10 IDEAS FOR YOUR NEXT BRAND PHOTO SHOOT

Take a look at your instagram most liked photos from the past year. If you've posted any photos of yourself, they will likely appear in the top 6 shots. Maybe because people like to see the person behind the brand, because potential customers/clients want to see the person who delivers the service, or you just have a heaps of friends + family who follow you + love seeing your face pop up on their feeds. Either way, photos of the person behind the brand get great engagement! And great engagement on Instagram is never a bad thing!

So having a bank of photos of yourself doing all sorts of things is super handy to beef up your feed of your service offerings etc. But when you're trying to think of ideas for your photos, you're stuck and can't think of anything past the same old, sit at the dining table room table with a laptop, the obligatory "working" shot. You want some fresh content that is custom for you and your biz. Well you're in the right place, here's a list of non cringe, non cookie cutter ideas to provide more purpose to your brand photos.

1. OUT OF OFFICE

That post you can't wait to post, I'm out of the office! Whether it's before the Christmas break or before a well earned holiday, the OOO post is always super satisfying. But you need a good snap to go with it - it could be of you waving with a huge smile on your face or walking away with your hands in the air. What ever it is, those happy carefree vibes, mandatory!

2. HAPPY DAY

Happy (what ever day is relevant to your business) EOFY, International Women’s Day, the first day of Summer, Margarita Day - what ever national (or social media famous) day has a link to your business, share in celebration with other like minded businesses. Obviously the pose ideas are totally relevant to what ever day you're celebrating, but there's an opportuntity to get really creative and have fun here.

3. GET TO KNOW ME

Of course your audience not only want to see you, but they want to know about you. They want to find common ground and have a connection, before they can trust you with their business. A "get to know me" post can be pretty easy as long as you are willing to get personal! If you love reading, get a photo with your favourite book, if you like being at the beach, get a photo with a sunhat and beach bag, if you're a caffeine addict... you get the point! Or my personal fave, a snap with your furry friend.

4. SHORT IMPORTANT MESSAGE

If you're thinking of sharing a short important message on your social media, here's a unique way to do it that will be scroll stopping and get your message across instantly. Write it on your hand! The message on your hand is in focus with your face blurred in the background. Maybe if you're sending love, it's a heart drawn on your hand, or if you've got a sale on your services coming up it's 15% off written on your hand or if your caption has 5 points to it, the number 5 is on your hand. It's an eye catching way to direct people to find out more in your caption.

5. OVERWHELM

Hopefully you'll never have to use this one, but if you have your own business I think you know by now how inevitable it is that at one point or another you will crash and burn in overwhelm. And it's important to share the lows as well the highs. Your overwhelm could be depicted with head in your hands, one hand on your forehead or one hand on your hip with a worried look on your face. This post may not even be about your overwhelm, if you work with other small businesses, you may be talking about their overwhelm and your photo is their connection to that feeling. While it may feel way too staged at the time, it is a handy one to have in your photo bank.

6. THANK YOU

A post dedicated to thanking your audience - I’m overwhelmed with your support, I love my community, I wouldn't be here with out you. This shot could be you blowing a kiss, or pointing at the camera (your audience) or just a really gratitude filled shot of you holding your hands together and smiling.

7. SHOWCASING CLIENT WORK

If you're a creative service business, showcasing your clients work is important. There's many ways to do this relevant to what ever your business your provides but a sneaky way to have the photo custom (not just taken from a Canva template) is to hold a laptop or phone and photoshop in the client work later. If your photoshop skills aren't flash, you could post a carousel of client work (photos someone else has taken or screenshots) and have carousel start with you pointing to the left so when posted it appears as if you're indicating your audience to swipe.

8. BUSINESS OR PERSONAL BIRTHDAY

Whether it's your business anniversary or the anniversary of your birth, birthday posts are always fun! Think balloons, streamers and party horns (those whistle, blowout thingys) Important to keep your brand colours in mind for this one and try and source these props to best match.

9. BUSINESS MILESTONE

We're always hitting milestones in our business, some are smaller wins, some are big, but all are worth celebrating! Maybe you've reached 1,000 followers, or it's the first month you're fully booked, or you've achieved your annual financial goal. I have one word for this shot - CONFETTI!