Lifestyle Brand Photos for Product Based Businesses
Professional branding photos are great for all types of businesses and brands. Some service type industries or entrepreneurs may lend themselves more naturally to brand images, but definitely not to the exclusion of product based businesses, and I will tell you why. But first, have you ever heard this thought:
“Why do I need brand photos? It’s about the product, not me”
There’s a type of thinking that says if you sell a product, the product should always be in the spotlight and you (the owner of the business) should stay in the shadows. Whilst you’re product is indeed important, that may not be the best or complete marketing strategy. If you’re the owner of a product-based business, you may wonder, ‘Are brand photos necessary for my product based business?’
The answer is YES and here’s why…
People Love to See the Creator Behind the Product
There’s so much more to a brand than it’s product, even if the product is the main focus. There’s the story of how the product came to be, who thought it up, what need caused it to come about and how it differs to other products on the market. This context, or peek behind the curtain, is exciting to your audience, even if it feels mundane to you. Your audience feels privileged to be given glimpses behind the product. In a world of online sales and social media, there’s such a strength in offering your audience more access that just the front-running item you are selling.
People Will Connect With a Photo of a Face Over a Product Photo
Your audience will always interact and engage more with photos of people than just things. We humans are an inquisitive bunch and we are always curious about other people. It’s in our nature. We like to see how other people are doing things. A product may be the best one on the market, but just comparing based on facts and figures doesn’t make up the whole picture for many consumers. We are also influenced by the content surrounding products, such as the lifestyle of the people using them. The inclusion of a human element in a lifestyle product photoshoot, such as a hand, a face, a child’s little toes, helps give the product context and increases it’s desirability and understanding in the eyes of the consumer - they can now see themselves using your product.
People Buy Stories
Lending itself back to my last point, people are curious. We like to know the stories behind the product. We like to get to know the person behind the brand and see their realness too. This can actually be a major factor when deciding where to purchase an item from. People are driven to want to be in community, we feel more satisfaction in a purchase when we know we are supporting the type of people we want to, whether that’s other women in business, people local to us and so on. Seeing the face behind a brand builds trust which is a big factor in selling anything. Let your customers be part of your brand story by showing them more than just the box of the product you sell.
The photos here are from a lifestyle product photoshoot I did for Kurrajong Kitchen - a Hawkesbury based business institution. Not only is the Kurrajong Kitchen lavosh bread delicious, but knowing the family behind the business and how they worked incredibly hard to build the business up to the powerhouse it is today is truly inspiring to all who hear their story. People connect with the personal brand of Karen Lebsanft, one of the owners photographed here, and then inturn connect with her product.
And the more profession headshots we created for Karen Lebsanft are perfect for her speaking engagements, business mentorships and connecting with other business owners.
Professional branding photos are essential for allowing product based businesses to build trust and engagement with their audience. To find out more about how a lifestyle branding photoshoot could benefit your business, get in touch with me.