How photography in wealth and asset management can boost audience engagement

As the industry wakes up to the need to raise client engagement, so it's time to use more photography in their content.

Insights

We spend over 2 and a half hours a day on social media.

The vast majority of that time is looking at images or videos and not even reading the words in the post description! This clearly shows that visuals are a backbone of today’s digital world. They inspire trust, they engage audiences, they reveal a persona.

In this post we discuss the importance of using photography in wealth and asset management.

What’s the status of photography in wealth and asset management?

This industry is a world where the solutions and services offered are financial products, in most cases not linked to descriptive or inspiring imagery. It’s a world where PowerPoint slide decks have prevailed and where professionals have a lot to say. The industry just hasn’t been good at using photography to its advantage. And in today’s digital era, with an increasingly next-generation client base and social media feeds raising content engagement benchmarks, that needs to change.

.The industry just hasn’t been good at using photography to its advantage...and in today’s digital era, that needs to change.

Aydan Stuart Creative Director at WAM Digital

Why is photography in wealth and asset management so important?

Photos of your team, company and people are even more critical to soften the words, show a human side amongst the financial jargon, and dare we say it, help to build your company’s brand – something the industry has been notoriously poor at prioritising.

Photography in wealth and asset management is an important tool to elevate your brand and your team professionals who work within it, and in an industry where design expertise is not high on the recruitment list, it’s now also highly accessible and cost-effective.

Personalise your brand – show your people! It’s no secret that your audience responds to faces. Data from social media shows posts featuring images of the real people are 11 times more likely to get noticed (Source: Ad Science). Same with you. Whether you are sending a slide deck, posting on LinkedIn, or using some software for your job – include a great headshot! Show people who you are.
Use photography to send your audience positive, reassuring messages. Want to use the photo of you playing beach volleyball at the back of your sales presentation? Probably not. That photo has pride of place in other contexts but for your work, show your personality through a professional lens and make sure your job function is best served by the photo – relationship is about approachability and personal touch. Technical is about expertise and knowledge. Support is about friendliness, enthusiasm, reliability. Management is about leadership, respect and so on.
Show yourself off! Photography enables you to show the best you have to offer. Your personal brand can really be shown, so seize that opportunity and use it. Be fussy with how you want to portray yourself and your company and make sure you get it right. Whether big smiles or serious poses, your energy, expression, setting and attire sets the scene that you want to show.

Good photos are a source of pride for your team members. We often see a great company headshot then used by the individual in other channels of their life, from social media headshots, event attendance headshots, club memberships and more. The more they like, the more they use it, the more they bond with the company that this photo was linked to.

Look great, look smart and reveal your persona! Is that jeans and trainers? Or a designer suit? Whatever it is, showing character and brand DNA with photography is an advantage that helps build rapport with your relevant audience.

Examples of bad and good photography

Getting the right results takes skill. Nowadays we all have great cameras on our phones but it takes more than a device to take a great photo, let alone a professional one that can be repeated across your team.

Headshots are important in today’s world. They are used by software tools, as well as for a range of professional uses.

However action shots are also important and provide a real window into the people behind your brand – something we’ve already explored as being key to improving sales.

It’s not just about headshots or photos of a single person. Team photos are very important too.

They bond the team together and motivate clients, applicants, investors and other stakeholders.

A photo of a team member working at his or her desk, giving a presentation on a white board or speaking to an audience. Unposed, real imagery is very powerful. They portray a professional theme – strength in depth, a reliable and performing unit, productivity and success.

They show the brand DNA which from a company perspective is important to maintain and balance between personal branding and company branding.

Here are some examples of good photos:

Key attributes of good photos are:

Poses are appropriate for the purpose of the photo
Photos of team members are consistent with each in terms of lighting, background, pose and cropping
Faces are easy to see and are ‘honest’
The overall result is commensurate to the company’s branding

On the other hand a bad photo can eliminate all the advantages of photography and even cause issues with brand, trust, and credibility.

Here are some examples of bad photos:

Key pitfalls to avoid that make photos bad are:

Amateurish, unsuitable, overly casual poses
Bad lighting
Bad cropping
Inconsistency of background, cropping and pose between other team individual photos
Other visual distractions in the shot

Photography is not complicated and not expensive!

There are lots of myths about photography in wealth and asset management. Here’s how it works.

You can try and do some photography yourselves. Equipment might be an issue, although smartphones will typically suffice these days. But it’s the training about light settings, angles, consistent setup and post-production that really makes the difference.

Post-production is a really big one. From smoothing the blemishes, ensuring the right colour and brightness tones and getting consistency between photos is so important.

Getting a photographer to come into the office was once a big occasion. Often the wedding photographer, they were expensive, and frankly weren’t so aware of the creative constraints of the industry, as well as the typical places that these photos can feature.

Help is at hand

At WAM Digital we have a team working with Private Banks, to independent boutiques, fund managers to life insurance agents. We understand the industries, the context and what gets the desired outcome with the audience. We can come to you and regularly shoot in Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and UAE. We have also worked in Switzerland and the UK. We also have studio space if you’re in Singapore – that makes it even easier.

And we’re very cost-effective.

A small investment in photography gives you visual assets you can use time and time again. Bringing your sales collateral and team to life, instilling trust and elevating your brand. That’s good for your team, your prospects and clients. Better photography is good for business.

Let’s discuss how we can help you with fast and affordable photography. Drop us a line here.