Branding Photography has a Ton of Uses

If you’ve got a small business, you know how important branding photography is. Or maybe you don’t, and that’s why you’re here – so to level the playing field if you weren’t already aware… branding photography is super important for small businesses!! It should have a ton of roles in your business promotion, and if it doesn’t, it might be time for you to make some changes ahead of the new year.

Your Branding Photos can Make or Break your Online Presence

Bringing in your ideal clients, no matter what your business does, is key to making sales. And if you want to bring in your ideal clients… your content has to SPEAK to them. Not like, kinda-sorta-catches-their-eye, either. It has to draw them in, and make them understand that you are absolutely the professional for them to work with. Or the product seller who’s cool stuff will solve their problems.

But how should you use your Branding Photos?

If your specialty isn’t photography, or marketing, then knowing where to use your business’ branding photos might not come naturally, and that’s okay! You didn’t start a business to be a full time marketer, you started it to do what you love. (Unless, I guess, you ARE a marketer, in which case you probably already know all of this!) But unfortunately not being a marketing expert doesn’t mean you get out of using branded photos for things like promotion – so if this isn’t something that comes naturally to you, that’s okay!

1 – On Social Media

Even if marketing your business doesn’t come naturally to you, you’re probably already aware that your branded photos need to be used on your business’ social media. They need to be worked into the pins you put on Pinterest, the posts you make on Instagram – you can attach them to posts you make on Facebook, and articles you put on Linkedin! Photos can be used to create low-effort reels for Instagram, or they can be loaded into Canva templates to create TikTok videos, Instagram stories, and more.

All that being said, I always say that you should focus where your audience is – so if your business is a yoga studio looking for clients, then, as an example, Linkedin is probably not a primary platform you want to be posting on. If you’re a career coach… then Linkedin is definitely a platform you should use! So when I say you should be using your photos on social media, I don’t mean “throw them onto every platform out there”. I mean use them strategically, on the platforms where your clients are actually spending their time. That’s where they’ll get you the most bang for your buck! (Or more accurately, the most return for your TIME.)

2 – In Physical Advertizing

It’s 2025, which means a lot of businesses? They’ve pretty much forgotten that local physical advertizing exists. But it still does, and it’s still powerful! And arguably, as some sectors of the market pull back from high-tech living (yes, that’s ACTUALLY happening right now), you might even see an increase in the effectiveness of some physical advertizing campaigns. Now this isn’t relevant for every business either – always keep in mind that they way you market should be targeted to your people. But if you have a local business, think about whether you’d benefit from a physical marketing campaign this coming year, and consider how your branded photos can play into that strategy!

3 – For Online Ads

Physical advertizing isn’t the only means of getting your business out there in front of your people, especially if you offer an online service, or are an e-commerce owner. And that means… online campaigns. Now, some of these can be done via social media – Instagram ads, Facebook ads, and TikTok campaigns are totally relevant ways to get in front of your audience. But there are other methods of online advertizing you can consider, like placing an ad on a high traffic blog you know your ideal customers read, or investing in Google advertizing for the coming year! No matter which avenue you choose though, you’re definitely going to need branded visuals to go with those listings. And your set of brand photos is the perfect place to go to get resources for ad creatives!

4 – On Your Website

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning your website. It’s easy to populate a website for something like online coaching services, for example, with stock photos you’ve gotten from Pexels, and some web building platforms even integrate those tools right into their interface to make things even easier on you. Taking that one step further, others are now bringing AI generated imagery options into their builders, so that you can create more unique-feeling images that line up with what you do, if you can’t find stock images that do the trick.

But all of those options? They’re tape and glue. What do I mean by that? They’re a stop-gap method you can use in the “in between”. As in, in between when you create a website, and when you can have professional, custom branding photos taken for your business. It doesn’t matter what you do, bespoke imagery is going to speak to your clients more directly, every time, because it’s been made with that in mind from the start. So integrating your brand photos into your website is a powerful conversion tool, that you should definitely be taking advantage of!

5 – In Your Physical Space

Finally, you’ve got to think about your physical space. This isn’t going to be relevant to every business owner, because lots of business owners don’t have a physical space for their business, or they do what they need to do out of their home. And that’s fine! But if you DO have a storefront, consider how custom branded imagery can make that space feel even more YOU. Walking into your shop, or office, should be a branded experience. That’s how I approach the design of my photography studio – because it’s important to me that the space itself sets my clients’ expectations for working with me. And you should think about that too!

Is it time to Update your Branded Photos?

If you’re looking at this list and going, “Well all that would be great… if I had branded photos” – then you’ve come to the right place! Working with me and my team here at Jessica Strobel Photography, we can create a package that gets you everything you need for a successful 2026. From standalone photos, to headshots of your team, to product photos and even stop-motion videography, we have a solution for every budget, every marketing plan, and every platform.

We’ve even got packages to take some of the social media management itself off your plate, if that’s something you’re overwhelmed by at the moment! So just reach out, and we can chat. I would LOVE to help make your 2026 the most successful year in your business so far!

Bonus: Take a look at just a few results that my AMAZING team of collaborators and me have gotten for our social media management clients!