What is Personal Branding Photography?
IN SHORT, IT ALLOWS US TO USE OUR NATURAL COGNITIVE SHORTCUTS TO OUR ADVANTAGE.
Our brains have evolved with a really handy way to rapidly categorise new information, known as cognitive schema.
These schema were incredibly useful when we needed to decide whether the object in front of us was a sabre-toothed tiger or a shrub, but now they are mostly used to help us make fast decisions about people and situations.
That means they’re being used by your audience about you and your business, which is why large companies spend the big bucks on their branding, including using brand ambassadors who possess the attributes they want to be associated with their product(s).
Jennifer Anniston and Aveeno is a great example of this. J&J tapped into her wholesome, natural girl next door image to create a link between that and their product, leading us to think of that as natural and wholesome too. That’s applying a personal brand to a faceless product helping it seem more relatable and appealing.
APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES OF BRANDING TO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS & SOLE TRADERS - PERSONAL BRANDING
As small business owners, we ARE our brands, so thankfully we don’t need a massive budget to get our message across.
What we do need however is to show up.
So our audience can get to know us.
To tune into us.
To feel that we’re right for them.
We can do all that with powerful, compelling imagery that SHOWS our clients what to expect, both in terms of who we are but also how we work.
PERSONAL BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWS YOU TO SHORTCUT THE FACT-FIND STAGE…
Building trust can take time. Using compelling custom personal branding imagery can speed that process up as you can show yourself where your dream clients feel comfortable, positioning yourself as “one of them” (one of the many cognitive schema we posess), so they instantly feel aligned to you.
Hurdle one on the trust scale safely navigated! Naturally, there’s way more to planning a personal branding photoshoot than just being seen where your ideal clients and their peers hang out/aspire to hang out, but it’s one of the many building blocks.
HMMM, SO PERSONAL BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHY IS DIFFERENT TO LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY WHERE WE JUST GO WITH THE FLOW?
Yes! Or at least it should be! Think of personal branding photography as an extension of your marketing efforts. It’s a specialist job requiring specialist skills.
It can be confusing as there are many generalist photographers offering “personal branding” photoshoots, but you’ll be able to tell the specialists from the generalists by their process, the way they talk about the shoots and their purpose.
Another big giveaway is the packages. Tailored branding photography that speaks to your marketing messages is low volume as each shot needs to nail that particular message which is likely going to be different to the previous one. If you’re being offered packages that mean you’re getting one shot for every minute or two that you’re together, that’s a different type of shoot entirely.
If you’d like help attracting your dream clients you can schedule a free 20-minute enquiry call where you can get to know me and whether I’m the right fit for you.
You’re also welcome to sign up for my newsletter to receive more hints and tips on bringing your brand to life online.