Equestrian Brand Photography
Your brand’s visual identity is made up of much more than just your logo. But what is brand photography, why is it important, and what should you consider when working with a photographer?
WHAT IS BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
Brand photography is all about capturing the essence of your brand in a way that fits with the visual identity of your business. This is where we turn strategies into light, camera, action to generate a wide range of consistent, well crafted images that will keep your business appearance uniform across your marketing channels over time. The use of imagery that conveys your business values will also become an integral part of your brand itself, and it will make your business appear more relatable to your potential customers.
We all know that visual content will receive much better engagement rates than pure textual content. In fact, 65% of marketing experts say photos, videos, illustrations, and infographics are key to communicating your brand story for higher conversion. This isn’t only important for sales but also across your marketing channels such as social media platforms. Facebook posts from brands that included images achieves 87% of all engagements, with Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than tweets with no associated imagery (Hubspot).
It is not as easy as sharing or using stock imagery - people form a first impression in just 50 milliseconds, which means that you get one opportunity to connect with a client. This is where consistent, high-quality photos are going to help you capture their attention as your first impression conveys a knowledgeable, strong brand, even before they know anything about your product or services.
BENEFITS OF GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY
Besides from the fact that great photography transmits the quality and value of a company which in turn creates recognition, it generates a positive butterfly effect;
Photos that communicate feelings will stay on the mind of those who sees it for a longer period, which makes your business more memorable
Good quality imagery is appreciated by most and will more often than not be shared across social media. This in turn will help you reach a larger audience and a potential new demographic.
When you have images that showcase your business or products in a way you’re proud of, you will act with a different mindset and take both yourself and your business more seriously - as will your customers.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A BRAND PHOTOGRAPHER
As a part of the EQuerry Consulting team, our expert photographer Filip Gustafsson has provided a list of things to consider when you’re looking to work with a photographer.
What message do you want your pictures to deliver? When shooting for brands, it is important to make sure you achieve a specific feeling that you want associated with your business. This way your picture shows emotion and creativity, making it stand out. For product based businesses who regularly take images for the launch of their new products, you want realistic and exact photos. However, it is still important that you keep your brand in mind so it is obvious who’s products customers are viewing even before they see your brand.
On which platform will you be using the photos? A lot of photographers can take good pictures, but what makes a great photographer is understanding the clients’ needs and responding to these. The client knows their business best, and will have an understanding of which platform is yielding the most sales or referrals. 90% of consumers expect their experience to be consistent across all channels and devices when they interact with brands across platforms, so an important scope of the project is to tailor the shoot and editing to the clients marketing plan as well as their brand.
Does the visual elements of your business work together? You might have your logo, colours and fonts in order, but if your vision for your brand photography isn’t established you will end up with images that doesn’t work. It is crucial that all your visual elements work together in a cohesive manner to establish brand consistency and develop brand loyalty. Brands that are consistently presented are 3 to 4 times more likely to experience brand visibility, so make sure you do what works for your brand, not what looks good for others.
WHERE CAN I USE BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY?
When investing in a photographer you want to get your monies worth, so here’s a few ideas for how you can use your photos when you have them:
On your website
On your about page
On your Instagram grid and stories
As your social media profile photos if you’re a team of one, or your brand is really personal, like a trainer, blogger or influencer
In blog posts
As podcast artwork
In your email signature
As a part of graphics for your paid advertisement campaigns
On the back of your business card
To introduce yourself in a webinar, course or presentation
Through a opt-in
For personal touches such as client cards and thank-you notes
As a part of the media package you share with your partners
