Submitted by Darren on
Friday night confession I want to tinder your business........
No – wait! Don’t stop reading! It’s not as bad as it sounds!
Let me explain.
Lately I’ve had a few people ask me ‘what’s a branding shoot? Is that like a headshot? Why would a business need one?’, and this is how I describe it to them.
When we craft a dating profile on an app like tinder we take care that it tells a story about us. Whatever we want our fellow swipers to understand about us – that we’re fun-loving, or outdoorsy, or cultured – we make sure that we pick photos of ourselves that reflect that.
So we post pictures of ourselves at festivals, or hiking, or in our favourite museum. We wouldn’t choose 5 pictures of our head and shoulders, gazing directly at the camera, with a white background. All that tells others is that we lack imagination.
Thinking about our businesses should be the same. Headshots certainly have their uses, but they don’t tell our potential customers and clients much about us – and when you’re a small business trying to woo a client, you need to give people a quick way to understand what you’re all about, what your ethos is, and why they should invest in you. Really good branding pictures can do that.
Images that tell a story are the most useful. When I work on a branding project, I always make sure that before the day of the shoot I’ve got a good understanding of the business and the people behind it, and hopefully a little insight into their story, as well – what’s their background? How did the business come about? Has it grown out of a particular experience, a special set of skills or the coming together of some great minds? The more I understand the business, and a client’s aims for it, the better I can direct and capture images that tell an individual, meaningful story about it, that are more likely to inspire confidence in potential customers.
This means that no two branding shoots are the same. I choose settings and backdrops to reflect the nature of the business that I’m shooting, which might be out and about, or a bright spot in a home office or workshop. Together, we’ll think about the tools of your trade – whether they’re a laptop or a lathe – and how I can capture images that showcase you at your creative best.
Most of us get a lot of custom through our online presence, so having good images online is especially important. It’s great to have invested in logos and professional website design, but if the quality of the accompanying images is bad, they don’t count for much. We take in a lot of visual cues when we browse online, and if we see stock photos or poor quality images, we make assumptions about the value of the product on offer. Your website is your storefront – make it unique.
Of course it’s not just websites – social channels can be even more important, and a branding shoot is a great way to get a bunch of images that can be used on facebook, insta, pinterest, and so on. Engagement on these platforms is highest when brands show some personality – audiences are always keen to meet the person behind the business. They expect more than a few quick snaps which show what your product looks like – a branding shoot will give you a set of images which really shows off your identity.
That’s my approach to brand images, and that’s why I want to tinder your business (sounds less dodgy now, doesn’t it?). Good branding shots represent your ethos, passion, values, and story – and help to grow your small business.
Brand Photography, Warwickshire and West Midlands.
