5 Reasons Why Personal Branding Photography Is Powerful

Personal Branding Photography: 5 Reasons Why It's A Powerful Self-Marketing Tool For You

A friend I know recently applied for a high-level role at his company. He was one of their top lawyers, so it was a great opportunity for him. Yet, he wasn’t considered.

Why, you ask?

He didn’t have any online presence. Nothing that would make him stand out from the crowd. The top brass barely knew him, except that he was someone who had gotten results for them. They didn’t know who he was as a person, what he was good at, or what he stood for. That was a shock for him, because he thought that everybody knew him, considering his great performance.

That’s why I tell everyone, especially my clients who are realtors, life coaches, business coaches, and authors, that good personal branding is an absolute requirement in today’s online world. It is no longer something that’s exclusive to entrepreneurs or senior business leaders. Whether you’re an influencer, a keynote speaker, a freelancer, or a working professional, personal branding will be the difference between you being considered or ignored for an unmissable opportunity.

I personally know a fitness influencer who was being ignored brand deals, simply because she wasn’t able to convey her personal brand. This was despite the fact that her social media channel had followers touching a couple million people. She approached me to do her personal branding photography, and we got around to talking. I sat with her and explained how she needed to build her own brand identity, to set her apart from the crowd, and show her value.

In less than two weeks of her uploading her photos from her personal branding shoot on her social media and website, she was approached for 3 major brand deals that she had been eyeing for a long time. She was so happy when she told me about that on the phone!

You must be thinking, wow Vikrant, all this is great, but what is personal branding and how is it any different from reputation management? And why should I invest in personal branding photography of all things?

The answer to that is simple. Let me explain it below.

According to this article in Harvard Business Review, everyone has a certain perception of themselves that people around them form, generally termed as reputation. Your personal brand, on the other hand, is much more intentional. It’s how you want people to see you; it’s about your visibility and the values that you represent externally.

Creating a personal brand may seem very salesy at first, but believe me, it’s more than that. It’s about marketing yourself as a brand and communicating your value. It’s needed to show authenticity, to inspire trust and confidence among your intended audience, so that you don’t miss out on opportunities.

I know creating a personal brand may sound like a lot. But hear me out: you get better at it every day. The biggest names in the business didn’t become big on day one. They went through different versions of themselves before they became who they are today. Case in point? One of the most influential personal brands of today, Oprah Winfrey.

If you want to know some tips to create or elevate your personal brand, I recommend you read this Forbes article on the 10 Golden Rules of Personal Branding.

But it’s not just all talk and no substance. Branding is as much visual as it is written. That’s where personal branding photography comes in.

Personal Branding Photography is a series of photographs or visuals that best capture your unique personality, tell your story, show your personal brand, and aim to build trust with your audience.

Now, who is personal branding photography really for?

Short answer: Personal branding photography is for anyone who is looking to:

– launch a new business / revamp an existing brand, and build their social media presence

– position themselves as a thought / industry leader / expert in their field

– inspire trust and authenticity among their audience

– improve credibility through their digital (website) or print media (marketing materials)

“But Vikrant, I still don’t understand why personal branding photography is a good investment for me. Why should I spend money on it?”, you may ask.

And you would be right to do that. As a Philadelphia-based professional photographer with over two decades of experience in doing personal branding and headshot shoots, there’s many reasons why personal branding photography is worth the money spent.

I’ve compiled a list of my top five reasons of why you should invest in personal branding photography:

Making a great first impression: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” rings true here as well! According to this LinkedIn article, It takes about seven seconds for someone to form an impression of you, so you might as well make it count. Your personal branding photos act as a huge non-verbal / visual cue for people to form an image of you the way you want them to.
Build your brand: Branding photos show your personality, your story, your process, and your value the way you want to. This plays a major role in marketing yourself, as it helps people to see who they are buying / hiring from. Authenticity is key here, and branding photos help to show your brand identity while also building a personal connection with the audience.
Inspire trust beyond words: A picture says a thousand words, a good picture even more so. No matter how good your marketing materials may be in terms of the written content, branding photos inspire trust, as they put a face to the individual behind the brand. It helps people connect with you and your story, and builds credibility.
Set you apart from the crowd: Personalized branding images help to build a narrative and experience that’s unique to you—thereby setting you apart from the competition! In a world where everyone is a top performer, you need to stand apart from the crowd, and personal branding photography does just that.
Boost your bottom line: This ties in to my first point—a good first impression attracts your client by giving them an understanding of you and your brand, and what you’re offering. Plus, professional, high-quality photos of you allows them to build trust, which in turn convinces them to buy from you, thereby adding to the bottom line.

And there you have it—my personal recommendations on why you should absolutely go ahead and invest in personal branding photography for yourself or your brand.

Ready to book your personal branding photography session? Fill out this form here and we’ll reach out to you! Want to see more of my work? Check out my portfolio here.