We’ve all heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” No doubt an image can be incredibly impactful and say a lot. However, have you ever considered what your professional images might say about you? What impression do they leave on your prospective clients? Are they communicating the essence of your brand, or are they having the opposite effect?
If your images aren’t hitting the mark, it might be a good time to give them a second look.
When the thought of updating an image comes to mind, many business owners lean towards a professional headshot. While a professional headshot certainly has its merits in terms of putting a face with your name, it also has its limitations. Typically, headshots don’t really show what truly sets you apart – be it your individuality, personality, or the essence of your business.
Ideally, if you want your images to make an impact, then it’s important to create images that are authentic, inspiring, and unique to you.
This is where personal branding comes in. It’s a creative journey towards creating images that capture you. This can help pave the way for building sincere connections with your clients. After all, authenticity is the linchpin that unlocks trust, significantly increasing the chances of people engaging with someone they can resonate with on a personal level.
Below are some real-life examples that spotlight how personal branding helped these business owners capture their unique personalities to visually communicate their brand’s identity.
Example 1: Capturing Your True Self
Meet Roxxi, the owner and founder of Bohn Financial Group, a Twin Cities-based company specializing in bookkeeping and financial services.
Roxxi is a ray of sunshine and radiates a fun and bubbly personality! Despite this, she had been relying on a simple selfie for her LinkedIn profile. Unfortunately, the selfie failed to capture her vibrant personality, and it didn’t leave a positive impression on potential clients. The comments she received hinted that the selfie made her appear too young (in other words, inexperienced).
Determined to enhance her image, Roxxi found a professional photographer for new photos. Unfortunately, the session didn’t go well, and she was unhappy with the results (you can see the “Before” image). Frustrated and discouraged, she reached out to us for her third try.
Right from the beginning, Roxxi made it clear that she didn’t want images that portrayed her like a stuffy, boring bookkeeper. What she desired were visuals that truly reflected her – a blend of professionalism, playfulness, and joy! During our design consultation and subsequent styling review, we delved into Roxxi’s vision and explored a diverse array of looks, styles, and wardrobe selections that would breathe life into her brand.
Our objective was to create beautiful images that not only showcased who she was but also harmoniously integrated her brand’s signature colors, especially her love for all things pink!
Example 2: Creating Authenticity and Connection
Now, let’s meet Gina, the founder of Gina Marie Coaching. A simple headshot wasn’t enough for her because, as a business coach, she desired images that would express the essence of her brand – warm, joyful, heart-centered, and fun!
She also wanted images that were empowering and exuded confidence.
We understood that her work required trust and vulnerability from her clients, so we wanted to be sure to highlight her friendly and inviting personality too. To set the stage for our creative process, Gina’s preference for white, black, and navy blue tones, with a sprinkle of sparkle, guided our artistic choices.
Example 3: Building Trust and Credibility
Lastly, let us introduce Joy, a certified business consultant, coach, and published author. For the images for her new book jacket and others used in her marketing, Joy wanted branding images that stood the test of time and exuded trust and professionalism but were also warm, artistic, and tasteful.
Inspiration came from the timeless and classic look of black and white. To accentuate the monochromatic images, we photographed Joy against a white backdrop wearing a black turtleneck, which complimented her stunning silver hair.
Investing in personal branding images is more than just a decision; it’s a strategic step that can propel you to another level, much like the examples showcased above.
Whether you’re a bookkeeper, business coach, or published author, personal branding offers the opportunity to set you apart from “the ordinary headshot” and create your own images that exude authenticity, credibility, and relatability.
As business owners, these are precisely the qualities we aspire our images to communicate. However, when these attributes harmonize with each individual’s distinctive personality and then are visually portrayed in the right way, they have the potential to leave a lasting impression in the minds of future customers.
If you’re keen on learning more about our personal branding and legacy portrait sessions, we invite you to get in touch with us at 612-440-4753 for a complimentary discovery call, or you can do so by visiting us online at www.viveknarula.com.
The studio’s portrait sessions come with a design consultation, professional hair and make-up, wardrobe styling review and multiple outfit changes to create a fully guided "model-for-a-day" portrait experience unlike any other.
