Photography + Content Marketing: A Match Made In Heaven
If you have spent any time researching what it takes to create a kick ass personal brand, are a frequent user of Instagram, TikTok, or are building a content marketing strategy for your business - you have probably heard of the term “content pillars.”
And if not, I am here to quickly explain what they are and why they matter when planning for a brand photography shoot!
The quick and dirty on content pillars -
Pillars create consistency & help establish trust through your personal brand or product brand messaging (aka what keeps people coming back to YOU!)
Pillars can be promotional, educational, and/or try to build a sense of community for your audience, among other things (those are just some of the most frequently used).
Pillars are something you probably already use; but don’t realize it:
For example - my pillars are
Education/Photo Shoot Tips: Touching on some of my frequently asked questions, I provide expert insight about how people can feel and look their best in front of the camera
Behind the Scenes: Taking viewers behind the camera, both on professional shoots and in my personal life.
Corporate Spotlight: The focus is on the corporate gigs I’ve been hired to work on–from product shoots, to website rebrands, to magazine editorials, I’ve done it all.
Woman Owned Business: Sharing tips and resources to help other women owned businesses feel empowered and supported on their business journey.
Giving Back: I like knowing that the work I do can serve others and contribute to the greater good.
Yours could be -
Your daily practices or routines that keep you in shape or meditation practices
BTS in the life of a plant mom
Words of wisdom as related to the market you serve
Training or coaching services you offer
Food recipes
And the list goes on!
I used this photo in one of my personal stories, when I was moving out of Philly.
I try to cycle through these pillars in my social channels every 1-2 weeks, sharing one thing from each of the categories in my stories, feed, reels, blog etc.
Essentially using pillars helps position you for success in the your market because people think of you as the “go to” for your industry.
In this often hectic world, people CRAVE certainty - so creating 4-5 pillars you use to share your expertise and offer value; builds trust in your brand; which converts folks from passerby, to fans, to clients!
Now why is this helpful for your photoshoot?
Branding professional photos are more than just nice to have, when they are relevant, photography helps create a lasting image of you (pardon the pun) in your ideal clients minds! I recently read an article that summarized it best - “When people hear information, they're likely to remember only 10% of that information 3 days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information 3 days later.” (Brain Rules).
To ensure I capture photos that create lasting memories, I schedule a planning and strategy call in advance of any premium brand shoot. During this session we have time to dig deeper into what visual content you need to support your brand, while using your content pillars as our guide posts.
And we have a fun time determining location, outfit ideas, props - all based on your brand! Which results in more evergreen content you can use to promote your business. Can I get a Hell YEA!
Planning ahead also helps us have more FUN on shoot day because - Here’s where I geek out for a sec - by planning in advance basically we uses LESS of your working memory (read: energy!) during shoot day.
I am sure you know, when it comes to content marketing, what matters is that you are consistently sharing about you and your expertise so people come to you as their source of wisdom in your industry. And I am here to help by making sure you have the photos you need to make your expertise SHINE.
If you would like to chat more with me schedule a time for a FREE discovery call HERE
PS - For those of you looking to dive deeper - There are some amazing tools, I have used, which can help you get organized and bring you from the strategic (deciding what your pillars are) to the tactical (executing content) when using content pillars for your social channels.
PLANN is great for Instagram - https://www.plannthat.com/
Tailwind is great for Pinterest - https://www.tailwindapp.com/
Cheers to Happy Posting!
