Most of my Atlanta clients find me because a web designer told them to get personal brand photos. They know they need website photos but have no idea what else to do with them. Too often, they sit on your computer, rotting.
That’s a shame. Personal brand photos can propel your brand and tell your story! From making your social media profiles pop to adding that personal touch to your marketing materials, your images are a goldmine for building your brand’s awareness and connecting with your audience.
It’s time you learn the “what else” of brand photography. Here are 10 of my favorite ways to use your personal brand photos.
1. Update Your Headshot for Social Media Profile Photos
If you’re in business, you know how important it is to have a great profile photo on social media. You want to stand out when that tiny bubble appears in search. But it’s not just about looking good; it’s about projecting confidence, reliability, and approachability. The most effective profile photos feature bright, eye-catching backgrounds or tops. The small color pops you out of the sea of faces.
Keep your profile picture in mind during your next brand session. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to get great headshots. Use one of those images to update your profile photo. But not too often! Find out how often to update your social media profile photo in this blog post.
Benefits of Using Headshots as Your Social Media Profile Picture:
- Creates stronger brand recognition
- Instant connection to your audience
- Helps you stand out
2. Freshen Up Your Website Images
Having a great website requires great images. (That’s why so many web designers send clients to photographers!) Did you know your website can get stale? It can! When you leave the same images on your site for years, people get bored. As design trends shift, your once cute snapshots start to feel…off. You still look great, but to returning clients, you start to blend into the background.
You should never blend into the background.
Prevent this by freshening up your website images. It can breathe new life into an outdated design, saving you from a costly website redesign.
Benefits of Freshening Your Website Images:
- Personalizes your brand
- Instant connection to your audience
- Refreshes an older website design
- Increases conversion rates and time spent on your site
3. Promote Your Speaking Engagements
If you’ve ever been asked to step on stage or be a podcast guest, you’ll know the one question that always gets asked. “Can you send your headshot?” The answer is always yes, but there are more ways to use your other branding photos here too.
I like to tell people to send a few photos. Sure, your headshot will probably be the one chosen for most of the marketing material. However, there will be opportunities to use your lifestyle brand photos too. They may use a photo of you sitting on a couch on their website or social media. Providing high-quality, engaging photos to announce and promote your speaking engagements can significantly increase interest and attendance. Your images are a strong tool to make potential audiences feel like they can’t miss out.
Benefits of Using Your Personal Brand Photos to Promote Speaking Engagements:
- Everyone’s going to ask!
- Increased attendance
- You control the photos being used, not letting the host potentially pick your least favorite photo
4. Add Your Photo To Your Newsletter
You’d be surprised how many entrepreneurs and brands still send newsletters with NO trace of their face. Anywhere! I receive seemingly anonymous emails all the time. Do you know what goes through my mind?
“Who is this?”
That’s right. People are visual. We need to put a face to the name. Some of us are out here throwing our whole hearts into writing a weekly newsletter (speaking from experience). You deserve to be recognized in the inbox.
Use your lifestyle brand photos as cover images, at the top of your email or within the email itself. Your photo can make your communications feel more like a letter from a friend than a faceless entity, fostering loyalty and increasing future open rates.
Take a look at how I used my latest brand photoshoot to BRAND my newsletter.
Benefits of Adding Your Photo to Newsletters:
- Reminds people who you are
- Increased future open rates
- Makes it read more like a one-on-one conversation
5. Personalize Your Email Signature
While we’re on email, let’s look at your email signature. Not the one in Mailchimp or Flodesk – the inbox you use to communicate with every day. Back in the day using photos in your signature was frowned upon. It risked causing your email to bounce or risked you looking unprofessional. As business when more and more online, people crave every small ounce of humanity possible.
Essentially, we love to see your face pop into our inbox. Use this as an excuse to insert your favorite photo into your email signature. It still needs to be small, but having it makes your email much more approachable.
Benefits of Personalizing Your Email Signature:
- Creates a memorable impression
- Makes you seem approachable, not just a faceless sender
6. Show Up in Social Media Posts
Using your brand photos in social media posts helps create a consistent visual aesthetic across your channels. Visual consistency helps reinforce your brand message and makes your content instantly recognizable to your followers, enhancing brand recall. (Which is nice!)
You can use your photos as static posts, carousel backgrounds, Reel covers, as your LinkedIn Profile cover, and more. The more variety of lifestyle photos and headshots you have, the better.
See how my clients use their brand photos across social media.
7. Create New Marketing Material
This tip can apply to anyone, but I’m specifically talking to my real estate agents! Your photos can elevate any of your marketing materials. Use your photos on signs, car magnets, stationery, folders, and more. There’s no end to how helpful great brand photography can be.
Benefits of Using Your Headshots in Marketing Materials:
- Bring a human touch to your brand
- Creates instant connection with your buyers
8. Add Your Headshots to Business Cards
Your business cards are ideal for using your headshots. Many of my clients have shifted to putting their face on their cards. For one, it helps people remember who you are, especially if you met at a busy networking event. This increases the chances of a follow-up with important connections.
Updating your business cards yearly gives you an excuse to reconnect with vendors and contacts. You’re not calling to be nosy. You have new business cards you want to drop off. By starting the conversation, you may find more clients heading your way.
Benefits of Adding Your Headshot to Business Cards:
- Instant recognition
- Stand out in a busy networking event
- Use it as an excuse to reconnect
9. Share in PR and Articles
Most of my clients get featured in PR pieces and articles. Now, I’m not saying I’m their lucky charm…but it is a coincidence! I’ve found that if you don’t jump up to provide the photos to reporters – they will dig up the worst photos of you from five years ago. Not on purpose, of course. It’s just luck!
Always control the visual narrative. Offer to provide photos when you know you’re being featured in a PR piece or article. Give them a variety of lifestyle shots and headshots that align with your aesthetic.
Benefits of Using Your Personal Brand Photos for PR:
- Consistent branding and aesthetic
- You have a hand in the images they pull
- Showcase your headshots and lifestyle shots
10. In Blogs and LinkedIn Articles
Imagine reading this entire article without any photos. Can you picture it? You’d probably do a lot more skimming than deep reading. People enjoy visuals. In fact, we’ll take any excuse for a brain break when reading. Photos break up long-form text to look more manageable to read. You can also use your photos to highlight key points, as part of infographics, and as your cover photo to create that instant human connection, we talked about earlier. Your blog and LinkedIn profile are a sea of potential uses for your headshots and lifestyle photos.
Benefits of Using Your Photos for PR:
- Consistent branding and aesthetic
- Makes your content more personal and engaging
- Breaks up long chunks of content
Endless Ways to Use Your Personal Brand Photos
These are just my top 10 favorite uses for your personal brand photos. I’m sure you could get creative and find 100 more. The point is that your photos have the potential to open doors and create revenue for your business. YUse them! Don’t just leave your photos lying on an external hard drive.
Reach out if you need updated personal brand photos and you’re in the Atlanta area! I help black women and entrepreneurs share their stories on camera and build unforgettable brands.
