On my previous blog, I spoke about why I became a Personal Branding Photographer and mentioned some things I did to build my own personal brand, such as creating a brand pack and posting content on my social media channels. I’ve noticed a lot of interest on that blog and received a few specific questions about my journey, so today I decided to go a little bit more in depth on what you need to do to build your own personal brand.
The power of a personal brand is that, when done well, it will make you more memorable and unique. There is no other person like you, therefore that is the one and only element of your business that no one can copy.
The steps I took to build a successful personal brand were:
Defined my brand’s personality
In order to remain authentic yet attractive, my brand’s personality is the perfect balance between my real identity and characteristics that I know will please my target audience.
My advice is: Be consistent
Your brand’s personality should be reflected in everything that you do. Avoid doing or saying things that go against it.
Defined my brand’s message. This was one of my favourite steps
I had to give some thought about what I stand for, how I wanted to inspire my clients, and how I would motivate them to book me. Your brand message is what ties every piece of your work together.
Found out who is my ideal client (demographics, occupation, etc)
Although I am an experienced photographer, I wasn’t sure who would be my customer for my brand new personal branding photography services, so I did a lot of research, spoke to a few clients and asked if that is something they would do, looked at social media & website insights, studied trends and in the end, I was able to create personas that represent my ideal clients. Brainstorming about my client personas truly helps you look at things from their perspective.
Created a brand pack
I chose the fonts & colours I wanted to represent me, had my logo and new business cards designed, then I created some social media post templates. This was a crucial step of building my brand’s identity and style. It expresses the minimalism and luxury of my services.
Had personal branding photos taken
Having personal branding photos of me on my website gave me a tremendous advantage compared to websites that don’t have this. It has a self-explanatory impact which allows my website visitors to know straight away what I am all about, while simultaneously making my brand personable, approachable and transmitting trust in my work. Priceless!
Social media
I started to create valuable content for my clients and posting it frequently. Professional photos of me and my services, accompanied by engaging captions have made my phone ring with bookings as well. Some followers are only a few great posts away from turning into clients! For quicker sales, I advise you to try Facebook ads. It’s one of my go to forms of advertising and where I see most results.
New website
I felt the need to have my own personal brand website (this one you are reading from) but you may not need one. If you already have a business, you can work on your personal brand and incorporate it on your “about us” page, or simply promote it on Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
