As your customers see more online content than ever before, it’s important to take steps to stand out from the crowd and stop the scroll! It’s no secret that good photography can do wonders for your business.

Who doesn’t want to improve those things and get more business? 

This guide explains how you can use personal brand photography in different ways to elevate your marketing efforts and build a solid online presence, being authentically you.

Why you should use personal brand photography instead of stock images?

Especially important for small business owners who provide a B2B service, using personal brand photos means you’re not seen as a faceless business. 

Give customers a personal customer service feel by showing who you are. For employees in larger companies, showing the faces of team members has the same affect. 

When your best asset is you (or your team), it makes sense to show it off! 

Photographs and images form the main base of many social media marketing. They drive engagement and get your brand noticed in busy newsfeeds, when done right.

You have two options for getting personal brand photography:

1. take your own photos (or ask a friend) 
2. book a professional photographer (it isn't as expensive as you'd think).

The first option is a good starting point and is better than nothing. You can take good quality images on many mobile phones with either a selfie or asking a family member, friend or colleague to take them for you.

The second option will be more of an investment, but it will certainly pay off when you portray a more professional image. A photographer will point you in the right direction to creating timeless images that you can use in many ways. 

You might have found using stock photos is having an adverse effect on your engagement as in truth it's not the same. People zone out if they think an image looks too similar or staged… showing real people in real settings is always better.  

Although your personal brand photography shoot will mostly be capturing your personality in image form, you should also use it as an opportunity to shoot complementary compositions. 

For example, if you work in a certain setting for your industry or use specific equipment. Take a few photos where you’re not the centre of attention, but those things are. This style of close ups and filler images can be especially useful for introverts or camera-shy people. 

Another consideration when taking photographs is your clothing. Where possible, use complementary colours to your company branding. Or if your branding is bold, wearing more subdued colours can help to avoid a clash. It’s also good to have a few different outfits… when you shoot all your photos in a summer dress or shorts, they don’t look quite right in winter.

When it comes to the style of your branding images, no one is saying they need to be corporate. Your clothes are personal and show off who you are, so don’t be afraid to wear something different. Wear what you feel comfortable in and is your personal style, and your personality will shine brighter.

How to use personal brand photography on social media 

Having a good catalogue of personal brand photographs on-hand means your social media content will always help to connect to your audience. Using these images in a variety of different ways will present your personal brand at every stage, no matter the platform. 

Use images from your personal brand photography shoot for you:

• Social media profile pictures 
• Social media banner images 
• Any social media post across every platform you use
• Blog headers
• Website – home page, about us, meet the team pages, training collateral
• Newsletter headers
• Social media animations and video graphics 
• Landing pages or registration pages 

They can also be useful additions to email marketing sign-up welcomes, printed marketing collateral, the list goes on!

Wherever your customer touchpoints are, adding an image of yourself or relevant pictures from your personal brand photography will make it more human. 

Remember, every time you comment and like other people’s content, they’ll see your images. Personal branding helps to build trust and relationships in online communities, too.

If like me, you like to get your money's worth, you can alter your photos yourself, making one photo look very different every time you use it. But how?

By using Canva.

Altering personal brand images on Canva for social media marketing

When sharing top tips or testimonials on your social media channels, you can add an image into your designs. 

Using Canva is a great way to incorporate your personal brand photos. Once you’ve uploaded the images, they’re easily accessed time and time again in your library. You can also set your brand colour and typography settings. These features make it quick to create a new branded asset to share on social media. 

In Canva, you can alter the way each photo looks. Remove backgrounds, layer images, change the position and orientation, add a drop-shadow or glow, and insert curved text around them. There are also pre-set template sizes on Canva, so if you’re creating a new Facebook post, the recommended size is available. 

For more help with creating eye-catching images that stop the scroll, read ‘how to become your own social media graphic designer’ or download the FREE Canva guide by The Thinking Cap. It’s an instant access course that runs through the fundamental tips to get starting in using Canva. 

Alternatively, if you prefer to outsource this design, we'd love to help you recycle and alter your photos accordingly. To find out more about us and how we can help simply, click here and let's pencil in a short call.

Hopefully this will have given you a good insight into the power of using personal brand photography in your social media marketing, and how to get started. The Thinking Cap offers social media training masterclasses, perfect if you need inspiration on how to build a strong online presence and a personal brand that feels right for you.