Consistency in social media photos ...
... is crucial for coaches and consultants to stand out online and look professsional and trustworthy.
Are you a coach or consultant in Edinburgh or elsewhere in Scotland who's trying to grow your personal brand online?
If you're a small business owner or an entrepreneur, chances are you'll have a pretty good idea that you need a strong online presence. You know, one that will stop the doom-scrolling and make you stand out from your competitors.
Consistency in social media photos is a really effective way of achieving this. No, I'm not saying only post photos of your dog (though I'm often sorely tempted - cause he's stunning!)
But you DO need to pay close attention to the overall look and feel of your body of images. Are you representing yourself and your business in a visually cohesive way?
It's not just the professional photographs which have to be consistent looking - and you know they're vital, right? - but even the phone photos you upload on a regular basis.
My IG feed is full of greens - my main brand colour, plus lots of outdoorsy kind of shots. They're also fairly colourful.
That's my Instagram feed at the moment, above ... It's not perfect, as Instagram isn't my primary social media channel - LinkedIn is. (Connect with me here!)
But can you see how my IG aesthetic (sorry, can't think of a less wanky word) is fairly consistent? Even in such a small selection of images?
Lots of my clients have said to me that they can tell right away when one of my images appear in their feeds - and yes, I may be a professional photographer and you're probably not, but you still need to pay attention to this consistency stuff.
Here's why.
Why consistency in social media photos matters:
1) Be instantly recognisable
Consistency is crucial when it comes to creating an instantly recognisable visual brand online.
The aim here is for people seeing your posts online to easily and instantly identify your business and to associate it with the usual content they see from you.
Imagine seeing a can of Coke with a Pepsi blue logo on it? You'd be confused as all hell, and the confused mind does NOT buy/book. You want that fast scroll recognition - again, and again, and again!
So you need to eliminate all confusion in the minds of your audience, even if it's sub-conscious.
When your photos have the same "look" the same across all of your social media channels, people will start to associate that "look" with YOU.
They'll know what to expect when they see your content, and will be more likely to engage with it. (And that's what we want!)
This article from Hootsuite on "The Perfect Social Media Style Guide" is a useful read, by the way.
2) Familiarity breeds comfort, not contempt
People will feel they're taking a bit less of a chance commenting on or sharing your stuff because they've got used to seeing it, and they recognise it. They feel safer.
They trust you more because of the familiarity factor.
The visual representation of your brand helps people recognise you instantly, which creates a sense of familiarity and comfort.
Far from boring them (do you secretly crap yourself about this? Just me?), this familiarity goes a long way in building trust with your audience.
3) People don't need to think so hard (ALWAYS a good thing!)
When your audience spots your posts, they'll know instantly that it's from you, and they won't have to use extra brain cells up in figuring out who this new person/business is which has popped up in their feed, and what they're all about.
A lot of scrollers on social media don't want to think. Well, not TOO much anyway. Do they feel good when see your content? That's the important thing. Part of the feel good factor is their reduced mental load in processing what they see.
Consistency in social media photos gives them a kind of mental short-cut and they will subconsciously thank you ... This is huge in helping people trust you.
And when they trust you, they're hugely more likely to book you or buy from you.
4) A cohesive, unified look makes you stand out
A cohesive, unified look in your online imagery makes your content stand out, and lots of your competitors just aren't doing this.
If their stuff is a mish-mash of all sorts of editing styles, lighting, subject matter, it just makes their images blend into the online clutter.
Strong images are vital in drawing people in and making them bother to read the accompanying words, so you're on the back foot right away if you can't get the photos right.
If all your images look even just reasonably consistent in style, you become more recognisable right away - unlike others who aren't making any efforts at all.
5) Look more professional - and look like you care
When you put in the time and effort to make your photos look consistent, it shows that you care about your brand and your business.
It shows you care enough about your followers to make your content look attractive for them and easy to read and understand.
It also shows you care about the details in your business.
This can all make a huge difference in how people perceive you - when your business looks more professional, people will take you more seriously and will be more likely to buy from you.
Have you spotted that I like vibrant colours? And natural looking poses and styles in my photography? What's YOUR preferred style of imagery?
"Brilliant! You've convinced me. Now, how the hell do I do this myself?" you're probably thinking.
Find out in my post on how to choose the right editing style.
Are you looking for a personal branding photographer in Edinburgh, Glasgow, or elsewhere in Scotland?
I'm a brand photography specialist, and I provide high impact, strategically designed headshot and personal branding photography for service-based small business owners and entrepreneurs like you who are serious about success.
If it's time for you to find out more about how brand photography can propel your business forward, let's speak - drop me an email or book a call.
We'll have a (completely non-salesy) chat about what your business is all about and see how we can create professional business images which will attract the high value, perfect fit clients you'll love to work with!
