Whether you’re introducing your organization to the masses for the first time, or reintroducing it after a few slow months, these two considerations should be at the front of your mind. 

First of all, how in the world is it already July? I swear it was May, like, last week. No matter, no matter. However we got here, my time-traveling friends, I’m glad we’ve made it past the halfway mark of 2020 together. 

Okay, so over the past couple of weeks, Natalie and I have experienced a marked uptick in interest from organizations that want to start getting more aggressive with their outbound communications. That’s a heartening trend, as we’re hoping it reflects a widespread warming of the economy and jobs market. 

If you’re in a similar boat — whether introducing your work for the first time, or getting back out there after a COVID-inspired slowdown —  keep these two items in mind as you strategize:

1. Showcase your organization’s human element
2. Invest in creative assets

People do business with people

If you’ve spent any time with me over the past few years, there’s a strong chance you’ve heard me say, “people do business with people.” Natalie would like for me to never utter that phrase again (she’s heard it approximately one million times), but it’s really true.

It’s science or something.

It’s a human trait that we are drawn toward humanity that we can connect with. Yes, your competencies matter. You’ve got to have a great product or service, and you have to be able to point to a demonstratable history of success for people to partner with you. But if a potential partner is vetting you against your strongest competitive peer, and you’re both similar on paper, what’s going to make or break the deal? Answer: Whether you’re a temperamental match, because people would prefer to work with people they actually like and feel connected to.

It will only benefit you to showcase your human element early. Even if it’s subconscious, when someone is performing due diligence on your business, they will be making assumptions about you and your team as they click around your website, social media channels, and other places. 

Invest in creative assets

To have your team effectively represented on your site, you’re going to have to invest in creative assets. Natalie and I encourage you to invest in photography first, and then focus on other types like video or infographics. But again, START WITH PHOTOGRAPHY.

This includes headshots, team pictures, and please-please-please don’t forget lifestyle shots. Not only can these images help foster the human element connection via your website, but they can also be used to:

• Add pizzazz to your Google listing
• Complement media outreach
• Upgrade your social media presence

And in many more ways.

Remember, though, the earlier the better when it comes to capturing these images. If you build a robust library on the front end, we can guarantee you’ll draw from them over and over. On the flip side, you never want to be up against a tight deadline trying to whip something up that’s passable, because, let’s be honest here, chances are a rushed job will only at best be passable. 

Now’s the time to start your creative asset build if you haven’t already. Creatives like photographers and videographers have been hit hard as COVID has nixed countless events, and many are looking for new opportunities to backfill lost gigs. 

Thanks for hanging out with us again. Until next time, stay safe and healthy. 

If you’d like help shining a spotlight on your organization’s human element and building out your asset library, shoot us an email.