Why you should consider investing in professional brand photography

Setting up a new business is not an easy task - it’s a labour of love. I know that when you’re starting a business, often you have to decide how and where to invest your money - marketing, operational costs and team members are all important investments, especially at the beginning when you might not even be breaking even.

Professional photography is another one of those investments (although it often isn’t as sizeable as you think!) and when you've got so much else on your plate, it's easy to understand why so many business owners choose to spend little, or nothing at all on photography. Photography is so accessible nowadays that you can find imagery online for free in stock libraries, or even take them yourself on your iphone.

Now - I understand that I am a bit biased here! As a photographer, of course I want you to understand how valuable brand photography is. However, as well as being a photographer, I’m also a customer. A customer that buys from small businesses, visits local coffee shops and stays in boutique hotels. The truth is that I simply wouldn’t buy from a business that hasn’t got photography to show me what it looks and feels like to engage with them.

I feel passionately that very single business, no matter how big or small, or who their customer is, should consider investing in professional photography. If you don’t have a huge budget, why not consider mini brand shoots?

1) Photography makes your customers FEEL something

Imagine walking into a restaurant that just has white walls and white furniture. No candles, textiles or pictures on the walls - you’d walk out, wouldn’t you? Not having photography on your website is a similar thing - how can your customers know what to expect from you if all you have is a white page with lots of copy? Images convey messages, emotions, and feelings to your customers far quicker than words ever could. 

The photography you use in your online presence and marketing materials should be used to make people feel a certain way -  about not just you, but about themselves.

2) We’re more visual than ever before

Whether we like it or not, our lives nowadays are curated to tell a story about the kind of person we want to be. People are so used to seeing beautiful, perfect, polished images on Instagram, Facebook, etc that if they see anything less, they tend to click off. Professional brand photography helps overcome this - if they see beautiful, curated imagery, they’re more likely to follow.

3) Digital word of mouth is incredibly valuable

Word of mouth is still the number one form of marketing, and digital word of mouth is super important for all businesses, We all take pretty pictures of our food in restaurants - but why? So we can share it with others!

4) Your socials are the new “shop window”

We all know that if we walk down a street and see a beautiful window display, it grabs our attention and we want to go in and have a look. Beautiful photographs on your website/Instagram/Facebook page have the same effect.

5) Professional photography looks - well - professional!

Think about it - if you were thinking of booking a restaurant, which one would you be more likely to trust and make your purchase with? The one with poorly lit photographs taken on their iphone? Or the one that shows off the atmosphere, with beautiful food photography and a distinct brand identity?  By investing in good quality, professional photographs, you immediately look more professional to your customers. If you are willing to invest in your business, you look like you take yourself more seriously.

6) Brand photography can show off your personality

Personal branding is more important than ever for small businesses. These days, people want to buy from people. I understand it can be daunting, but if people see you as the face of your business they’ll learn that they can trust you. People are much more likely to want to work with you if they think you’re the kind of person they can get on with.

Another thing to consider is how your brand photography will make you feel. I know I feel 100x more confident being armed with nice pictures of myself - I’m not comfortable infront of the camera, but having professional photography makes such a difference and helps me show up as a proud business owner.

7) Professional photography will make content creation 1000x easier

Imagine how good it would feel to have a whole bank of beautiful imagery to post on social media! No more hunting around for stock photography which is never unique anyway, or doesn’t quite fit in with your brand aesthetic, or wondering what on earth to post tomorrow. Photography does the hard work for you - all you need to do is post it!

All of the above reasons for investing in professional photography aren't for nothing; they're for you to make more money, and run a successful business.

If you’re considering brand photography and you want a friendly, enthusiastic photographer to work with, I’d love to help. Perhaps you haven’t got the budget for a full shoot. In which case, you might be interested in mini shoots.