Five Signs it is Time for New Branding Photos

If you are a small business owner, you know the importance of good branding photography. Small business branding photography has become more popular in the past decade with much of online marketing being done on social media. From my personal experience working with small businesses, I hear from entrepreneurs that they understand that their brand images are important, but they are unsure if a full brand photography session is really necessary.

Today’s blog post covers 5 signs that it is time for you to update your branding images! Now, before you start to feel any sense of guilt or shame, know that every single business owner has been in this spot before. I know firsthand what it feels like to be a “soloprenuer” who is wearing all of the hats in my own business. It can feel like there are a million things we could be doing better if only we had the time. My goal with this blog post is to help you identify your biggest needs in your branding images, so that when you are ready to book a branding session you can be sure that your images will attract your ideal audience.

Sign #1: You are constantly reusing the same headshot

I see this far too often on social media, and while it is ok to have an image you love, eventually your audience is going to notice. Reusing one or two headshots over and over can communicate poorly to your audience. They might get the idea that you aren’t as active as you’d like for them to believe. They might feel disconnected from you, like they don’t really know who you are or what makes you special. A small business owner who posts a variety of headshots in different outfits and locations helps to showcase their own personal brand identity and therefore is able to make true and purposeful connections with their audience. If you only have a few images of yourself that you are comfortable sharing, this is a big sign it is time for you to update your brand images. When you’re ready to book, make sure to communicate to your photographer that you would like multiple headshots. Capture some photographs that are more professional and others that showcase your personality and who you are!

Sign #2: You have no professional photos of you behind the scenes

Successful brands show their audience the ins and outs of their business. Successful brands (especially successful small business owners) show their audience what their work looks like behind the scenes. Showing behind the scenes images to your audience builds a sense of trust and community. I promise, your ideal client cares about what makes your services or product different than the rest. In order to show them how you stand out, you want to welcome them into your process, your workspace, your day to day life! Rather than only having a perfectly styled photograph of the soap that you make, wouldn’t it be amazing if you could show your audience a high quality image of you selecting the fragrances? Or an image of you mixing a batch of a new scent? If your audience isn’t able to connect with you or your business’s brand, they will likely purchase from someone else. If you are lacking professional images of you behind the scenes working in your business, it is a sign it is time for some new photos!!

Sign #3: Your images don’t align with your current offerings or services

Perhaps you had an amazing brand photography session a few years ago, and you still love those images but your brand colors have been updated since then. Or perhaps you’ve added on a new service or product. My branding photography for Zen and Pow Studio has changed so much over the course of the last two years that I have partnered with them! When we first partnered together, they were jumping in to offering full online classes due to the pandemic. Imagine if those were the only images they had- photographs of me working out at home with my laptop. Those photographs were exactly what Zen and Pow needed at that time in their business. Now, years later, we have a different approach and focus when I capture their studio classes. If your services, product, or your overall brand image have changed since your last branding session, it is time for you to have images that align with your current business!

Sign #4: Your photos are scattered in different folders and hard to access

As a photographer, I organize and edit hundreds of photographs a day. If I were to count how many photographs I have on my phone, multiple external hard drives, and on my computer, I am sure the number would be astronomical! I have to have an organized system or things will go haywire very quickly! When I chat with fellow business owners I hear that they struggle to post anything on social media because they spend hours scrolling for a good image. I completely understand this hurdle, and to me it is a sign they are in need of updated photographs. One thing that I do with each of my branding client’s galleries is organize the images into easy to navigate folders, ensuring that they will never have to waste time looking for a good photo again! Our online gallery system is available on your computer or through an app on your phone, so all my clients need to do is open their app, navigate to the folder they are looking for, and click to download their photo! It takes seconds compared to the typical frantic scroll through your iPhone images searching for that one specific photo. Don’t waste your time any longer- book a branding session asap!

Sign #5: Your brand identity has changed since your last brand photography session

When I work with my branding clients, we get down into all of the details of what makes that business owner stand out from the crowd. I ask about their core values and beliefs as a business, and we use those to help us create photographs that communicate those values to their audience. If your brand images don’t speak to your core values, it is definitely time for updated photos! Your brand values are what make your brand recognizable as people scroll through endless images on social media or look through multiple websites showcasing products. When I worked with Canvasback Coffee to capture their brand images, I knew that they valued an elevated but approachable look. We took these intangible ideas and brought them to life in photographs. The goal is to have a recognizable brand that stands apart from the typical images people are seeing online. You want people to recognize your brand and be able to describe who you are in words, just by seeing an image. If you are feeling like your brand identity has not yet been truly captured in photographs, it is time for a new session!

If you are feeling that these 5 signs apply to you, get excited!! I know that it can feel overwhelming to consider a small business branding photography session. As a brand photographer, I take all of the planning and creativity on for my clients. All you have to do is chat with me about your business, who you serve and how you do it, and I do all the rest! If you are interested in learning more about my branding photography services, click here to read more about what a session with me entails. I cannot wait to chat with you about your photography needs!