apply to how we approach our marketing and personal branding. In this digital world that we live in, almost everyone is sharing information online through social media and business networking websites. That means people you do business with are more likely to see an image of you before they meet you in person.
Investing in high-quality, authentic, professional photography is required to really be successful in marketing in your brand. You are going to want the images of you and your brand to play a crucial role in delivering the personality of your brand. So many people under-estimate the power of professional photography and the importance of investing in it. This type of customized photography is an asset to your business and having a library of multiple images to pull from can save you time and money over the long-term.
How to Maximize Your Personal Branding Photography Investment
Place them throughout your website.
This one seems pretty obvious on face value but you’d be surprised how many people still aren’t taking full advantage of photos on their websites. When you personalize your business with personalized photos you create TRUST. It also tells the story of your business visually, your brand and your unique value proposition.
At the very LEAST, you want to have your headshot on your website. People want to know your are a REAL person, and are more likely to contact you vs. a business website without a headshot. People do business with PEOPLE, not a business. It’s all about relationships! (I know, I know, I say it all the time — But that’s because it’s true!)
Use them in your monthly newsletters and email-sequences.
This goes back to the idea that people shop with their eyes first. Telling your clients about something is fine but showing your clients the latest and greatest from your business is much more effective.
Use them in posts on your social media platforms.
Whether you’re posting on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook business page, etc., statistics have shown that posts including an image receive 120% – 180% more visibility and engagement. So use those images!
Change up your profile pictures every few months on social media.
People want to see YOU and it’s a great idea to change up that profile image ever few months to give your audience a NEW look at you and keeps you top of mind. I do recommend to use the same image across all platforms making it easy for people to quickly recognize you and your business.
Put one in your email signature.
Personalize your email and help people remember who you are. You are more likely to remember a face even if you can’t remember their name.
Use images on your landing pages and sales funnels.
Have a sales funnel? Leading your audience to a specific landing page on your website? Put those beautiful branding photos on these pages as well. This will lead to better conversion rates.
Use them in press releases about an event or new offering you have.
This is an all too commonly forgotten about avenue for marketing. Yes, we still use a press release even in this digital world we live in.
What is a press release? A press release is an easy way to get potential media coverage from local or even national media and is best used when you have a big announcement or a special event coming up. It’s free marketing! Why not try it? I’m challenging you to drum up some press with your awesome new branding photography.
Submit an image along with your bio when you have a speaking engagement.
Don’t just tell them who you are. Show them. And speaking engagements are a great way to get in front of new faces and meet new potential clients.
Use them to create a rack card, brochure, mailer or other print marketing pieces.
Your business card is an obvious choice here and it helps people to remember YOU. But, don’t forget to use those images on other print marketing material. Have brochure at the local library? Maybe you have a big mailer going out to nearby businesses – put those images to use! Create something unique – personalized to YOUR business. It’s all about staying at the top of your audiences mind.
Why Choose M3 Creative?
Gotta Have It All? I’m NOT your average Personal Branding Photographer. In fact, I am FAR from it. I take your personality and your passions and turn them into one-of-a-kind images.
Besides having images that stand out from the crowd, one of my biggest goals for my personal branding clients is for you to feel right at home. You’ll hardly even know your being photographed. So – Bring your laptop, favorite books, favorite coffee mug, or anything that tells YOUR story. Show me your passion – your personality, and I’ll give it right back.
Want to get start right away? Let’sschedule a phone calland chat about the details of your brand vision.
