Just the other day, I was talking to my family about my branding. Coming from Wyoming, the first thing that came to their minds is roping down cows and placing a burning hot brander on their back side.

Well I’m here to tell you that photography branding isn’t much different.

What is Branding?

So you got a crazy idea to form a business, say it’s a photography business. You have your fancy camera, the knowledge to use the said camera, and you have clients that are SO ready to get in front of your camera, but where do you go next? I’d say your brand. Just like those cows with a “rocking J” or a “walking A,” your brand needs to show your clients who you are!  The most crucial part of your brand is to make it YOU! Your clients need to know what you believe in and what you stand for, all from your brand.

I know what you’re thinking… “They surely can’t know all of that just from my brand.” But I assure you, they can.

Your brand is the perfect way for you to stand out amidst the forever-growing sea of photographers in this digital day and age. Without you in the mix, you are just another photographer. That’s it. I’ve recently completed some branding courses, and watched seminars about the topic, and one thing that I’ve taken from all of them is you no longer can get away with just taking great images. There are SO many photographers that can take GREAT images. If that’s the only thing going for you, nothing is going to stand out to your future clients, and they may just oversee you to go to someone else.

Your brand needs to be something your clients can relate to, and be approachable, personable, and professional. Here’s a few things that you can use to hone it in….

How to Make Your Brand Better

1. Think about why your business exists.
   –Consider this your mission statement. Just 1 or 2 sentences about your WHY!
   Mine is pretty simple!! -I strongly believe in marriage, care about my clients, their story, and the experience they have. I’m a photographer for couples that care more about relationships and the moments than spending money on monetary things, who need someone that’s been through what they will go through and has experience with it, to be a guide for them as they are getting ready to experience one of the most important days of their lives.
   
2. Have a Tag Line
   –This can be a little snippet of your mission statement, but you want to give your future clients a good idea about what you do with this
   Just a little snippet, remember? -I’m a wedding photographer in central Washington for adventurous hearts that believe in squinty-eyed smiles, open mouth laughs, and real moments…
3. 3 Words
   –You have your why, your tagline, now you just need to think of 3 words that describe it all. That’s it. 3!!
   “Fresh. Joyful. Romantic.”

Your business branding is definitely more than that though. It’s colors. It’s your logo, your font, your business cards! EVERYTHING. So here are some tips when it comes to deciding those crucial features.

–Look in your closet! What do you wear? What colors do you love?
–Make it you! Don’t just look at everyone else’s website or blog and make it look just like theirs. You want your brand to be different, remember.
–What store is YOU!? Where do you LOVE shopping at?!
–Check out Pinterest, BUT! Only for inspiration. Again, make it you!

Your Ideal Client and Why It Matters AND Why It Doesn’t

Now, we talked about why you need a great brand, a few things that can get you there, but what we haven’t talked about is WHO is even going to see your brand. In the wedding photography world, there is a lot of talk about your “ideal client.” Personally, I hate this idea. I don’t like to put my brides into a cookie cutter mold and say my brides HAVE to love a certain store, have a certain style, a certain coffee drink, etc. I think we back ourselves into a corner and while this does work for some, I think it can hinder a lot of us in thinking that we can ONLY reach those specific brides. I have more of an ideal philosophy. I know that most of my brides at between 25-35. They are all generally engaged, but that’s about all I can pin point about them. To me it’s more important about WHAT they value. My brides love family. My brides love animals. My brides have a strong desire to have their wedding day captured completely and want to hire someone they feel they can trust completely. Other than that, they are all so different, and I love that about them.

Think about this:
–Who is the most fun people you have gotten work with?
–Who do you connect with quickest?

Those people are usually your ideal client, or pretty close to!

There’s even more things that go into making a great brand, but this is a great start!