How Brand Imagery Elevates Your Business
On our recent summer vacation, we came across two coffee shops that we really wanted to try. We had perused Instagram and both of them stood out for their strong visual branding.
However, out of the two that caught our eye, we chose one coffee shop over the other because their visual branding caught our attention the most. Their products on social media looked amazing, and we were really drawn to their business.
With highly professional images of their products and the inside of their shop, we could instantly see from the photos that we would really enjoy some of their drinks.
That got me thinking about the power of brand imagery, and why it really does make more of an impact than you may think! In this blog, we look at three of the main advantages of having professional brand imagery.
Let’s take a look …
Professional Brand Imagery Helps Build Trust
Having a consistent, professional look to your business helps build trust with your customers, whether they are existing customers or potential customers interested in buying from you. These images can be shared on social media and your website, reaching many people around the world.
With almost everyone now owning a smartphone and having access to information at their fingertips, having a solid brand image online is not just a nice thing to have. It is essential!
Social media has transformed the way we see images. The images a person finds of your brand can dramatically affect the way they view you and your company. Brands not only have to consider their image in all places, both positive and negative, but also in real-time.
Think back to our coffee shop example. Even one striking photograph can make the difference between a customer visiting your business or not.
As a Eugene brand photographer, I take all of these things into consideration to make sure that customers can really trust and believe in your brand.
Brand Imagery Makes Your Brand More Relatable And Relevant
The quickest and best way to connect with your customers is by relating to them.
But what does that really mean?
Well, it’s about making your customer a friend and finding out about their common interests, likes, dislikes, and experiences. You want your customer to see your brand and say “Wow! That’s totally me!”, or “She totally gets me”.
Having great visuals and professional photographs is an amazing way to create relatability because they stir up so many emotions. You can really style your photos well with the design, colors, and people. You can even use pets or animals. Anything specific that will enhance your brand image and give that sense of being a friend or “one of us”.
Another great way to increase likability and relatability is to include photos of you in action. Stories about you, the business owner, engage people. Being able to see you going about your day, or showcasing a new product will increase the odds of that potential customer relating to you.
Let your audience know you, and find out about your personality and any quirks about what you do. This all makes your brand feel warm and welcoming. Combine professional branded photographs with in-action photographs or candid stories. That way, you create an emotional connection to your audience that builds over time.
Consistent Brand Imagery Creates Recognition
Your brand’s ability to connect with large audiences consistently is what will really help take your business to the next level.
When you have a consistent look and feel on your website, flyers, your social media, and even your sign frontage and place of business, you are creating a system and streamlined experience for your customers.
People can instantly recognize you from your brand imagery alone!
A great way to create consistent brand imagery is to set up a system whereby you can organize all of your marketing assets, including photographs, and set brand guidelines.
That way, you have a batch of content that falls under specific categories and has a system attached. Let’s say you decide to hire an assistant. It will be easy to maintain the same brand consistency even if you are not physically working on the marketing all of the time.
The power of having professional brand images also means that everyone you hire on your team “gets” the brand without you having to define all of the qualities. Consistent branding is already doing the work for you, by giving your business a unique style, personality, and identity.
In my business, I sit down with each client and work through exactly how to create a consistent brand and create images to match it.
A branding session with me typically includes a set of beautifully edited images, whether headshots or product images and can include outdoor and indoor locations. I can help you with any additional services like outfit planning and thinking through any props to have ready.
Overall, we will end with a gallery full of professional branding images to use all throughout your business’ marketing collateral.
Scheduling Your Branding Session
I would love to hear more from you and chat about creating a visual representation of your brand with brand imagery and professional photography.
If you are ready to get started, contact me today to book your branding session!
Lavender Lemonade Photography specializes in family, senior and brand photography and serves the Eugene, OR area. Follow along on Instagram for the latest booking dates and tips for your session!
