If you're a service based business like a life coach, an event planner, a business strategist, a podcaster or some other type of creative that doesn't necessarily have a product to show on social media, it can be hard to know what types of photos to share and how to connect visually with your audience - and that can be a problem. Humans are visual beasts; our brains process images faster than text (like, 60,000 times faster) which makes visual communication so valuable in the creative entrepreneurs tool belt and something that when utilized strategically can help our audiences connect with our services faster and be seen by a wider audience. And not only will your services been seen by more potential clients when you use images, your content will be more memorable when you use visuals in your marketing.

Photography that's on-brand and personal to you as the face behind your business will help you attract the right people who connect with you as a person, helping your brand feel more authentic for those who interact with it. Plus, photos that show faces on Instagram get 38% more likes than photos where there's no face visible (and who doesn't want more likes). Personal brand photography will give you the content you need as a service based entrepreneur to share your brand message and connect with your dream audience in a compelling and unique way. Branding sessions capitalize on the stories you tell with your brand, on the experiences you provide through your service, and show visually what your potential clients can expect to gain through working with you.

Knowing that showing what you do or what you sell to your audience visually through on-brand content is one thing, but knowing what types of images to share as a service based creative entrepreneur can be a little more hard to narrow down. Here's a few ideas on places to start so you don't get that blank page panic.

These are the photos that convey what your day to day work is like. They show you in your element working on the projects that you love, what it looks like behind the scenes of your process, and what clients can imagine you doing on the daily when they interact with your content.

Some ideas for in process photos could be...

You working at your desk
Chilling at a coffee shop
You in the studio
Discovery processes of working with a client (like sketching out ideas)
You on the phone talking to those amazing dream clients
You posting on social media
You finding inspiration at a museum
You reading a magazine that inspires you

Lifestyle Portraits

Lifestyle headshots or portraits are the photos you use to post on your social media frequently so that you can build the know, like and trust factor. You'll want them to be representative of you as a person, as a brand, and as a business - they should look consistent but not like they were all taken on the same day. If you've ever seen an Instagram feed where it looks like the entrepreneur is just followed around all the time by a camera - that's these types of photos.

Professional yet relateable headshots
You doing normal person things (like going to the gym or walking around the city)
You cooking your favorite meal
You out and about with other professionals in your field
You doin' your thing at an event you hosted

Brand Experience Photos

These photographs show your potential clients what they can expect to feel, think and experience during their relationship with your brand. They're the photos that show the behind the scenes stories of what it's like to work with you and convey the value you provide to your clients.

You working with clients (gigglin', working on their service together, grabbing coffee)
Showing the touch points you have throughout the process like I talked about in this blog post
Any client gifts you provide (like mugs after their service is done)
Happy clients once you're done working together
Before and after of the client experience

These lists could go on forever, which is what's so exciting about being a creative entrepreneur in a visual world, right?

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