Headshots as Brand?

Headshots as Brand Communication

Jo Henderson – Gone Consulting – recent shoot 

Do you need an ‘on-brand’ photoshoot for your business?

All businesses know the value of marketing. They are aware that a website is essential as is the constant need to be present through social media, advertising and even business networking. It’s easy to follow the ‘branding rules’ when you’re a big company with a big budget, but what if you’re not?

How much notice do you or should you pay to your brand?

Standout brands

Many businesses rely heavily on their brand imagery to stand out from the crowd. If this can extend beyond the images on your website, then all the better. If you’re true to your brand, then it carries through your content, across your social platforms and even into your face-to-face appointments, making you and your business memorable and instantly recognizable.

Here are a few brands that stand out near my home in Warwickshire:

• COWBOY TWIST

Spaghetti Marketing have added a western/cowboy twist (or should I say fusilli) to their brand.

They have chosen a distinctive colour palette, with references to the ‘60s Spaghetti Westerns, with a nod to movies such as Sergio Leone’s ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ or ‘The Good, the Bad & the Ugly’. Spaghetti Agency has a constant presence on social media and with images of Todd looking more like Clint Eastwood every day, the team are consistently reinforcing their brand.

• Fishy clothing

A man in a Fish suit rocks up at networking events around the Warwickshire area and introduces himself as a designer. Now, this could be the start of a surreal joke, but Paul Horne is in fact a marketing designer for Cool Goldfish Design   and after seeing the suit – he’s someone you won’t forget in a hurry!   

• Chin badgers

Another great example is my photographer friend Charlie Budd, who sports a wonderful grey beard as part of his ‘everyday wear’ and heads up Chin Badger Media. What a brilliant business name and one that stands out in every way – visually, creatively & descriptively.

• Orange is the new orange

A specialist in LinkedIn marketing The M Guru, Gus Bandal has chosen Orange for his brand colour and doesn’t leave the house unless he’s sporting something orange. This could be a pair of trainers or a silk tie – or often both at the same time!

As marketing specialists, these businesses practice what they preach.

How to make your business’s brand stand out

If you are a professional business consultant, an architect, a therapist or even a trades person, a standout look might not be what your business needs. So, how do you look professional, and still make your mark?

Branded clothing or a uniform can be a great way to market your business and show the professionalism of your company. I’ve seen tree surgeons and specialist logistics companies, whose employees wear visibly branded clothing. Protective clothing is also branded, so the business continues to promote itself, whilst also showing itself to be accountable.

Use images where needed of your workforce wearing their branded clothing. This will help to reinforce and increase awareness of the brand associated with your business. Even if a prospective client can’t remember your company name, even 6 months on, their subconscious will remember the colour or logo associated with your business, and the positive interaction they had.

Stand out in the digital (google) fog

When creating a personal brand, be true to yourself but try and have a consistent look, it’s a way for people to remember you. It could be something as simple as a certain style of jacket or a chosen colour palette, worn perhaps with a twist.

Many photographers and creatives opt for the ubiquitous black. It’s both practical and easy, but will it help them to be easily remembered?

You might not always be able to be ‘on brand’, so this is where having a bank of professional portraits can come in handy.

A great example of that approach was a recent commission I had for Jo Henderson. She already had the look that reflected her personality, but she wanted to take the idea further and we created a series of stylised portraits that were more like a fashion shoot than a corporate headshot.

Jo is someone who once met you never forget (in the nicest possible way)! She wanted to extend her ‘look’ and style across her brand and developed her website to reflect this. Jo wanted a collection of images that could be used digitally on her website and on platforms such as LinkedIn, to make sure she stood out in the crowd. She has successfully created a brand that sticks in the mind and reinforces her presence and is a simple and effective way for her to market herself to her prospective clients.

Photographically, I approached the brief as I do with many projects, asking myself how I can create a new look that reflects the brand but is visually cohesive? I do not use a regular lighting set up, (which is undoubtedly one of my USPs), so I experimented with different lighting techniques a week or so before meeting with Jo. We agreed a style of photography that she was happy with and the shoot went as planned (with more fun than I’d anticipated). I know the images will serve Jo well for a season or two (as they say in the fashion business)! I am delighted with the outcome. Check out Jo’s Gone Consulting website to see more samples from the shoot.

Nail that brand!

So as part of your marketing strategy consider your personal image, find a look that you are comfortable with, maybe add a twist then make sure the images do you justice. Consider using a professional portrait / brand photographer that you know can deliver (I would say that wouldn’t I).

Invest in your brand image and it will make you the returns you want in the long term. Maybe buy a cowboy hat, grow a beard or wear an outrageous suit – whatever your choice, be sure to make an impression!