New Year - New You - New Photos!
Hello, so how was it for you? 2020 I mean!
I had high hopes I must admit, this time last year, as we entered a new year, I had all these plans, and then came the curve ball, and wow what a curve ball!
Happy New Year by the way!
I’m so pleased to welcome in the New Year – let’s face it, we ‘re all glad to see the back of 2020, and start afresh.
There’s been lots of talk of a reboot and for many of us that’s exactly what we’re hoping for. I think we’re all feeling the need of a bit of a boost right now in our businesses, and to consider how to make a fresh start in 2021 really count.
If your business has had to substantially change over the last few months, like many have, the big question is, has your brand and marketing kept pace with the changes? We all know how important marketing is, especially when times are a bit tough, so reviewing your branding and making sure your photography is still inline with your business offering is crucial.
So with all that in mind – and as part of that. It’s a great time to think about updating your personal branding photography.
But this is obviously a big investment, so you’ll need to be clear what you want. I would always advise you, if you are unsure, to get advice from a brand consultant first, to make sure that the photographs taken, are on brand and on message.
Brand designers
You will also need to be clear who your target audience is and what strategy you have in mind to capture their attention.
Strategists
Once you are clear on all of that, it’s also worth looking at the other benefits of having an up to date branding shoot;
1. New Vision
Last year, many businesses were forced to take a break from business-as-usual, but this actually came with a positive opportunity, which we don’t often get when in the cut and thrust of the everyday, and that’s to spend some time reflecting on whether the business was actually working for you. If you’ve decided to make changes to your vision and mission, re-evaluated your planned goals and what exactly you need to do to reach them. Then it’s possible that your photography might not be reflecting what you need, to reach your target audience.
2. New Services
Businesses constantly grow and change. If your business has made changes to the services you offer, and your current photography isn’t appropriate any longer, then perhaps its time to change it up. Really show your clients, what’s on offer. They don’t want to be just told, they want to see for themselves. If your business services have now moved to be primarily online, or working with smaller companies, and if those pictures not longer reflect your brand’s offering. It’s time for an update.
3. New Products
In the same way if you have developed or introduced new products into your range, which many businesses have, you will really want to get new photos. High quality product photography and flatlays are vital for selling your products. We know competition is really fierce out there, so your products must aim to sell themselves and stand head and shoulders above their competitors – lifestyle product photography where photos show people using the products are the most likely to persuade a client to buy.
4. New Ideal Client
2020 proved difficult on many levels not least because some of us lost our client base, almost overnight. Whilst others made some big changes to their businesses and so are looking for a new target audience. In each case a fresh new approach may be required along with a fresh new visual look to engage a new tribe. A professional photographic campaign can strengthen engagement and attract a new audience as well as increasing awareness of your brand.
5. New You
Don’t forget about you, it is so important that you are visible to your clients and potential clients – people don’t buy from strangers, and if they can see who are you are, they are much more likely to buy.
Research shows that sites which have personal branding photography hold customer’s attention for longer, increase trust in the brand and ultimately lead to more sales than those which use stock photography.
Maybe you haven’t updated your headshot for some time or perhaps you’ve never invested in professional branding photography and your website is using stock images. It’s your time to stand out from the online noise – it’s time for a new you.
It's important to remember when investing in photography for your website, social media or a campaign, that it is an essential part of your business that you need to consider and budget for.
Because we live in such a visual world it will be your imagery which initially attracts attention online and its important to get it right and understand that it is bringing value to your business. I’ve worked with many business owners who weren’t aware of the positive impact that such photos can have.
If you are unsure, how exactly a personal branding shoot could benefit your business, I would be happy to have a chat about it.
I’m also very keen to work collaboratively with anyone else who might be working on your branding, such as your web or graphic designer or a branding specialist, providing guidance on how to get the best out of your photo shoot.
I hope that’s given you some food for thought about why your brand should have personal photography.
If you’d like to bring your brand bang up to date for 2021, then please get in touch.
My business services include personal branding, with an option to include a hair & make-up artist and a stylist within the package, creative headshots, product photography, and flatlays, for small and medium sized businesses as well as corporate photo shoots and events for larger companies.
Call me on 07941 126999 or email liz@lizdevonshirephotography.co.uk and join me on my Facebook page.