Why storytelling?
Your story is greater than your bio.
Have you ever read a prospect’s bio and thought, I need to feel like this’ll be a good fit before I reach out?
Bios and resumes make sense for some purposes, but your story packs more power than a bio or resume ever could, especially when told with compelling photography.
Telling your story visually can be a thoughtful element of your marketing strategy that transcends the transactional for you and your clients. When your story becomes known and shared, it has the power to reach new audiences. It also provides the unique opportunity to outshine your competition.
Commercial photography is not enough
We tend to think of commercial photography as practical images that help us sell a product or service.
It’s no wonder that high-resolution product photography and professional headshots are taken so seriously today; both attempt to influence consumer decisions at precise moments in an everchanging world.
We know sales are essential to the longevity of any endeavor; in the scope of small business, every sale counts. But it does require an extraordinary amount of energy and resources to keep all of those products and services constantly within reach of your target audience, and to make them appealing enough for digital conversion.
If you provide a service that’s physically intangible, like consulting, it makes finding appropriate commercial photos incredibly time-consuming—just when you think stock images might save some money, you also begin to realize that the time and effort involved in acquiring them adds up.
Why storytelling photography makes sense
Storytelling photography is a series of photos with you as the central character.
Custom photos in your natural environment can depict you making your product or providing your service, but they can also be aspirational. They can tell us something about your personality and they can show us what is important to you.
Storytelling photography taps into a sea of psychology and emotion, and it appeals to our higher ideals.
“I found the answer by digging into the neuroscience of story and the way it intersects with the fields of cognitive psychology and evolutionary biology. What I discovered was why story is built into the architecture of the brain. It is why, when a story mesmerizes us, it can change how we see things (whether we’re aware of it or not), and why story is the most powerful and transformative communication tool we have.” —Lisa Cron, Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade, and Change Minds in Business and in Life
The power of a visual story goes beyond providing a solution and filling a need. It helps customers know and feel that they’re acting in alignment with their values when they do business with you, which leads to long-term satisfaction and the intrinsic motivation to share what they value with others.
Your storytelling photos can be used on your website and blog, in print and digital marketing, and even in advertising. Evergreen images like these never go out of style. They help foster brand loyalty, and they encourage word of mouth promotion.
A final thought on storytelling photography:
The only thing more compelling than well-crafted words are the authentic photos that so often inspire them. And what if your next customer is someone who doesn’t trust words at all?
“I don’t trust words. I trust pictures.”
—Gilles Peress