Every Indianapolis business owner spends time considering how potential customers perceive their brand. Do they identify with your messaging and, more importantly will they buy from you? A big part of how businesses are viewed in this day and age is through their online presence, social media and email marketing. All of these require high quality and consistent visual content, so how can you best create the right photos and video to make an impact?
Identify Your Visual Brand
When you think about branding, you most likely think of your logo, your company’s message, packaging, and essentially anything client facing. However you decide to portray your brand through photography and videography will definitely say a lot about your business.
Are your images dark and moody. bright and colorful or light and airy? Every visual style gives off it’s own vibe and you don’t want to send the wrong message with your imagery. For example, if you own a playful and vibrant children’s clothing line and all your images are very dark and heavy, it might confuse your audience.
Work with your photographer/whoever is taking your images, to make sure your photos and video are properly reflecting your brand. Think about things like the way the images are composed, the way you use lighting and the colors you share. These are just a few of the things that will help to develop a cohesive visual brand!
Stay Consistent
Staying consistent with the style of your visual content will make your images more recognizable to your audience when they are scrolling through social media, and it will also bring a cohesive look to your website and marketing materials.
The other way to be consistent is by regularly communicating to your audience using images and video. Nothing is worse than looking at a businesses Instagram page only to notice that they haven’t posted in 3 months, or maybe their website images haven’t been updated in years! Prioritize both the creation of fresh visual content and then make a schedule to ensure you are sharing it.
Utilize Video on Social Media
Video is a very important element for every business, especially small businesses. However, I also understand that it can be a bit overwhelming. Finding creative and low-pressure ways to use video for your business can be very effective and also doesn’t require too much practice or planning.
Social media is a fabulous space to explore and begin implementing video elements and get comfortable being on camera. Instagram stories are so important and currently seem to be much more viewed than the feed. Also, Facebook Live is a fabulous opportunity to interact with your audience and develop your “know, like and trust” factor with potential clients. Social media outlets are prioritizing video content. Find ways to make more of it, share more of it and it will almost certainly lead to positive growth for your business!
…and Video in Email Marketing
Email marketing is another location that can be the perfect place for videos. People are more likely to engage with your email if they contain some type of video, preferably of you speaking and sharing more about your business. We are all curious people who enjoy seeing the face behind a business. It creates a deeper connection and allows people to feel like they are buying from a person and not just a business.
Ask for Help
So when should you hire a professional photographer or videographer? Whenever you have plans for important or prominently displayed images or video it might be the time to consider hiring a professional. We spend hours studying the art of storytelling, proper lighting, audio and ensuring we have the best gear to make your vision a reality.
A few examples of times I would advise speaking with a pro would be:
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for consistent branding or product photos
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cohesive headshots for your team
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important product launch videos
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whenever you want to formally share your company’s founder story
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if you need to beautifully document a specific event
If you are looking for Indianapolis Video Production or an Indianapolis Business Photographer, I would love to meet with you to learn how we can work together to tell the story of your business. To read more about my small business journey and see more visual content advice, you can read my recent feature on The Start Up Ladies blog!
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