Show Don’t Tell: 3 Ways to Leverage Photography For Your Brand

I don't care if you are offering service, selling coaching, delivering a keynote, or whatever. If you have the overhead, you need to hire a photographer. Because you need to be able to show who you are, what you do, and why it matters. I cannot stress this enough: all this strategizing means nothing if you cannot effectively show and present it.

I know this is going to be a difficult article. Many of you don’t have the means to acquire these assets. Real, authentic photos are expensive after all, but that doesn't mean they shouldn’t be on your radar.

Show Yourself: Increase Visibility and Build Trust

You need pictures of yourself. Yes! Real photo of you doing the things:

• Shaking hands

• Honing your craft

• Signing books

• Delivering a talk

Every time I am on LinkedIn, I can tell which of those in my feed are actually doing the tangible work they talk about. Why? They document themselves doing it. They show photos of themselves. And this does not mean they need to be perfect—remember, perfect is better than done—they just need to create a connection.

Show Your Products: Sell More With Proof

I mainly work with authors and speakers—it’s hard for me to look past this element without first capturing images of my clients in both domains: writing their next book and walking up on stage to share their story.

This is where your product becomes more than just a product; it becomes an outcome, or rather, a result. And it’s better to show that result rather than explain it.

Show Your People: Make The Most of Your Posts On Social Media

I used to be against this last one. You know those group photos from networking events you keep seeing on LinkedIn. I know you have. Those are part of this second category. Those candid moments where you are interacting with other people, when you are locked deep in conversation.

Making It Visual

Never cease in collecting these types of photos for your bussines. Now, you can incorperate them into your visual identity. How? Color grading my frined. The steps are simple:

• Open your favorite editor

• Go through the filters

• Find one that fits your brand colors (mine are orange and blue)

• Apply that filter ever photo

• Collect them in small liberary that you have labeled “Photo assets“