use photography to boost your personal brand by emma marshall If you’re the face of your business you need more than a headshot if you want to be visible. Your personal brand is how you show the world who you are and what makes you unique. Authentic photography can help you do that, as well as build the ’know, like and trust’ factor that increases audience engagement and sales.
Why is photography important? Vision is our dominant sense. We’re constantly told how little internet users actually read, and this is all the more the case now that our audiences are increasingly finding us on their mobiles. Some stats: Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than that without. Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than those without; and the brain processes visuals 60,000 times fast than text. (Source: Buffer) According to Adobe, a social media post with an image results in 650% more engagement than one without. So, if you want your audience to engage with your content, you need to be using images. Not any old pics though. They should be original, relevant and used intentionally - don’t detract from your message by using irrelevant images for sharebait, because audiences pick up on that and they don’t like feeling manipulated. A Jakob Nielsen study showed that people can easily tell when stock images are fake - not a good way to build trust!
how should you be using photography for your personal brand? You can use photography to create an instant emotional connection with your clients, build consistency throughout the different platforms where you have a presence and to emphasise your authority in your field. To create emotional connection share images that show what it’s like to work with you.
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How do you want your clients to feel? When they see you interacting with others they can easily put themselves into the picture. If you sell products; share images of real customers enjoying your products. To build consistency; maintain a similar style and level of quality. Just as you use a certain voice in your writing, you can be consistent with your visual style throughout your materials and online presence. To emphasis your position as an authority; use professional quality images as well as photos of yourself at work, teaching and public speaking. Use photos with client testimonials.
be authentic! It’s possibly an overused buzzword these days but authenticity is a positive thing and is what today’s audiences want. Studies show that 84% of millennials distrust traditional advertising and it’s not just the young ones; your clients want you to be real. The good news is it’s much easier to be yourself than to try to be someone else! To emphasis authenticity; share behind-the-scenes moments, images of your leisure activities, or time with friends and family. Show your participation in activities that communicate your values and the core values of your business. Don’t worry; you don’t have to photograph everything throughout your day! All your values, processes, interests, relationships, hobbies and routines can be seen as narrative threads and the combination of them is what makes you unique. The key is to be strategic. Don’t splurge - share the bits that overlap with your target audience’s values and interests and you’ll be onto a winner. If you’re not sharing any of this as part of your personal brand then you’re missing an opportunity to really connect with your tribe.
If you’d like to talk more about using photography in your personal brand, you can book Emma for a no-obligation chat. Book a slot here: www.emmamarshall.com
