The New Brand Photography Super Asset: Hero Portraits

As part of our company brand photography services, one of our favorite shots to get for our clients is the Employee Hero Portrait.

If you don’t know what those are, “employee hero portraits” are images that show your team members as heroic, friendly, and professional.

Why do you need them as part of your company’s brand photography?

Well, here are the top three reasons:

Reason #1: Photos of People Are Interesting

Humans are social animals. When you’re looking for commercial photography that will help bring your website to life, you want to find a photographer who understands what modern consumers are looking for. People are inherently VERY interested in social interactions with other humans. 

Recent studies show that photos of smiling people help marketers sell more. (Source: ​​https://www.newneuromarketing.com/the-truth-behind-why-smiles-sell-and-what-this-means-for-your-ads)

Other studies have shown that smiling faces improve consumers’ perception of your brand.

If your website assets don’t have people in them, they will get ignored online. Without multiple photos of people (whether they’re your customers, employees, or partners), your marketing assets can look stale and lonely.

Reason #2: Brand Photography via Hero Portraits Humanizes Your Brand

When marketing your company, if you brag about “your team” using vague terms and boastful descriptions, people will see you as fake … or exaggerating.

If you brag about the specific credentials of your employees, and use images/video (aka proof they can see with their own eyes)…people will trust you. 

The easiest way to generate trust in your brand and company is to be really, really specific about your product/service, team, and process. 

Real photos of your people help. 

There’s a reason every single ad you’ve ever seen for Nike, Coca Cola and McDonald’s (all of which are product companies) include photos of happy people enjoying or endorsing their product. 

There’s also a reason every single major law firm (the types of firms that charge +$1000/hour) has photos of their lawyers on the website.

Succinctly put, employees photos make your brand more trustworthy and likable.

Reason #3: Employee Portraits Are Flexible and Timeless Brand Photography

Products change design and packaging. Software interfaces change on a daily/weekly/monthly basis. Your business’s physical location may change, move or get altogether closed. 

But, if you invest in employee portraits for your marketing materials, you’ll have an effective, relevant and long-lasting marketing asset to use on the website, in print and on social media for years to come. 

Great photos of credible and friendly team members never get old. (Even if the text around the image changes.)

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That’s a wrap! If your website doesn’t have any employee portraits, you’re missing out on a phenomenal branding asset for your business. 

Besides employees, if you can get portraits of your customers along with a testimonial, you can seriously beef up your marketing efforts.

Interested in getting a quote for brand photography for your business? Head on over to our Company Brand Photography page for more information.