Beyond the Obvious -- Brand Images That work

“I say, ditch the obvious stuff and instead focus on images that connect, tell your story and show emotion!”

By Melissa Henry??

I’m nervous about this photo shoot because I just don’t have any ideas about what images I need!”

My client, Talmar, and I had just started our brainstorming call together when she admitted this to me. She was feeling stressed because she thought she would have to figure out everything on her own!

NO!! That’s MY job! In less than an hour, she and I used her brand elements to flesh out a list of image ideas (22 unique concepts) that will help her brand STAND OUT! At the end of our call, Talmar said, “I’m so excited now but we have so many ideas, how will I be able to pick my final images!”

You might be thinking why go to all this fuss for a photo shoot, right?

I’ll tell you why – your brand attracts the RIGHT people to you. Unless you can communicate, to the RIGHT people, why they should pick you, they won’t!

How many times have you scrolled on social media through countless quote graphics, selfies, and stock photos?

Not only are these images boring, they say absolutely nothing about your brand! I say, ditch the obvious stuff and instead focus on images that connect, tell your story and show emotion!

It may sound crazy but people don’t choose your products and services based solely on their effectiveness. They buy YOU and your story. If you really want no competition, you MUST lean into what is uniquely you.

Let’s look at how this worked for my client Christa…

What it feels like to work with you!

Christa is a leadership coach who works with entrepreneurs who have come out of the corporate world to start their own business. What makes her different from other coaches is, in part, she incorporates breathwork into her coaching. Christa wanted images to capture the experience her clients have when working with her. We decided to bring a real client of hers into the session. In order to capture the true emotions between them, we set up a coaching session; her client actually talked through an issue with Christa while we photographed their interactions. We also staged a breathwork session and had them give a big hug at the end.

As you can see, these images will really speak to Christa’s target audience because they showcase emotions that grab their attention. I mean, wouldn’t YOU want to work with Christa too?

Concept or Theme Images

Concept driven images are so helpful in making your content stand out on social media. For Christa, one of the things she often tells her clients is that they need to “throw out that rule book!” because her clients are so used to doing things they are “supposed” to do rather than things that light them up and help them achieve what they most want in life.

When I heard “throw out the rule book” I immediately imagined the image rule book out with a smug look on her face. We even took a series of images with this concept and created an animated GIF (https://christadaviscoaching.com/) she now uses on her website and on social media.

You and your personality

So much of how you connect with others is about who you are and what you do. It’s about finding the things you have in common with others that serve as the foundation for your relationship.

Relationships are EVERYTHING in business. In fact, you wouldn’t be reading this article in Success Champions Magazine if you didn’t believe that, right?

For Christa, we used the things she loves to connect. Prosecco, dancing and celebrating wins with her clients! Her clients resonate with celebrating wins in their business and life too. So naturally, we created images that communicate this to her audience so they can “see” her personality and get to know her a little bit. These are building blocks for her audience to begin trusting her and her brand!

Now I challenge you - next time you are getting ready for a photo shoot for your brand, use this article as a guide to help you come up with some unique ideas that match YOUR brand. No more obvious or boring images, okay?

When you’ve done that, reach out and connect with me. I’d love to see what you come up with AND I cannot WAIT to see how you boost your brand to scale your business!

Melissa Henry, “Brandtographer” and CEO of Melissa Demple Photography (Personal Brandtography™), helps passion-driven women entrepreneurs strategically clarify, showcase and build their personal brands through the power of authentic photography. She does this through a combination of visual brand strategy, unique image creation and implementation assistance that helps her clients get more clarity, catapult their confidence in their brand and become irresistible to their target audience.

Featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Thrive Global, a speaker on virtual and live stages as well as podcasts like The Rita Made Me Do It Show, No Fat Cats, and Two Girls Talking, Melissa understands the challenges of standing out in the crowded marketplace and will make sure you and your business do too!

Walk away feeling like a rock star with powerful clarity on your personal brand and unique images that make you irresistible to your target audience, help you sell out your programs and books, and win those coveted keynote spots!

“Relationships are EVERYTHING in business. In fact, you wouldn’t be reading this article in Success Champions Magazine if you didn’t believe that, right?”