I hear this question all the time.

What kind of images should I share in my business?

I was on a Zoom call with a client last month when she was sharing her frustrations with her photos. It was overwhelming the amount of imagery she needed for building her brand. Her website was feeling really drab and not connecting and she knew she needed more than just text.

As a coach for helping women engineers build their career paths, she has very specific niche with really specific pain points. Which helps make image creation easier to do.

Because, when you know exactly who you are talking to, it makes the idea generation for images simpler. You know what that person is needing to see so that they can take the next step.

The images you share on social and your website tell the story of if you can help them or not.

Website images help answer the question “Am I in the right place?”

Social images help answer the question “Is this the person who can help me?”

So I shared with her some tips on how to think about the images you share which you can find right below!

Every image you share to build your brand should address one of these questions:

Who are you?

In 2020, your website is not just a portfolio of what can be bought. It’s an introduction to who you are and how you are the right person to help them solve their problems.

Don’t hide behind your work. Who you are and what you bring to the table is a major differentiating factor when comparing you to all the other possibilities.

What does your business do?

Visually conveying what your biz does is a very fast way to show that you can help. For this example of a business coach for women engineers, we took photos of marking up an engineering drawing.

To the regular person, this just looks like you are marking up a document, but to an engineer, they know exactly what is happening in this image, because they do it all the time too.

It lets the viewer know if they are in the right place.

Who do you serve?

Sometimes these images are more about what it looks like to work with you behind the scenes vs a picture of your ideal client. And sometimes it is a picture of your ideal client!

In this photo we show that she is in professional attire, at a desk scene which is very different from if we showed her with a hoodie on, hair pulled back and drinking a beer right?

The image captures the attention, and then the copy/caption continues the story.

What’s your personality like?

Just like showing who you are is important, showing your personality is too.

Humans connect with humans! Ivelisse, the business coach for engineers is a bit of an introvert, is shy and is also known for her beautiful curly hair.

When people work with her, they often see her almost hidden behind her hair as she is working. She uses this tendency of hers to connect with her clients as a lot of engineers are also introverted and shy.

By sharing this image, it opens the dialog to talking about all these things and giving a glimpse into her personality where it creates a relatable connection.

What it’s like working with you?

People like to imagine themselves in what the experience will be like for them. By showing you working, it lets them know what they will also see and if it aligns with what they expect and want!

What emotional state is your client in before they work with you?

Your soon to be client or student is finding you because they are feeling a pain point. What emotion are they feeling in that moment? Sharing images that convey that same emotion give them the confirmation that you understand them and can help.

Here, Ivelisse helps women engineers who are studying to take their final exam to get their licensing. It’s a ton of work and crazy overwhelming. With this image, her client is thinking “yes! I’m overwhelmed too!”

Don’t underestimate the power of conveying emotion in your images!

What emotional state will your client be in after they work with you?

This can easily be conveyed by a simple image of you (or a client) smiling! It conveys the emotional state that people will be in after the work with you is done.

Will they be excited, happy, relieved? All of the above? Show images that convey that emotion and people will know that is what they will expect to feel at the end of working with you!

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Images on social should answer the same questions. Social images are more based on connecting with you as a person and WHY people should care about who you are.

Powerful social images use emotion. How are you feeling and how does that translate to how I (the viewer is feeling). Can I relate to that emotion in a good or bad way? Utilize that and you’ll create a connection.

In addition, social images should always tie back to who you are and how that helps them with the problem they are looking to solve.