I have a few questions for you. And seriously, take a moment to consider these because I think they’re essential for your photography business. What do potential clients feel when they visit your website for the first time? What emotions do you think your website, social media, and images evoke when potential clients see them for the first time?
I ask you this because these are vital questions you should be asking yourself when considering if you’ve built a strong brand for yourself. We hear the word brand and, as photographers, or small business owners, we may think that the idea of having brand doesn’t apply to us. That is to say, having a brand only applies to big companies like Walmart, Starbucks, or FedEx. That’s because companies like Walmart, Starbucks, and FedEx have mastered the brand game, and so we associate the idea of having a brand with these companies.
However, I want to challenge you today. Having a strong brand is paramount to your success as a professional photographer. It means that you’re standing out amongst a sea of other photographers in your market and appealing to precisely the type of clients that you want to book.
Have you ever done a photo shoot where you and your client didn’t mesh well? Or photographed a wedding that made you utterly miserable? We’ve all had experiences like these as photographers, and we could probably chalk them up to the fact that those bad experiences happened because we weren’t working with our ideal clients. But how do we know who is and who isn’t a perfect client, and more importantly, how do we attract the types of clients with whom we’d like to work?
Why Branding Is Important
Well, my friend, the answer lies in having a strong brand. Having a strong brand for your business means that the moment a potential client lands on your website, they know whether or not you are the right fit for them. The colors you use on your website, your logo, the fonts you use, the tone of voice you use in your content, it all gives subconscious cues to potential clients as to if they feel they would have a good experience with you.
And that’s what having a strong brand is all about. Its all about laying the perfect expectation to potential clients and saying, “Hey, I think we’d be a great fit!” Or “Hey, maybe another photographer would be a better fit for you.”, all before you even interact with that potential client.
So let me ask you, are you booking the clients that you love? If the answer is no, it may be time to start digging into strengthening your brand so that you’re attracting the type of people you want to work with.
We all know that professional photography is less about the quality of the photos we provide and more about the quality of experience that we provide to clients while taking pictures for them. That experience begins at the moment your client lands on your website for the first time. Having a solid brand will guide them into absolutely loving you or knowing that another photographer may be better for them.
So, what emotions are your current brand, website, and online presence evoking to potential clients? Do they match with what you want to convey with your brand? Contemplate your brand this week. Focus on how to improve it. You’ll be surprised at how useful a tool it is to lead your ideal clients right to you.
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