Wondering what kind of personal branding stories you can share with your audience?
Part of laying the foundation of your personal brand is deciding what stories you want to tell. Your brand story doesn’t have to be strictly business all the time. You can share parts of your personal life (if you wish), your hobbies, your inspiration, and your community involvement.
By identifying what brand stories you want to tell, I can better translate those stories into photos that resonate and relate with your audience. Because there are so many storylines that make up who we are, here are six main categories: business, family, hobbies, inspiration, community, and events.
Your story is who you are and why you do what you do.
Business Related Personal Branding Stories
Business stories give your audience some insight into how you run your business. This is a great opportunity to show yourself interacting with your clients or giving a behind the scenes look at your process and tools of the trade.
By showing how you work with clients, you give a glimpse into your process. Potential clients can get an idea of what it’ll be like to work with you from the jumping off point. These images help build trust and show off your expertise.
Family Personal Branding Stories
Does family play a role in your business? Is it part of your business identity? These images often showcase why you went into business in the first place. Why do you do what you do? You may be running the family business or have a side hustle because you want to provide more for your spouse and children.
Whether you’re in business with your spouse, your sibling, or partner, images of how you spend time with loves ones often get the most engagement because people can relate to those photos. Feel free to weave in as much (or as little) family stories into your personal branding stories. Though, I would recommend including something as this is a very relatable touchpoint.
Hobby Personal Branding Stories
These types of photos are opportunities to relate to your target audience. People relate to each other when they like the same things, like the same movies, food, sports, or weekend activities. This is also a great way to teach your audience how to do something you already love doing.
Perhaps you are a fan of yoga, we can take photos of you doing a yoga practice, meditating, rolling up your favorite yoga mat, or browsing your favorite yoga videos.
Maybe you love to dabble in digital calligraphy in your spare time. We can take photos of you writing on your iPad, choosing colors, changing pen thickness, and even creating a font or writing out a verse or quote.
Hobbies are a great way to connect to your audience that can be completely unrelated to your business. Think of all the different ways you enjoy your free time and share why you love those things. How do they make you feel or help you destress?
Inspiration Stories
These images share who or what inspires you. What keeps you going in your business? Is it a mentor you once had or a loved one who keeps you motivated?
It could be a place you visit to brainstorm or escape to when you need space. Maybe it’s a special painting you bought from an amazing trip, or scarf handcrafted from a remote village, or anything that’s unique with deep meaning to you. Inspiration can come from anywhere!
Community Personal Branding Stories
These photos showcase how you impact and support the community. Is there a charity, organization, or special cause you work with or give your time to? Often the causes we advocate for say a lot about our values and what’s important to us.
Community involvement says a lot about your character without even having to say anything! Images that showcase helpful collaborations you’ve done or networks you’ve partnered with have the potential to be shared to broader audiences.
Event Personal Branding Stories
These images document important milestones you’re experiencing. You could share an event you’re speaking or presenting at, or a celebration you’re hosting such as your 1st full year in business or maybe you’re celebrating your 10th year in business. Or maybe you can share a challenge you recently completed like going live or doing a writing project.
You can also plan to have photos that align with certain holidays or national/global events. For example, you can share a soccer-themed image during the World Cup if you’re a soccer fan. Or share holiday-themed images during Halloween or Christmas.
In Conclusion
These are six categories to help you get started as you brainstorm ideas. You don’t have to choose items for all six categories. You can start with two storylines that you can speak to consistently, and as your brand grows, you can add more categories when you need more content.
HELPFUL RESOURCES TO PREPARE FOR YOUR BRAND PHOTOSHOOT
Personal Branding Photography – What You Should Know
When to Hire a Brand Photographer
Find the Right Brand Photographer for Your Business
How to Use Your Branding Photos
READY TO BOOK YOUR OWN BRANDING SHOOT?
Step 1. Get in Touch – click and contact today
Step 2. Discovery Call – we’ll chat about your business and your vision for brand photos
Step 3. Book your Shoot – if we’re a “match” let’s get you on the schedule and start planning
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