Miranda Birch Media

Stories that change attitudes and reach new audiences

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Case Studies
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact

How do you show your company’s best side?

Create a visual library that tells your business story. (Not everyone else’s).

I issued an intruder alert in my last blog post.

I’m not scaremongering, but have a group of strangers gate-crashed your website and your social media?

26891764283_311a67d88e_o

By strangers, I mean the people who crop up in stock business images. Presentable and well turned out, there is nothing really wrong with them… but they don’t represent you or your company properly.

Stock images can also be frustrating. You spend hours trawling through them and might never find the right one.

Then there is the whole copyright faff. Is it, or is it not, Creative Commons? What’s the best way to credit? How much will it all cost – especially if I make a mistake?

And, at the end of it all, you know that these images could be used by anyone, including your competitors.

Another, cleverer, way.

These niggles spurred me on to work with Vervate, to create a visual portfolio for my business, and mine alone.

27222648300_1af831edbb_o

Vervate’s founder and Creative Director, Susi Doherty (above) points out that photographs are often seen as an afterthought. Something you stick on at the end, once all the hard writing has been done.

And, if you are anything like me, you’re likely to select a stock image. One that’s used by countless other businesses and does nothing to represent your company’s brand or personality.

I realise that’s foolish. Because the first thing your readers will notice is the image, not the words. And I say this as someone who makes her living from the written and spoken word. Visuals should be at the forefront of my mind, not a last minute “Oh, that will have to do”.

How to create your own library.

27427814151_ec17c8f4b4_o

So, how can your company build up its own stock of images and show the world its best side? It might seem mind-boggling task, but Vervate’s approach makes it simple and enjoyable. Susi will:

  • Work with you to flesh out your editorial calendar, the planning diary where you can schedule blog posts in the weeks and months to come. It doesn’t matter what state your calendar is in, Susi will help you with themes and messages, and how to present those in images.
  • Think about platforms: Susi is also an expert at visual marketing, so she’ll also be thinking about the formats that work best for your chosen marketing channels – LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or wherever else the face of your company needs to be.
  • Plan photo shoot(s) with you, your teams, clients and associates. How long and how many is really up to you. My shoot took roughly a morning. That session, combined with other photos I selected from Vervate’s library, means I have enough photos to keep weekly articles going for six months.

No more blog writer’s block.

When you commission photos in this way, it galvanises you and your team to add detail to your editorial or content calendar.

The images themselves give you even more ideas for future articles. Bringing in someone from outside your company – someone who looks at your work with fresh eyes – is always great for creative productivity. Susi is no exception – and she makes it enjoyable.

Result?

You never find yourself thinking, “What are we going to write about this week?” Or realising that the last article your company posted goes back 4 months. (And yes, that has happened to me.)

Be timely.

Visuals also make you think of the seasons and backdrops. Luckily, Vervate have their own comprehensive library. So they can supplement the images from your shoot with other photos if you need them. I did my work with them in the spring and summer, but I also have some great winter photographs which I can use later in the year.

Some of your articles will be timeless. But others might be topical. In which case, Vervate’s back catalogue, coupled with Susi’s ability to think ahead on your behalf, will prove invaluable.

Want to get cracking now?

Give Susi a call on 01273 275162 or drop her an email at [email protected].

Images by Vervate www.vervate.com.

Related posts:

  • Are beautiful body snatchers depriving you of leads?
  • Don’t dry up #4: reminisce and recycle your highlights from last year.
  • Yes, images can speak a thousand words. But you need the right photographer.
  • Don’t dry up #6. Put your home grown content in the spotlight.

Filed Under: Creating web content, Story branding Tagged With: best images for your blog, creating new content, how to create new content, how to write regular blog posts, keep your blog going, keep your newsletter going, personal stories in business, photographic stories, stories in pictures

Miranda Birch

About Miranda at Miranda Birch Media: your marketing will make a deeper impression once I interview the people who will help your organisation to grow: leaders, clients, volunteers and staff. From these conversations I unearth the themes (clients call them ‘nuggets’) that will land most powerfully with your target audiences. As your content mentor, I’ll also help you turn these nuggets into client case studies, About and Home pages, thought-leadership articles and other content that will prove you’re as good as you say you are.

One last thing… There’s another ‘Miranda Birch’ out there, who writes books about ‘dominance and submission’. This is not me and has nothing to do with my company Miranda Birch Media. I’d love you to dominate your niche, but not in the way she means! Email me now and we can have a chat about where you want to get to and how I can help.

Read More...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get new insights about your business every week.


    Recent posts

    • Company values. Are they a match for you?
    • Is your firm an osteopath in disguise? (Perhaps it should be.)
    • You’d never want to make your customers feel stupid, would you? But many well-meaning companies do…
    • Win that business. Write as you speak.
    • Have you told your ‘before’ and ‘after’ stories yet?

    Copyright © 2021 Miranda Birch Media | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy
    Website by Steve Watson

    We use cookies to make this website better. If you continue to use this website you are agreeing to their use.AcceptCookie policy