01 Nov 5 Reasons Why Photography Matters in your Brand

Y’all – I’m about to drop a truth bomb on you – photography matters in your brand. Before you all go “but Courtney, I’m not a photography brand,” hear me out.

Now a-days, visual communication is extremely important in ANY business. Whether you’re a chef, real estate agent, interior designer – honestly whatever your business may be – DO NOT put photography on the back burner. Check out our top 5 reasons why photography matters to your brand below.

1. First Impressions Matter

The visuals you choose are the first impression that your potential customers get of your brand. We really only have a few seconds to capture their attention, so make it count!

2. Good photography builds trust

Photography visually tells the story of your brand and helps you connect with your customers. Good photography will do it even better. It makes your product look professional so your potential consumers will believe that your brand is one they can trust. Brand trust = valuable relationships = increase in sales/profits.

3. People buy with their eyes (and emotions)

It’s a proven fact that your brand’s visual identity (including that ever important photography) has the power to evoke emotions within your potential customer and those emotions are what get them to pull out their wallet. ESPECIALLY if your brand is online. For example, if you’re an interior designer, and I am your potential customer, as I scroll your instagram feed, I want to see AND believe that you’d make my house look like something from the pages of a real estate magazine. If your photos are poorly lit and have bad composition, you’ve lost me, and I’ll most likely hire someone else. What you see is what you get, am I right?

4. Good Photography Increases Social Engagement

It’s no secret, good visuals perform better on social media. On top of that – good visuals are more likely to be shared, exposing your content to new people and new communities. This sharing of content increases your reach organically and builds engagement which in turn builds brand credibility, brand awareness and finally resulting in your ultimate goal, NEW customers!

5. Conversions, Conversions, Conversions

Absolutely everything we do, day in and day out, in a business is to target, attract, serve and retain customers. And for the reasons I listed above, good photography will help you do just that.

I can’t even tell you how many times clients send me poor quality photos and expect it to enhance and improve brand perception. Contrary to popular belief, graphic designers and brand specialists can work a lot of magic, but we’re not magicians. Simply put, if you’re spending thousands of dollars on your branding, don’t cheapen it with bad photography.

Now, I’m not saying you need to drop thousands of dollars on professional photography, although a professional will get you the best photos and I will 100% always recommend it. If you’re sticking with your iPhone, spend the extra time and effort to learn about proper lighting and composition. Trust me, good photography in your brand will go a long way.

Photography Examples

I’ve pulled together some photo comparisons so you can visually see the difference between good photography and well, not-so-good photography. The images on the left are photos I snapped (or a friend snapped) using my iPhone without taking into consideration lighting or composition while the images on the right are professional images of the same thing. Which row of images would YOU rather have representing your brand?

Photo Credits: My iPhone, Blue Apron, Chris Manitius Photography, Liberty Harbor East, Kate Bohler Photography, Napoleon Martinez Photography