The value of bespoke imagery for a company is undeniable. Stock imagery seldom comes close to the impact you can achieve when you invest in brand photography.
Most people are aware of the value in creating hero imagery for things such as a new website, product launch or marketing campaign. The process usually involves choosing a location, selecting a few models and setting up a number of scenes to get the shots you need.
Something that isn’t touched on quite as much is the value of investing in people photography.
Your people.
What is becoming clear about today’s talent market is that businesses need to work harder.
They must work harder to keep the talent they have, and to peak the interest of the talent they need. The key to this is a strong and fully fledged employer brand, one that expertly portrays your companies culture to those outside of the business.
As with all branding, crafting a strong employer brand is about good storytelling. It’s about how you want your organisation to be perceived in the marketplace, using specific messaging to help attract the kind of prospects you’re looking for.
Now more than ever, employees and prospective talent want to feel connected to a company’s mission and core values. They care about the culture you foster, the development opportunities on offer and where you place your value.
Team photoshoots are an excellent way to tell your story.
Your employees are the people who live and breathe the business every single day. Tapping into the power of them and their every day work to tell your story and bringing it to life through beautiful imagery is a simple and genuine way to get your message across.
The right corporate photography projects integrity and professionalism. In some industries they will inspire trust and reliability. In others, the photos will project originality and creativity. But no matter the industry, a professional and purposeful photoshoot will give an insight into the inner workings of your business and its people.
In short, fantastic team photography is more important than ever before.
We have compiled a few key observations below on why we think every company should be investing in people photography right now:
People connect with people.
The use of bespoke imagery that show your real employees, office and business allows people from outside the business to form a connection with you from the offset. From an outside talent perspective, it is important that candidates are able to attach themselves to your organisation from the outset. Do they see themselves working alongside these people and doing the work they can be seen doing? It may not seem like something that would impact a candidates decision, but it absolutely is.
The value of giving this insight into your business cannot be overstated, especially in sectors that are dependant on trust and relationship value.
Investing in professional team photography will help establish your brand identity.
What do you want people to think of your brand? Do you want to be perceived as fun and hip? Corporate and dependable? Or maybe just somewhere in the middle.
The use of imagery is an indispensable tool in your quest to establish your brand and effectively communicate it with your audiences.
No matter what it is you’re trying to convey, a website displaying professional imagery suggests that you and your team are serious about quality and professionalism is something that will go a long way.
Your brand photography should reflect exactly what your brand is about and what people should expect from you.
It’s an effective way of helping people get to know you
When people visit your website, more often than not it is to get a better feel for your business – people want to understand what you do and more importantly, why you do it. Best case, stock photos don’t help them do that. Worse case, they can give people a false impression of who you are. The most effective way for potential customers to get to know your business is by showing them actual photos of your business, your team and what you do.
A picture is worth so much more than a thousand words – especially when it comes to your brand. Of course, the words you write and the tone in which you write them is a vital part of your brand and marketing strategy. But, great brand photography is crucial for catching people’s attention and creating a great first impression that will encourage people to learn more about your business.
It can empower your team
Having your team take part in a professional photo shoot is one of the most underrated tools you can use to truly empower them.
Now more than ever, it is crucial for everyone inside a business to feel as though they are part of the bigger picture.
To have your workforce involved in something that will play a part in how the business communicates itself with those outside the business can be hugely validating and allow individuals to feel as though they are truly involved in the business journey. Providing them with something that makes them feel proud of the part they play in the company goes way beyond a ping-pong table in the break room!
Over the years we have worked with a number of brands to help them capture authentic, inspiring and realistic imagery of teams across a multitude of sectors including Professional Services, Financial, Pharma, Life Science, Engineering, Manufacturing, Education and Non-Profit.