In today's digital age, having a strong personal brand is essential. Whether you're a business owner, entrepreneur, or professional, a strong personal brand can help you stand out from the competition and build credibility and trust with your audience. While a headshot is a common tool for creating a personal brand, a personal branding session can take your brand to the next level. Here's why you actually need a personal branding session instead of just a headshot:
1. It helps you define your brand
A personal branding session is more than just taking a few photos. It's an opportunity to define your brand and create a visual representation of that brand. Through a personal branding session, you can work with a photographer or branding expert to create a cohesive and consistent look and feel that represents your values, personality, and unique selling proposition.
2. It provides a variety of visual assets
While a headshot is important, it's just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to creating a strong personal brand. A personal branding session can provide you with a variety of visual assets, including lifestyle shots, action shots, and behind-the-scenes shots that can help tell your brand story and connect with your audience on a deeper level.
3. It showcases your personality and values
A personal branding session is an opportunity to showcase your personality and values through your visual brand. By working with a photographer or branding expert, you can create a brand that truly reflects who you are and what you stand for. This can help you attract the right audience and build strong, long-lasting relationships with your followers.
4. It can be used across multiple platforms
While a headshot may be limited to just one platform, a personal branding session can provide you with visual assets that can be used across multiple platforms, including your website, social media profiles, and marketing materials. This can help you create a consistent and cohesive brand that resonates with your audience, no matter where they encounter it.
5. It's an investment in your future.
A personal branding session is an investment in your future. By creating a strong and memorable personal brand, you're setting yourself up for long-term success and growth. You're building a brand that people will remember and trust, and that can help you achieve your goals, both personally and professionally.
6. It can tell stories
I'm a strong believer in storytelling. Stories drive my creativity, whether it's for an old Hollywood film, a commercial, a fine art project, or a personal branding photoshoot. This is especially important for commercial purposes. While people may analyze prices and advantages of a service or product, their decisions are often driven by emotions. Just take a look at global brands' marketing strategies and slogans:
Coca Cola - "Open Happiness"
Nike - "Just Do It"
Old Spice - "The original. If your grandfather hadn't worn it, you wouldn't exist."
MasterCard - "There are some things money can't buy. For everything else, there's MasterCard."
KFC - "Finger lickin' good."
Airbnb - "Belong anywhere."
Tiffany - "Believe in Dreams."
L'Oréal - "Because You're Worth It."
Cartier - "The Art of Being Unique."
These brands focus on telling a story and evoking certain emotions in their users or clients. They want to create a feeling that users will experience when they use their products or services. It's about sharing a story, a journey, or an adventure that users can live if they choose that specific company. These stories can make them feel hip, happy, fun, rich, cool, unique, special, beautiful, and so on.
A good marketing campaign and a well-executed personal branding shoot can tell your story, your brand's story, as well as the story of your users and how they will benefit from choosing you. Storytelling has been used in marketing since its inception, and it is more prevalent than ever before (just look at any Ford, Apple, Nike, or Levi's TV ads).
In conclusion, while a headshot is important, it's just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to creating a strong personal brand. A personal branding session can help you define your brand, provide you with a variety of visual assets, showcase your personality and values, be used across multiple platforms, be an investment in your future, and tell the story of your brand and how users will feel choosing you. So, if you're serious about creating a strong personal brand, consider investing in a personal branding session today.
If you decided it's time to up your marketing game visually, contact me via my e-mail, or a contact form you can find on the site!