The Importance of Photography in a Brand
The use of photography has always been a no-brainer for businesses involved in the music, retail, fashion, real estate, and travel sectors. However, now that we’ve entered a digital age, photography has become important for brands across all industries.
Whether you provide services, sell physical products, or promote experiences, your brand is less likely to be noticed or remembered if you do not use photography. Not only that, but you’ll also have a hard time developing relationships and building the trust required to convert leads into actual customers. Why? Because humans are hardwired as visual beings.
Why Photography Is Important for a Brand
Corporate logo, colors, and fonts are typically what come to mind when one thinks about a brand, but brand marketing involves so much more. Brand voice, values, promises, and, yes, photography too are all essential in gaining brand recognition and loyalty. Brand photography refers to a set of professional images customized to match what a company represents to its customers visually.
Due to human nature, vision is the most dominant and powerful of all the senses. In fact,
reports confirm that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual, and those visuals are processed 60,000X faster than text. In addition to the incredible speed at which the brain processes information, photography offers many benefits for capturing a brand’s essence.
Creates a good first impression — It takes 50 milliseconds to form an opinion about a web page
Increases engagement — Facebook posts with images receive 3 times the amount of engagement
Establishes consistency — This makes brands 3 to 4 times more likely to have brand visibility and experience a 23% increase in revenue
Increases brand recall — People remember 65% of content with visual aids versus 10% from only audio after three days
Granted, all five senses have their place in sensory marketing. However, it’s essential to understand that humans tend to rely more on sight when making sense of their surroundings. As such, photography must be a significant focus of a business’s brand strategy.
The Different Types of Photography
People are most familiar with product photography as it pertains to brands. In actuality, several different types of photography serve specific and essential purposes. Depending on a company’s goals, photography can tap into those previously mentioned benefits, like triggering emotions. Large quantities of stock photography are readily available on free and paid websites, but the choices will be very limiting. Custom brand photography allows you to get the right imagery that fits your brand’s personality, look, and feel.
Product Photography
Product photography is just as it sounds — it involves taking pictures of a company’s product and service offerings. The aim is to portray the product to influence viewers to buy it. Brands may choose to showcase product benefits, features, color variations, accessories, use cases, etc. Be sure to establish your brand’s style before setting up a photoshoot with a professional photographer. If you don’t have physical products, you can use images of your workspace, team, and clients.
UGC Lookalike Photography
User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most valuable but often underused types of photography. UGC is that which is created and shared by customers or influencers in a seemingly effortless and authentic manner. Unlike most other imagery, UGC lookalike photography taps into the human element by portraying positive, fun, and enjoyable experiences. These images often serve as both a product photo and review.
Lifestyle Photography
Lifestyle photography is an excellent way for your target audience to connect with your brand’s photos. Unlike corporate-focused images, this type of imagery depicts your customers. If the content feels genuine, your audience will become more engaged, so avoid the staged look. Also, variety is the spice of life. Include a diverse range of people doing different things in various shots.
Good Photography Conveys a Story
They say, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and when it comes to branding in the digital era, that cliché couldn’t be more accurate. Everyone is bombarded with all types of information, whether while on their phone, driving down the street, or watching TV.
The good news is that human brains are miraculously capable of processing images in as little as 13 milliseconds, so you can get your message across with ease. The bad news is that, as a brand, you’re fighting against many unseen competitors.
That means you need to step up your visual game and leverage storytelling through photography. Good photography can help you share your message better than mere words alone. This approach reflects upon the human experience and triggers those emotions when done right.
Different Avenues Where You Can Use Photography for Your Brand
The options for using photography for your brand are limited only by your imagination and resources. At the same time, you must generate well-curated images for the most effective marketing efforts.
Here are a number of ways to use brand photographs:
Website and landing pages
Social media profiles and campaigns
Printed and digital ads
Emails and newsletters
Catalogs, brochures, and flyers
Product packaging
Point-of-purchase displays
Ensure that your photos are of very high quality and professional. The images you use and how you use them will significantly impact customer experience and engagement with your brand.
Take the First Step in Brand Photography
Now more than ever, visual imagery and high-quality photography are a must for brands. No matter your industry or products and services you provide, you can use different types of photography to cut through the noise and engage your customers. Learn more about how Fifth & Cor can help your brand with photography by contacting us today.