Guest Post By Melissa Henry, CEO of Melissa Demple Photography, LLC

“Having good images allows you to claim higher prices.”
– Melina Palmer, Behavioral Economics Expert and Host of “The Brainy Business Podcast”

Exactly when WAS the last time you had photos taken for your business?

I know, I know…getting your photos taken is about as much fun as going to the dentist. No offense to the dentists out there but if you are one, I bet you don’t like having your photo taken either!

When you started your business, you needed a headshot for your LinkedIn profile and website. So, you found a photographer and ended up with a decent professional photo of yourself on a boring gray background that shows people what you look like, right?

And hey, that’s all you really need. I mean you aren’t trying to become an Instagram influencer, you just want to have a successful business, right?

Well, let me ask you…

• Do you dream of creating a wildly successful online business?
• Are you a speaker who wants to land big stages and get paid to speak?
• Do you dream of becoming known as the expert in your industry?
• Do you want to be a best-selling author?
• Do you want to easily pivot in your business and bring your audience with you?

If you said yes to any of these, then stay with me.

What are personal brand photos?

Personal brand photos are images that result from intentionally creating a visual interpretation of the concepts you want to communicate to your target audience and transformations your product or service provides to your ideal clients.

Yes, that’s my “technical definition” but since that’s pretty boring, I’ll also put it this way:

Personal brand images help you:

• Stand out online
• Build the know, LOVE, and trust factor
• Show your audience why they must choose YOU
• Sell out your offers
• Sell more books!
• Show event organizers why YOU should speak at their event

Besides all of those pretty amazing things, here’s something really interesting. Did you know that social media posts that include images produce 650% higher engagement than text only posts?
(www.inc.com/larry-kim/visual-content-marketing-16-eye-popping-statistics-you-need-to-know.html)

Yes, that saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is totally true!

What images should I have?

The possibilities for your brand images are practically endless. Since the whole point of branding is to highlight your uniqueness and why your ideal client should choose you, no one list of specific images will work for all people. However, I’ve put together some general ideas for images you can, and should have for your business:

A high-quality horizontal image that can be used as the “hero” image on your website. For most service-based business, you can make this an image of you, you working with a “client” OR a client after they have experienced “transformation” as a result.

Create images that show your most important personality traits or aspects about your life that connect you with your ideal client. The key is to be intentional about truly connecting with your audience.

Create images that show emotion! If you want your clients to feel empowered and confident, an image of a client standing in a power pose looking towards the “future” with a smile really drives home the point!

Create some “behind the scenes” images too. It’s a fact that people will feel closer to you if you show them that little peek behind the curtain in your business.

Using your brand photos

You may be thinking, “Hey Melissa, thanks for the info but where the heck would I even use photos like these anyway?” I’m here to tell you that you can use your images to connect with your audience in tons of ways.

Here’s how my speakers, authors and entrepreneurs have used their images to grow their business and their impact:

• Website
• Profiles and banners for social media
• Speaker bios and one-sheets
• Blog posts
• Media kits
• Podcast art and video podcast intros
• Social media posts
• Newsletters
• Lead magnets
• Webinars
• Book covers
• Magazine articles, and much more!

Get the tools you need

If you’ve read this far, I am guessing that at least one of these statements are true for you:

• You are sick and tired of attracting price-shopping clients
• You are frustrated that you get little engagement on your social media
• You want to attract the RIGHT clients without being pushy or having to “market” AT them all the time

Imagine if your website and social media platforms enticed your ideal clients to comment on your posts, grab your new freebie, and schedule calls with you, without having to keep proving that you are the expert.

Wouldn’t that feel amazing?

If this sounds like you, grab my FREE “Boost Your Brand Toolkit”

This toolkit will help you identify actionable steps to take to:

• Attract more of the kinds of clients who are ready to buy
• Land more speaking opportunities to grow your audience and get more leads
• Have an irresistible brand that helps you call in the RIGHT clients with ease
• Up-level your look and scale your business
• Show up as an expert and thought leader in your industry

I cannot wait to see you SHINE online!

About the Author

Melissa Henry, CEO of Melissa Demple Photography, helps speakers, authors and entrepreneurs become KNOWN. Walk away feeling like a rock star with powerful clarity on your personal brand, including unique images that wow your target audience and help you sell out your programs, books and win those coveted keynote spots!

Quoted in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and featured in Thrive Global as well as on podcasts such as The Rita Made Me Do It Show, No Fat Cats, and Two Girls Talking, Melissa understands the challenges of standing out in the crowded marketplace and will make sure you and your business do too!