5 Tips for Building a Strong Brand | January Educational Blog with Lauren Wright
We’d like to welcome Lauren Wright to the blog today. Lauren has a Course titled, “Belly to Baby: In-Home and Intimate” which currently lives inside the Academy, and we are happy to announce that she is also creating a new Course that digs deeper into branding and running a high-end, fine art portrait business. Join Lauren and our beautiful community TODAY and gain access to hundreds of courses, lessons and videos within the Academy.
About the Author:
Lauren is a Colorado-based fine art portrait photographer. She obtained her BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2003 and immediately began her career as a wedding photographer. She has since pivoted to portraiture on a more intimate level, documenting the art of motherhood and all her intimate connections. Bringing intention, peace and confidence to her work, Lauren digs deep into her own sensations to help create emotionally evocative and honest imagery. Over the past five years, Lauren’s portrait business has changed from an all-inclusive, shoot-and-burn style to a high-end, full-service portrait business, offering heirloom quality products and fully guided step-by-step service for her clients.
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Many of you know how passionate I am about branding for my business, so I’m excited to share with you some of the things you need to do in order to create a strong brand! Having a clear and consistent branding message across all platforms for all potential clients is essential to running a high-end portrait business. My hope is that you can take away parts, or all of it and apply it to your business!
There is so much information to share, but let me just start here!
What makes a strong brand?
1. Knowing your business's identity.
This will be how your audience perceives you.
Not to be confused with Brand Image ( your logo, colors etc) and more on that below! I do believe that they both go hand in hand though!
Ask yourself questions like, what services does my business offer? How do I want to present my business to the public? What marketing strategies do I have?
A potential client lands should grasp the idea of your brand & what service you offer as soon as they land on your website’s home page
2. Having a clear message.
What is your message to potential client? Do you have a promise to them? How can you give them what they are seeking?
Being consistent in your messaging conveys strength, professionalism & success thus people feel confident in using your service - boosting your credibility! You want clients to know what to expect every time they are dealing with you.
You can be consistent with your brand in the way you speak aloud, your communications via emails, marketing materials, and how you carry yourself in the public eye. The images below are imbedded in my initial response email to potential clients depending on what service they are inquiring about.
I want to live my brand. I am the mamma I am speaking to. I share - heck I overshare Im sure- but I want potential clients to know me as well as they can, so they can find pieces of themselves, pieces of what they need and finally, how they can have it all by hiring me.
Your message should evoke a positive emotional response from viewers
I am selling - to mammas - the feeling they get when they look at an image.
What types of feelings do these images below evoke from you?
3. Knowing your target audience.
What are your client’s demographics? What is your competition in the area? Where do they search for information? What are some personal elements that might resonate with them?
It is important to know this because by speaking to your targeted audience, you will build loyalty and your marketing strategies will see the most return. It will also eliminate those that don't fit your business model, thus allowing you to spend time with those that will invest in your product. Don’t be afraid to repel those that don’t fit your business model!
Have you taken the time to build your ideal client? It’s definitely worth taking the time to do. Once you create your ideal client, you’ll know who you are talking to & better yet...how to talk to them! Here is mine!
4. Establishing credibility.
Brand credibility is your business’ reputation. It's the believability that your business can continuously deliver what is promised.
Credibility takes time, it doesn't happen overnight. It takes patience and time to implement. Here are a few ways to build credibility:
Excellent customer service. Under promise and over deliver. If your contract says your client will receive their gallery in 2 weeks, get it to them in 10 days. Go the extra step to impress. I bring loose leaf blend of tea to my in home client sessions.
Offer testimonials whenever you can. Potential clients will want to hear what others say. Encourage clients to refer you out by offering a referral program. If a current client of mine refers me to a new client, they receive a $100 credit and the new client receives $50. If that current client refers 3 people to me, they receive a free session.
I include a few testimonials on my portfolio page on my website, so my potential clients can read what current clients have said as they view the images. See the examples below or take a peek at my portfolio page HERE.
5. Designing logos, fonts & colors aligned with your style.
Although a good brand will extend past your brand board, it is a very important piece.
Relevant to being identifiable- people will recognize your logo and fonts on pieces of marketing you advertise.
What is a brand board? It's your business quick reference guide to your fonts, logo (including sub logos & variations), colors and graphics that you use in all your marketing materials. Want to see what colors you use most in your imagery? www.yearofcolour.com There are many apps to try! My palette has shifted over the years, but my brand colors are always there!
You can distinguish yourself from others with a strong brand. In the world of photography we have to remember that there is little that hasn't been done before we have done it. Your brand and your voice will set you apart from others. Be your authentic self!
