What is a brand shoot and how do I show my brand in my brand shoot?

Lots of business owners know they need a brand shoot, it’s one of the things to tick off on your long to do list.  But what actually is it, why do you need one and most importantly, how do you show your actual brand in your brand shoot?

 

Let’s start with the what is it – in its simplest form, a brand shoot is a shoot of you as a business owner.  But I don’t know about you, but when I first heard that, my instant thought is those awful corporate headshots – where you’re looking at the camera, stood really stiffly, feeling like you’d rather be stood anywhere else at that moment in time!  Or maybe that’s just me and reliving the nightmare of corporate headshots in my old life!

 

 

A brand shoot is about showing then many facets of you, of your personality and your business. 

 

So why do you need a brand shoot?

 

Ultimately, we live in a world where connection is really important to build relationships.  That connection, when you’re in an online world, is crucial for people and therefore potential customers and clients to start trusting you, to start seeing you as someone that they want to work with, to impart their money with and to gain value from you.  They can’t do that if you’re no-where to be seen.  Our customers and clients don’t know we exist if we don’t show up.  And yes, that’s still the case even if you have amazing people referring to you, they are still going to want to check out who you are, what you’re about and see whether you’re a good fit for them.

 

Your brand shoot has the power to show people who you are, what you stand for, your personality, how you work in your business, what you do outside of the business, what’s important to you and what your brand values are.  Wow, that’s a lot of power in a brand shoot!

 

 

And it’s easy for me to say this, I’ve worked with over 100 business owners to create these images, but if you’re starting afresh, and this is the first time you’re thinking about a brand shoot, then how do you make sure that your brand shoot actually aligns with your brand values?

• Firstly, you need to think about the purpose of your shoot – what is it that you’re wanting to use these images for – is it for social media, a re-brand, website refresh, PR images, etc. Knowing the purpose of the shoot means that you can plan with some focus rather than trying to do everything in one sitting.
• Then revert back to think about your ideal client and who you want to work with and are trying to attract. I’ve written a more detailed post on why your ideal client is important to your shoot, but in a nutshell – the messages that your brand images are conveying need to speak to that person, they need to stop them from scrolling and want to read more.  So keep them at the forefront of your mind.
• Go back to your brand basics – what are your brand values and personality – this is really important to share with your photographer, so that they can help plan your shoot around these, picking out the key themes and making sure they are reflected in every aspect, from location, clothing, props and styling, right down to the poses they will guide you through
• Overlay all of this with your marketing plan – what have you got coming up in the diary that you need images for, as chances are if you have this planned out, you’ll again know what those messages need to convey, which is what we’ll bring into the shoot.

 

 

A brand shoot is the visual wrapping of your brand and business – it’s what stops people from scrolling so each image needs to be considered and have your brand at the core.  There is no point just having some pretty pictures taken of you, yes, you’ll look fab, but they may not resonate with the very people you are trying to connect with.

 

The other beauty about having a brand shoot, is the consistency it can then bring to your brand and marketing.  You become recognisable, potential clients are more likely to remember you, even if at first, they don’t need what you’re offering, when they do need that service or product, they will remember your name and face having seen it in lots of different places and built that connection.

 

“Consistent presentation of a brand has seen to increase revenue by 33%”

– Lucidpress, 2019 –

 

It makes good business sense!

 

So whether you’re ready to work with a brand photographer, or you’re currently taking your own brand photos, please don’t push that brand shoot to the bottom of your to do list.  Your business needs you to step in front of the camera.

 

Until next time,

Amanda x