What do you look for in a brand? Why do you choose one business over another?

The factors that influence our purchasing decisions – from business procurement to our weekly shop – are often deep-rooted in the emotional rather than rational. It’s an interesting exercise to do a bit of self-analysis into why you choose, say, Pepsi over Coca Cola, Nike over Adidas, or your local bookshop over Waterstones.

For a business owner, however, turning that process on its head in order to understand why customers choose you – and by extension, how you can attract more of them – is a vital part of building a brand.

One of the most commonly-cited differentiators for strong brands is their ability to create a kinship with their customers, and a sense of shared values. This they can do through their words – a good ‘origin story’, for example – and through powerful imagery.

Pictures of your business and its people communicate what it’s like to be a part of the brand. It creates familiarity, which is the first step towards loyalty.

As a commercial photographer, I speak with many UK business owners about how professional pictures can help them connect with their customers. Sometimes that person has never considered business photography in the past; or maybe their web developer has told them they need some photos – but they have no idea where to begin.

So here are some of the things I tell them:

4 Tips to Promote your Brand or Business With Great Photography

1. Show the person behind the business: customers want to know all about you and why you set up the company, so a good portrait photo is important alongside that origin story.

2. Celebrate the people who bring your brand to life: Staff pictures are just as important, because they not only show your customers who will serve them when they come to your business, but they also communicate what it’s like to work there. Your staff are your founding brand ambassadors, and if they’re happy, it’ll radiate out of the photos.

3. Get the team together: you probably have a ‘contact us’ page on your website, and a good team photo is perfect for this. It says ‘we’re a team, and we’ll look after you!’

4. Take your customer ‘behind the scenes’: lots of businesses use stock photography to capture what they do, and that is understandable for some sectors such as health or finance. But customers instinctively know when a photograph has been licensed, and it can feel inauthentic to them. But some engaging ‘behind the scenes’ pictures can offer them a valuable insight into your business, and will help you build that connection and trust.

Follow these tips and your customers will feel like they know you before they step in the door.

If you are interested in learning more about how commercial photography can promote your business and help build that brand, do get in touch with me. Check out my commercial photography services page for details. You can also read my story – and yes, you’ll also find my photograph, over on my photographer bio.