The backstory
I love home-made bread, it’s such a luxury, eating it warm and crispy from the oven. It has so much more flavour and texture than highly-processed, supermarket bread and it’s better for you!
So you can imagine how delighted I was to be able to combine my love for bread with my job, working on a project a few years ago with a friend, who trained in France and now teaches bread-making. We visited flour mills and looked behind the scenes at how they make the flour. It was fascinating!
It was brilliant to see the whole process, from the wheat growing in the fields, to how it gets milled and processed, to produce the bags of flour at the end.
Most of the mills are fully commercial mills supplying flour around the country, but Talgarth Mill in Wales is a small mill that has been restored as a working museum, whilst also producing flour and breadmaking kits.
As we were going around the mills, it was great seeing some of the processes that go right back to antiquity and machines that are years old, but still doing the job they were originally built for. In the end, our plan to produce a book didn’t pan out, but we had a great time learning how flour mills operate.
So why am I telling you this?
Having not looked at the photos for a few years, when I did, it really brought me back to being at the mills, that moment in time when the light shone through the sacks of flour, the cobwebs wobbled on the old mill wheel, it came alive again for me.
Which led me to thinking how sometimes people have a limited view of how photos can be used. They get a set of business branding photos taken and use some of them now and again, thinking that’s it, done.
But actually, if you are creating a new programme, doing a new project, or launching a new membership group, you could organise a photoshoot to help bring it to life for people and give them a flavour of the value that your offer can bring to their business.
The power of an image
It’s such a visually-driven world today that having decent photos can be a powerful way to make a connection with your audience and build a relationship with them.
Having the right images will complement the text on your presentation or sales page, cut through the noise and bring it to life. This matters because some people won’t read all the way through your text, but will take in a message from an image straight away.
Showing your audience rather than telling them makes so much more impact. Photography is a short cut to getting your audience to emotionally buy-in and see what’s possible for them.
One image alone can move people to take action. I found this when I was helping to raise money for my great nephew Orion. I could have told people why he needed an autism assistance dog, but being able to show people was so much more powerful and really got the message across effectively, so they were moved to donate to his cause. Being able to show rather than tell people, had so much more impact.
Social media and photos
You can engage your audience on social media by sharing visually appealing photos that highlight the unique features and benefits of your programme. Photos are evocative and touch people in a different way than text.
Whether it’s on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter (I know it’s meant to be called X now, but the least said about that the better!), professional images can attract attention, and encourage people to share your posts.
Stand out from the crowd
Photography can bring stories to life and capture an atmosphere and mood. If you have a flagship presentation it could really take it up a notch to have specific photos taken that really showcase the points you are making.
You do things your own way, right? Well why use Canva or other stock photos and make yourself look like everyone else. Photos can convey so much in terms of what people will get from you and even provide a visual glimpse of what they can expect when they use your services.
Conclusion
Visual storytelling is so powerful. If you have a new programme, project, service, or membership group and you would like to take advantage of that power to elevate your marketing and spark interest in what your business has to offer, please get in touch.
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