How to build a strong Photography Brand
Hello and welcome to Episode 6 of The Beyond Natural Light podcast. I’m your host, Sandra Coan, and today I want to talk to you about YOUR photography brand, specifically, what a brand is (and what a brand isn’t).
I’m a portrait photographer who specializes in newborns and family.
2020 will be my 21st year in business!
And I’m proud to share that over the past 20 years, I’ve grown from just doing photography as a side hustle to a multiple six-figure business and I was able to do that because I learned and leveraged the power of branding.
In addition to running my studio, I teach photographers how to create natural-looking light with strobes and flash.
And you may be wondering…
What does learning to work with artificial light have to do with building a brand?
I’m here to tell you, it has EVERYTHING to do with build a strong photography brand…
SO, I call my class, The Missing Link Because learning to create my own light truly was the missing link for me, that took my business from a place of stress and struggle to that initial six figures.
And that happened in large part because learning to create consistently beautiful light helped me create consistency in my photos (my product)… and consistency in my product, the photos I produce, helped me grow my brand.
What I know after 21 years in this industry is that having a strong brand is essential to having a strong business. And the key to having a strong brand is creating consistency in your work. Learning to create your own light is the quickest and easiest way to create consistency.
So that is why I’m so passionate about teaching lighting.
But that's not actually what I want to talk to you about today. Today I want to define what solid photography brand looks like because honestly, there’s a lot of confusion around it…
so let’s dive in… and talk about what a brand is, and what a brand isn’t.
Why is branding SO important for photographers?
Well, like I said, having a solid brand is essential to having a solid business. You can not have one without the other. Your brand sets the tone for everything else.
And what you find, is that when you have a strong brand, most of the things that make running a business hard, go away.
standing out in a saturated market
finding clients
marketing… things like social media, and blogging
All of that becomes easier when you have a solid brand.
So, let’s start by talking about what a photography brand really is.
Your photography brand is a lot of things.
It’s your work, your style, your passion, your point of view as an artist, your voice, your personality. It’s what your clients or potential clients think of when they hear your name or your company name.
And for photographers understanding those aspects of your brand is really important, but for so many, those are the things that get overlooked.
Instead, people focus on their logo, or their color palette, or the fonts they use on their website. Those things are not your brand. They are important parts of your brand, but your brand is much, much more.
It’s about you and about your work
… and therefore, a strong photography brand is Unique… it stands out.
And that's because YOU are the only YOU on the planet. NO one else can see things quite the way you do… no one else can capture things exactly the way you do… and so when you allow that uniqueness, you allow your passions, you allow your point of view to saturate your work…. Your work is going to begin to take on a look and a style ONLY you can create. It becomes unique… and when your work is unique, it is instantly recognizable.
Right… and we all know photographers who have nailed this. You know… when you’re scrolling through the Gram, and a photo pops up, and you know who the artist is before you read the name…. That's what I’m talking about. And that is SO much more powerful than just a pretty logo… am I right?
And then this is where the magic starts to happen...
When your brand becomes unique and instantly recognizable, it will also become trustworthy. And when your clients trust your brand, They trust that whatever they buy from that brand will live up to the expectations that they have of that brand. And that makes spending money, even premium money, easy.
And then… that is where consistency comes in… because to TRULY have a trustworthy brand, you MUST be able to consistently produce the quality of images you are known for… so that means under ANY circumstance… rain or shine.
And that is why I teach lighting
It’s not because I’m super into gear… it’s because I’m super into branding and business… and I know that consistency is the cornerstone of both.
So to re-cap.
Your brand is more than your logo, color palette, or fonts. Your brand is you, your passion, your style, your approach, your point of view, and ultimately your work.
The four main characteristics of a strong photography brand are:
A strong brand is Unique
A strong brand is instantly recognizable
A strong brand is trustworthy
A strong brand is consistent
So to help you out this week I have TWO freebies I want to share.
The first one is my brand new, 10-page, business guide, The Six Figure Photography Framework… and in it, I outline the 3 things you NEED to start building a profitable photography business and some of the common mistakes to avoid.
The second one is my Blueprint for how to get started strobes and flash….
I’ll like them both in the show notes.
Don’t forget to subscribe, and if you liked today’s episode or any of the episodes, please take a moment to leave a five-star review.
Talks next week.
