They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. And when it comes to selling in today’s heavily digital world, strong visuals are crucial for a company’s brand presence and online reputation. Take a quick mental inventory of your business’s photos: do they adequately showcase what you sell? Are they reflective of your current branding? Are they outdated, featuring products you no longer offer or people who no longer work for you? In many ways, your photography can work against you. Here’s how you can tell when it’s time for new brand photos.
Why Do I Need to Hire a Professional Photographer?
You might be asking yourself: “Why would I hire a photographer when I already have a smartphone with a decent camera built in? Can’t I just use that?” And yes, phone photography is appropriate in certain cases! The photos you snap with your phone can be great for social media Stories, Reels, and some page posts. However, when it comes to photo content for your website, catalogs/brochures, menus, advertisements, and signage, you’ll need images with a longer shelf-life and of a higher quality so they can be scaled to size.
Additionally, no matter how familiar you are with your phone camera’s settings, there are still industry-specific skills a professional photographer has mastered with a high-tech camera and editing software that can truly make all the difference in your photos (lighting, contrast, focus, brightness, etc.).
5 Reasons to Book a Brand Photoshoot
Brand photoshoots aren’t a one-and-done sort of deal, though. There are several reasons as to why you’ll need to have numerous brand photoshoots as the years go on. Here are the top five signs it’s time for new brand photos:
1. Your Business is Rebranding
A company rebrand is a huge undertaking, involving many moving parts. If you’re changing the business name, logo, color palette, messaging, and other crucial branding elements, you’ll want all new photos to represent those changes as well. And don’t forget to get photos of leaders and other staff to be used as part of a press kit when you announce the rebrand to the public.
2. You’re Launching a New Website
Launching a new website is typically part of the rebranding process, but it can happen independently as well. When building and redesigning a new site, all the photos included should be new as well to achieve that fresh look and feel you’re aiming for.
3. You’re Offering New Products, Services, or Courses
Often, businesses change and add to their offerings over time. Take restaurants, for example. They might remove certain dishes, add a specialty drink, or even make whole new menus for each season and holiday. New brand photos are needed to capture those changes and keep the restaurant’s marketing efforts up to date. The same is true for all types of businesses and industries.
4. Your Old Headshots Don’t Look Like You Anymore
It’s 2023; you shouldn’t still be using the same headshot from 2016. You don’t look the same as you did seven years ago or even one year ago. Aside from the fact that our bodies and faces are constantly growing and changing as we age, you likely have also made cosmetic changes (like a completely different haircut and color or switching to contacts from glasses) that make you unrecognizable from your old photo. Keeping headshots current is important for recognition amongst clients and people in your network as well as for authenticity.
5. Your Old Photos Have Been Overused, Aren’t Driving Engagement
Have you been cycling through the same set of pictures for your Instagram profile for years? Have you not changed the company pictures in your marketing materials since they were established? Reusing the same photos gets boring and it’s something customers notice easily. It’s understandable to get good mileage out of a photoshoot and the most bang for your buck, but at a certain point, the old photos lose their pizazz and are no longer grabbing your audience. A general rule of thumb: if it’s been one or two years since your last photoshoot, you’re overdue.
If your business is showing any of these five signs, it’s time for you to invest in a professional photoshoot. Once you’re on the books with a photographer, be sure to properly prepare for the shoot ahead of time. Ready for your close-up? Contact Vision today to inquire about our photography services and schedule a date for your new brand photos to be taken!
