Information and tips on how to grow your brand through personal branding photography

What is personal branding

The idea of personal branding has become integral to small businesses, new entrepreneurs, any individual seeking to promote themselves, a company or product. It helps you define who you are and connect with the perfect audience, the very people who will help grow your business and spread your ideas. 

When trying to understand what personal branding is, think of it as marketing crafted specifically to you. Whoever you are and whatever your business, it is the means to capture your unique story and make it visible. Through fonts, logos, color palettes, and especially photos, personal branding shows who you are, what you represent, and what you’re offering. It stirs emotions in potential customers and audiences. It makes them pause, think, feel, and ultimately, connect with you.

Think of personal branding as how you promote and market yourself. And everyone needs that. Whether you’re a life coach, an influencer, an artist, an entrepreneur. You need to tell your story so people recognize it and have an emotional reaction. So that when they see you and your business they know the story behind it and want to interact with it.

Why personal branding photography

Images are essential to an impactful personal brand. Professional images capture your unique personality and story better than any other marketing tool and can be used to represent you on social media, your website, and more. The key to successful photography that gets you noticed is authentically showcasing your individuality and making people feel.

In a world filled with images, first impressions, the kind that get people to stop on your Instagram page, or stay on your website, are crucial. Visual content can inspire emotion like nothing else and influence what people think of you and your business more than any words you might say in a video or write on a website. Our brains love images. 

A common mistake many people make is skimping on photography, which can be perceived as expensive. At the outset, it might be. But it is an investment that keeps on giving, as we'll show. Ultimately, through exposure and personalization, it will not only save you money but make you money.

If possible, book a personal branding photoshoot when you’re first starting out, establishing your website and social media presence. Your photographer will help you build a marketing library of high quality images that properly represent you and your business, that inspire and educate your customers and audience. But then put on your long range calendar to revisit and refresh your library of images every year or two. Because your story continues to unfold, and the images that tell it should as well.

Benefits of branding photography

Builds trust

Of all our senses, humans tend to trust their sight the most. We’ve all heard the saying, “seeing is believing.” So to have people believe in you and what you represent, they need to see both. This is part of what personal branding photography offers. When establishing your unique personal brand, photographs help show the individual behind the product, the person at the center of the story. Give your customers and audience a more personal interaction and experience to establish trust and connection. 

Controls how your business is perceived by your audience

Tell your story in crafted, beautiful visuals that leave no room for misinterpretation. Photographs not only tell your story, but provide a framework for both you and your audience. For your audience, this framework is a guide to understanding who you are, your values, what differentiates you from others. For you, this framework is something you can return to again and again, a map on the long road of growing a successful business and brand.

Presents a professional image

When working with a professional photographer you’re guaranteed to make a good impression. These images are the ones you want to use for your profile pictures, but also with your email signatures and with bios sent for events. Be sure to get both professional headshots as well as photographs of your daily life as relates to your vision. This shows the human being behind the business and brand, which boosts credibility.

Provides visibility

We can all understand the visibility photographs give us and our businesses, but let’s mention the longevity of that visibility. This is where personal branding photography provides a definite return on your investment. Those photos not only give you visibility at the outset, but the benefit of keeping your visibility high. Photographs can be repurposed. From your library of images you have visual content to use on your website, social media platforms, newsletters, press releases. A photoshoot doesn’t yield just a few photos for Instagram; it provides an entire marketing library.

How Angle can help

We have professional photographers based around the world, an international Customer Service Team to help every step of the way, and customized packages for whatever your budget and goals. 

Everyone, from our agents to our photographers, are interested in your vision and your unique story. They want to learn about who you and your business are, see those Pinterest boards, hear your ideas, so that they can create a successful personal branding photography package that gets you the images you need to show who you are and grow your business. 

Look through our photographer portfolios or contact us via our business page to start a discussion. Our goal is for you to feel at one with your visual content, to tell your personal story, and to build your brand.

We also recommend these articles to continue learning about the benefits of professional photography for your business and brand:

• Represent yourself & your business best with professional photography

• Why Angle is the photography partner for your business & vision

• Why professional photography is important for businesses

Five tips for your personal branding photoshoot

1. Think long term. Get a variety of shots and poses that can go into your library of images for use now and later. 

2. Focus on your why. Many folks aren’t comfortable getting their picture taken. Focus on why you’re doing the shoot rather than how you look. The excitement and passion you have for your business and vision will naturally come through.

3. Be consistent. This doesn’t mean you have to have everything figured out from the start. Your color palette and logo may evolve over time, but the core values of your personal brand should remain the same. Consistency can come in the form of authenticity, honesty, and showing up on a regular basis. 

4. Aim for authenticity. It can be overwhelming knowing how to distill yourself and story into a collection of photos. Your personal branding photographer will help. Through every discussion and shoot, aim on being authentic. This simplifies everything!

5. Believe in yourself. It can be daunting to share your story, to create a personal brand, to take yourself and your business seriously. Your story and vision is as deserving to be told as the next person’s. The fact that you’re here reading this shows you’re brave and believe in yourself!