Branding is more about making your business attractive to your ideal client than thinking about the competition. Good branding highlights what makes a product or service different or more valuable than the others. In the case of personal branding, it shines the spotlight on what makes you unique and fantastic to work with!
So many of the branding strategies used to market products or services can be applied to strengthening your personal brand. Here are some key traditional branding principles that you can implement right away to make you stand out:
This is a paragraph. Click edit and enter your own text. You can make changes like making the text bold, underline or italic. This is a great place for you to tell your clients more about your story and to describe the type of photographer you are. You can come back at any time to make more changes.
1. Be Memorable
When marketing a physical product, giving it eye-catching packaging or an unforgettable ad helps it stand out. The same thing can be done to your personal brand. Depending on the platform where you promote your brand, find ways to be more memorable.
On Instagram for example, pair a striking image with an engaging caption. Why are you so great to work with? What makes you easier to work with? How can you help them with their business? Give them advice that they can use for instant results. Show them a recent project that your other clients love. These are just a few ways to stand out.
2. Be Visible
The first step to getting booked is getting seen. Be present and active in the platforms where the people you want to work with hang. You also want to stay on top of the minds of the people on your professional network. To accomplish this, create engaging posts or engage in interesting ones. Don’t shy away from speaking engagements when the opportunity arises -- seek them even!
A photo of yourself also helps immensely in improving your visibility. Most people don’t want to interact with a logo or a name. They want a face that goes with the promise, advice or help that they are looking for.
3. What’s In It for Them?
What do they get when they work with you? Listing down your services and expertise is not enough to draw new people in, much less your ideal clients. Instead, you have to tell them how you can improve their lives by doing what you do. Will you free up their time? Will you help them meet their target sales? Then include a photo that evokes feelings of lightness, positivity, and abundance in your messaging.
4. What Drives You?
Why do you do what you do? Passion and authenticity always shine through. When you believe in what you do, it’s easier to build trust and credibility. You just have to find a way to communicate that to your dream clients effectively. Start by understanding what’s important to them and how your passion for your work links to that.
Take it a step further by making a point of being more authentic in your communications. Getting a bit personal is not a bad idea. Share a personal story about how you decided on your path right now. Your customers want to get to know you and connect with the person they’re thinking about partnering or doing business with.
A memorable, authentic, and visible personal brand will always stand out amongst the rest. All it
takes is finding the right angle, understanding your audience, and being clear about the what and why behind your brand.
Do you need someone to plan and take your personal branding photos? Send us a message on @bravoimage_branding on Instagram!
