What To Do After Your Branding Session
Your branding session is over — the photographer packed up, you changed out of your last outfit, and now you’re waiting on your gallery. But what comes next? The period immediately after a branding session is actually one of the most strategic moments in your marketing calendar. Here’s exactly what to do after your branding session to get the most out of your investment.
Step 1: Review and Select Your Gallery
When your gallery arrives, don’t just download everything and dump it in a folder. Set aside an hour for a thoughtful review. Sort images into primary selects (your best, most versatile shots for main profile use), secondary selects (great for content but not your hero images), and archive (technically fine but unlikely to use).
How to Prioritize Your Images
Choosing Your Top Hero Shots
Look for variety — different expressions, orientations, and settings. You want both horizontal and vertical crops covered, a mix of close portraits and wider environmental shots, and images that show different facets of your personality and brand.
Step 2: Update Your Most Visible Profiles First
Prioritize the platforms and places where your first impression is most frequently made:
- LinkedIn profile photo and banner
- Website About page and homepage
- Email signature
- Google Business Profile
- Any professional directory listings (Psychology Today, Yelp, Houzz, Chamber directories)
- Social media profiles (Instagram, Facebook Business Page, Twitter/X)
Consistency across platforms is as important as quality. When someone finds you in multiple places, your visual brand should feel cohesive and immediately recognizable — whether they’re in Dallas, Little Rock, or anywhere else.
Step 3: Build Your Content Calendar With Your New Images
Your branding photos aren’t just profile pictures — they’re content. Map out the next 30–90 days of social media posts and match each piece of content to the right image from your gallery. An educational post about your process pairs with an action shot. An introduction post pairs with your warmest portrait. A behind-the-scenes post might use an environmental or detail shot.
Batch Your Social Media Content
Schedule Posts in Advance
Batch your scheduling using a tool like Buffer or Later so you’re not making daily decisions about what to post. Your branding photography investment should fuel your content strategy for months — not weeks.
Step 4: Refresh Your Website Visuals
If your website still has old headshots, stock photos, or a dated look, your branding session is the perfect catalyst to do a full refresh. Update hero images, team pages, service pages, and any graphics that feature your face or brand. Merrick Multimedia clients often find that updating their website with fresh commercial photography leads to a measurable bump in time-on-page and inquiry rates.
Step 5: Send an Announcement
Don’t let a new brand look go unnoticed. A “fresh look, same me” post on social media — featuring a before-and-after comparison or simply a confident introduction with your new images — consistently generates high engagement. Your network wants to celebrate your growth with you.
Email Newsletter Launch
Social Media Announcement Post
Step 6: Plan Your Next Session
The best time to plan your next branding session is right after your current one. Note what you loved, what you’d do differently, and any new services or life changes coming up that might warrant a fresh visual identity in the next 12–18 months. Merrick Multimedia works with clients across Dallas, Little Rock, and throughout Texas and Arkansas on an ongoing basis. Let’s talk about what’s next for your brand.
Design tools like Canva make it easy to drop your new branding images into social templates, email headers, and graphics — so you can maintain a polished, consistent visual presence across every platform without a graphic designer on speed dial.
Frequently Asked Questions: After Your Branding Session
Most professional photographers deliver edited galleries within 1-3 weeks of your session. Merrick Multimedia provides a clear turnaround timeline at the time of booking so you can plan your content and platform updates accordingly.
Sort images into categories: profile and hero portraits, content and lifestyle shots, detail and environmental images, and archive selects. This makes it easy to quickly find the right image for any marketing need without scrolling through the full gallery every time.
Yes, as long as your contract includes commercial usage rights – which Merrick Multimedia includes in all branding sessions. High-resolution files from a professional session are suitable for both digital and print use.
Most professionals benefit from an annual or biannual branding session. Refresh your images when you rebrand, launch a new service, make a significant appearance change, or simply want to ensure your visual brand stays current and aligned with who you are today.
You’ve done the session — now let’s make sure every image works for you. Contact Merrick Multimedia to book your next branding session in Dallas or Little Rock, or explore our branding photography services.
