If you’re planning a personal branding photo session for your small business, you know the importance of online marketing and building a brand. There are many benefits of personal branding photography… Including increasing social media engagement and easier content creation for Instagram and Pinterest.  

As a Nashville personal brand photographer, I work with female business owners that are ready to grow their brand and improve their online marketing. While business owners understand the benefits of personal branding photography, it’s also important to know when is the right time to plan a personal branding photoshoot. Here are 6 questions you should consider before you plan a personal brand photo session!

How do you want to use your personal brand photos to grow your business?

I’ve seen clients excitedly plan a branding photoshoot, but turn around and fail to use their new images. Before you book a brand photographer, you should audit your current online presence and take note of what you could improve. Popular ways to use personal branding images are to update websites and to create content for social media. But your business lifestyle photography serves you better than that!

Branding photos can help you communicate a new product or service, attract your ideal clients through ads and Pinterest pins, and can be a part of your printed marketing collateral (think pull up banners, brochures, car wraps, etc). Before you create a shot list for your lifestyle headshots, be sure to brainstorm unique ways to implement your pictures!

 

Do you have any new product or service launches planned for your business?

A well-planned branding photoshoot will equip you with the visual elements you need to market your business. When you’re ready to schedule personal branding photos, I encourage you to look ahead at your marketing plan to see what images you might need for future launches. This can be for social posts, blog posts, ads and website landing pages.

 

What kind of pictures do you need for your website?

It’s crucial to be aware of how your website is laid out and what kind of imagery you need for your website before you plan your personal branding photoshoot and shot list. You can always crop pictures as needed to make them work with your layout… But you save time and are more prepared when you keep your website in mind. 

An example of this is: your website layout has a banner image that needs white space on the left side to add Header text. When you plan your personal branding photos accordingly, you can add that image requirement to your shot list and receive a picture that is the perfect fit in your final gallery!

 

What’s your marketing plan?

Personal branding photos are perfect for online marketing… but you need a marketing plan first! Before you invest in brand photos, you should have a marketing strategy for your small business. I’ve seen many business owners receive a gallery full of commercial photos, and then not use them. 

To avoid receiving content that doesn’t build your brand or generate leads, figure out how you want to market your business first. Coming up with your content and marketing strategy will help you realize what type of photos you need to grow your brand. 

 

What is the overall message you want to portray with your brand and content?

It’s important to be able to answer this question before your Nashville personal branding photoshoot because it dictates what type of content will be created during a brand photo session. Is your brand really colorful and bold? Your brand imagery and the locations, props and outfits should match that vibe. Are you a luxury real estate agent? Your brand imagery will need to portray a luxury and high end experience. 

 

What kind of content do you post on Instagram?

The easiest way to increase your social media engagement is by creating great content and being consistent. Personal branding photoshoots are the perfect way to create custom content for Instagram. It’s important to have themes or topics that you can talk about repeatedly on social media. When you know what your content themes are, you’re able to batch create photos that allow you to easily talk about that theme. Consistency will set you apart as the expert and will remind your followers what you’re known for.   

Hopefully this gives you a better idea of when to plan a personal branding photoshoot! If you’re not able to answer these 6 questions, it may be a sign that you’re not ready for a personal branding photo session. If you’re not quite ready for a personal branding photoshoot, these resources might help you as you create content for Instagram and your website:

• Click here to learn how to create your own branding photos with your phone
• Find tips for styling flatlays and product photography for Instagram content here
• Learn how to create a cohesive Instagram feed through consistent and cohesive content (and how to mix your phone pictures with professional brand photos or stock photos)
• Download 20 free stock photos that are perfect for social media, blog posts, Pinterest graphics, email marketing and more

 

IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU ARE READY FOR A GAME-CHANGING BRANDING PHOTO SESSION AFTER READING THROUGH THESE POINTS, YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT THIS POST ABOUT THE CONTENT CURATOR, MY POPULAR BRANDING OPTION.