When I first came into the business of Photography I used to hear the word 'branding' quite frequently. Of course, I always passed it off as just another tool in photographic terms that merely meant making myself a Logo for my business cards, or a watermark for my photos that I would eventually put on Facebook or other streaming threads. Now with that said, branding does mean your type of marketing material, but there is so much more....
With all the questions I asked throughout the years & listened to the instructors teaching us how to run our businesses as well as studying good photographic skills, nobody ever really seemed to touch much on the subject of what exactly branding really meant.
Well, after a few years, many evenings of reading & researching Blogs & several workshops later, I now understand the meaning of true branding. Branding simply means a personal 'style'. Each photographer is different in their own unique way, so branding may mean something different from one photographer as it does to another. There is no one right or wrong way to brand your business. So to explain to you what branding means to me read just a little further.
One of the best ways I have found on how I branded my work, after looking back, is when I was PB {portfolio building} I enjoyed taking certain portraits/themes over another. After I found myself taking more & more of a certain themed shot I found that I was really drawn towards photographing Weddings & Newborns the most. This is where my passion lies. With that I found myself finding a 'style' within the shots I was taking. For example, with my Wedding Photography of some of the Weddings I have photographed I seemed more moved by outside, vintage-y garden style weddings with a touch of shabby-chic over the more formal, inside ones. Now, that doesn't mean that I only pick & choose certain Wedding styles when clients approach. No. It simply means that when I am in my edit-mode of editing I play around with actions, overlays & gradients I find that gives my photos a more dreamy, soft look with a hint of vintage. So when I started making my own marketing materials I added those types of photos to my pamphlets to attract Brides who are more into those styles of photos out of preference to the style of Wedding Photography that they are more interested in & looking to receive in their own photos. This is where you need to basically think about where your targeting market is & focus on the audience you want to appeal to. Lifestyle shoots also inspire me over the usual 'posed' shots that most of my own Wedding album has inside of it. Back when I married my husband {which was SO long ago in the age of film} we didn't really have much of a choice. A wedding photographer was just that, a wedding photographer with the traditional shots of looking into the camera for each photo snapped. I think I even remember my photographer asking everyone to stand still & say 'cheese'. LOL!
So in light of my own experiences I want something so much more for my Bride & Groom clients. I want to capture what I call their Story that depicts that special day. Five, ten or even twenty-thirty years from now I want that very couple to pull out their Wedding album that I created for them all those years ago & look through it as if their wedding day was just yesterday. I want that smile to return as they recall each natural event that took place that day....That unknown capture that I shot of that Bride with that silently shy glance showing a sparkle in her eye as she looked from across the room at her new groom, or that first look from the groom as he sees his Bride for the very first time in that special dress carefully picked out after sorting through TONS of Bridal magazines since she was a little girl searching for that perfect gown JUST for her Groom on her Wedding Day....A close hug behind that tree with whispers of forever & a stolen kiss out of eye shot of their guests in anticipation of being alone not thinking anyone was around.... Those are the memories I want to capture for each Bride & Groom. So, to me, that is my 'style'. I want attract that certain population of Brides & Grooms that are looking for the same sense of style or 'branding' that envelopes me, creating a vision when looking through my viewfinder for the perfect shot, or pose, or secret glance. A fairytale....
With all of the above, that all comes down to marketing your material to reflect your sense of photographic style. This is where you will choose how you want to attract your clients by using promotional products featuring whatever form of photography that is your passion from family sessions to weddings to newborns, etc--your specialty. Using your style, you need to incorporate what tools you want to use to advertise your business. Choosing companies that sell products in various styles & textures of stationary that achieves the look you are wanting as well as which promotional items you decide to use to sell your business to clients. I will say this, clients want visuals. The better the visual products you portray, the more interested clients will be in choosing your services. It doesnt have to be expensive or elaborate. Clean lines, simple wording & easy to navigate information brings clients in. I personally use a client booklet which I have made showcasing products from prints to albums to wall art. This goes with me to all proofing sessions so my clients can see first hand what I have to offer them in products, visually. I also have a jewelry line that I have put into a soft cover book that shows items that I keep in stock which is readily available with the option of custom-made items. To showcase my work when I am at county fairs, community events & bridal shows I have tri-folds for each specialty that displays some of my work & offers pricing so the client can take it along with them & each item has my contact information displayed on them. Of course there are my business cards, client referral cards & postcards for past clients, etc. Everything I have is all printed on coordinating paper & supplies to match my 'style' found in my photographs, thus carrying my brand throughout all aspects of my business.
I hope this has helped you to understand what branding your business is all about & that its not just making yourself a Logo & running with only that. For me, personally, I think once I developed my branding, or style, everything else in my business seemed to just fall into place because that was one major thing I didn't need to think about anymore. It took me a while to get to that point, but once I reached the realization of basic 'necessities' I focused more on the things I really needed to focus on like keeping up with my marketing, reaching out to clients; past, present future & doing the things I love most, which is photographing & editing. Good Luck!
