Kara Tolman | Licensed Clinical Social Worker & Therapist

We often times think that Brand Shoots are only for Creatives. That couldn’t be farther from the truth! Kara and I worked together years ago when she was working for a non-profit and have kept in touch. She reached out a while back asking to chat about a brand shoot. During our initial chat, we dug deep into the FABULOUS content that she’s creating on instagram and tik tok. We looked at where she’s sharing, what she’s sharing and we mapped out what other messages she’d like to get out to those who may be considering trying therapy or who are already working with her.

As business owners, we want to serve. But we need to show our community the ways in which we can serve with our knowledge, our personalities, and our hearts for the work the we do. Brand visuals are a huge way to get that content out there and for it to be seen…and for it to ultimately make an impact!

Did you know that according to an article I read from Fast Company, the average person reads only 20% of a web page, but will view EVERY image?

Why is that?

Because visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text…and visuals add a component to storytelling that text cannot: and that’s speed. (source)

So going back to our websites and content and social media that we are using to market our offerings and services…brand visuals matter.

…Even when looking for a Therapist. When you are seeking out someone who will likely help you through a rough patch in life or will help you overcome a block or will help you heal a past trauma or will simply be a listening ear…you want to work with someone that you TRUST.

Often times, you are scrolling a name and with a hyper link on a group website…sometimes there are head shots sometimes there aren’t…but if you linked to a therapist that had a friendly smile and didn’t look all buttoned up and uber clinical…you may feel a little more comfortable to dig deeper.

Then you find that they’ve created amazing free content in helpful and fun ways…that they are on instagram and tiktok…and they are sharing tips and tools and strategies before you even hire them. What?!?!?!

Exactly!!!! They may already feel like they know you because they’ve gotten a glimpse of who you are the heart with which you serve.

Kara even said that her photos of her with her cats get the most engagement…hello my Ellie and Lola are stars of my show over there…hahahaha…but seriously, we as humans are looking for connection points. So if a potential client loves cats or animals and they see Kara curled up on her couch with her own cats…that’s an instant connection point.

In planning out Kara’s shoot, we walked through all of the ways clients work with her, and we made sure we did shots where we could tell those stories visually. We also did some fun content shots with negative space where she could add text or graphics in to teach a point even more. Then we went to her home so that we could show her in a personal setting doing the things that she teaches clients to do to care for their mental health.

Brand shoots aren’t simply for Creatives…every industry can visually tell the story of who they are, who they serve, what it looks like to work with them, and find new ways to connect with potential clients and customers!

Kara Tolman | Licensed Clinical Social Worker & Therapist