It’s no wonder that “brand identity” is such a hot topic these days. Having a strong visual brand is essential beyond your marketing success; it’s your digital storefront.
Your company’s brand represents your shared values, services, ideas and personality. That’s why your choice of logo, colours, typeface, imagery (illustration and photography) and composition directly influences your audiences perception of who you are – for the better or, in some cases, the worse.
As a photographer, I work with many businesses seeking to use imagery to enhance their brand and engage with customers. The most successful of these have taken the time to set out a clear photographic identity for their business, from the outset. This is key. The more clarity you can bring to your photographic identity, the easier (and more specific) it will be for your customers to identify with, and align their personal brands and values with yours. And, of course, this is the ultimate goal for marketers. Engaged customers = returning customers.
Photography, when used correctly and consistently, can be a very effective way to capture and maintain brand identity and customer engagement. It provides an essential story telling platform with the potential to leverage strong emotional appeal – a powerful tool for building your product and/or brand narrative.
If you’ve considered hiring a professional photographer but still aren’t sure if it’s worth it (isn’t that what iPhones, Instagram, and filters are for?) here are some key points to ponder:
- A professional has the tools to effectively translate your company’s brand into a strong visual brand identity.
- An experienced pro can help you with all the visual details to make this happen – big and small – from lighting to composition to overall storytelling.
- Professionals have the tools, knowledge and understanding needed to create a sets of images having a consistent look and feel – so that all your photography works together to consistently represent your brand narrative.
- A professional can develop a library of customised images, so that your business is equipped with optimal photography which can be used over a period of time, to fulfill your marketing needs online, on social media, in print and for any media needs.
- Professional customized photography is an excellent opportunity to create visual messages for your business that set you apart from your competition. Stock photography can’t do this in nearly as impactful a way.
Brand-building in this social age – social branding – is about achieving resonance between your company and your customers. Photography can and should play a key role in this bridge. By choosing to invest in a visual branding strategy you are developing a strong aesthetic that speaks specifically to your company’s uniqueness. Ultimately if the job is well done, your customers will be able to look at your social or online photography and make an emotional connection directly to your brand. We call that visual identity success.
