Photo books are not just for graduation photos and vacation memories. A photo book includes photos, text, and a customizable layout perfect to create a professional overview of your company, operations, and mission statement. You can use photo books to promote your business at trade shows, conferences, and in-person meetings. You can leave a photo book in your waiting room so prospective clients have the ability to learn more about your company while they wait. There are many ways a photo book can help you promote your company and brand. Here is what you need to create one.
Professional Photos
Depending on the size of your company and your budget, securing creative, professional photos can make a big impact on your image and presentation. Sure, you can just walk around and snap some photos with your cell phone, but having someone with expertise in lighting, angles, and editing can make a huge difference.
If your company budget is on the small size, try contacting the photography department at your local college or university to see if you can find a student looking to add to their portfolio. You don’t just want to get together and do a group photo. You want to find ways to capture images that clearly demonstrate what your company does and what makes it stand out above your competitors.
Professional Writing
If you or someone on your staff is fairly talented at writing, you could write the copy yourself to describe what your business does and what you have to offer. If not, hire a freelance writer adept at business writing. Sometimes it takes an outsider with a gift in using words to find ways to convey in writing what you wanted to say but couldn’t express yourself.
You can find freelance writers online at content writing sites, or you can try posting an ad on a job-board site to find a writer. Again, check your local college or university for marketing students looking for pro bono work for industry experience. Or, do all of the above and mix and match to find the copy that works the best.
Your Mission Statement
If you don’t already have a mission statement, now is a great time to think about what it should be. A mission statement is a one-sentence statement like a tag line. It should be needs-oriented. In other words, it shouldn’t just be about what your company does but what need it fulfills for your clients and customers. What do you do for them? That should be your mission statement.
Putting It All Together
Once you have your photos, text, and mission statement, you are ready to put together your photo book. The best photo books allow you to customize your layout for a professional, clean presentation. Upload your photos and text and adjust the layout until everything fits well on each page. Put your mission statement on the cover page below your company name in a smaller, italicized font or on the inside of the first page so it stands out. Order plenty of copies so you are ready to talk about what your company does anywhere, anytime.
Your company website likely has lots of information about your company already, but that’s only useful if people go to it. A photo book can give an on-the-spot, quick overview of your business before they even go to the website. Not only that, they will still have it with them to remind them long after a meme or funny video distracts them online.