Every photo you post is a building block of your brand’s story. 

Every photo you post matters.

So before you go to hit “post” on your next Instagram photo – you might want to make sure that the brand you are building with the photos you post is aligned with your brand vision!

Let’s outline how to strategically build your brand with the photos you post.

If you keep on reading, you’ll learn how to 

  • Plan brand photoshoots.
  • Curate photos that align with your brand vision.
  • Communicate the right message that attracts your ideal customers.

How to Plan Brand Photoshoots:

You might be thinking that you’ll just leave the photoshoot planning to the pro’s – but this is one of the biggest mistakes you can make!

You should never just leave it to the photographer and hope that you get good results from your photoshoot.

Here’s why: 

  • As a business owner – you are your most valuable asset when it comes to planning a photoshoot.
  • No photographer knows the in’s and out’s of your business better than you.
  • Nobody can communicate your brand’s message the way you can.

Going into any brand photoshoot, you’ll want to have a conversation with your photographer beforehand. Of course, good photographers will have suggested locations, poses, and props to help you communicate your message. 

But you should go into the pre-shoot conversation armed with a few ideas:

  • Location ideas that speak to your branding and vision.
  • Posing scenarios and actions that convey your brand’s story and messaging
  • Shot list of must-have shots (for ads or launches you have coming up)

At THIS point – with this information, the photographer can work some serious creative magic! 

The best creative works are collaborations – and when a photographer and client work together on a concept, it is much more successful than a shoot without a game plan.

What Should You Try To Achieve with Your Brand Photos?

Think about it – would you rather come out of a branding shoot with:

  1. 25 headshots of you in nondescript locations doing generic happy things – smiling, sipping coffee, or looking like you’re generally having a good time.
  2. 25 dynamic photos that tell stories aligned with the pillars of your business. Different facial expressions or body languages to communicate the various emotional reactions you discuss in your messaging. Locations that reflect your branding and colors. Actions captured that intuitively make people recall your product / service. Behind-the-scenes types of shots.

If it were me, and I was trying to make the biggest impact – I would go for #2 all the way! 

Niche, Niche, Niche 

When it comes to building your brand with photos, it’s best to narrow down your visual messaging in the same way that you narrow down the messaging for your business.

You know how all the experts say you need to “niche down” in order to grow your business? 

This applies to the photos you are creating too!

Don’t get me wrong – I love a good branding shot of a gal sipping coffee in a cute cafe working at her laptop.

And if one of your pillars of business is “freedom to work from wherever you want” – then this shot makes sense. 

But you could go deeper. What are the emotions you’re trying to convey with that shot? How do you want your ideal customer to feel when they see you sipping your coffee in the cute cafe?

All of these are things should be considered during your next brand photoshoot. 

How to create photos that align with your brand vision, and attracts your ideal customers

  1. Create content categories based on your pillars of business
  2. Create content categories based on your values (this is the part of your social strategy that humanizes your business) 
  3. Pick actions, locations, clothing and props that align with the pillars of your business 
  4. Choose locations and clothing that reflect your visual branding 

With these content categories, you’ll create photos that represent the work you do, and what you stand for.  

Now, pair these photos with your brand messaging in the captions and BOOM. 

You have an irresistible brand. 

My friend – you’re ready.

We’ve covered how to plan brand photoshoots, create photos that align with your brand vision, and communicate the right message that attracts your ideal customers.

All that’s left to do is build your brand, one photo at a time!

And if you’d like another tool to help you build your brand with photos – check out my Lightroom Presets! They’ll help you create a feed that is consistent and photos that look professional – even if you take them on your phone!

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