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Branding 101
22 Plays2 months ago
Happy Tuesday! Today is all things BRANDING! We talk about business branding and personal branding, and we really get into the nitty-gritty things you should know if you are starting a business or if you are looking to up the branding of a business you already own.
We promise you don't want to miss this one!
Your hosts,
Beth and Ayla
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Transcript
Introduction to Branding
00:00:01
Speaker
Okay guys, branding, business branding, personal branding, absolutely everything in between. You have probably heard these terms in the business world over the last few years and we wanted to share what we know about the topic.
The Era of Personal Branding
00:00:15
Speaker
Making a brand for your business has been around for a long time, but I feel like right now we're in a completely unique time of solo business owning as far as creating and maintaining your own brand. like I feel like the last five years or so has really just changed what branding and personal branding looks like.
00:00:31
Speaker
Now more than ever, tools are available to the average person, not only to start a business, but to discover and pioneer your own. And when we hear about branding for our businesses, our minds may like automatically think of like colors and fonts and websites. And while all those things are definitely important, there's a few factors when it comes to building and maintaining your business brand, like a few more than
Crash Course in Branding
00:00:52
Speaker
just that. And so we're here to give you a crash course in the topic of branding. So let's get into it.
00:00:58
Speaker
Welcome to the Art of Intention podcast with Beth and Ayla. Two best friends turn creative entrepreneurs. This is a place for us to discuss everything business friendships and faith and occasionally more. We're so excited for today's episode. We think you're going to love it. Stay tuned.
Business vs Personal Branding
00:01:20
Speaker
So the first thing to distinguish in my opinion is everything the word branding encompasses when it comes to business, business, especially businesses that thrive on social media, such as photography, editing, VA, a social media managers, all of that. ah This is the way I'm breaking it down. So other people in the industry may have different opinions, but this is just kind of what I came up with to help break this topic up. But I see branding as two sides of a coin, your business brand and your personal brand.
00:01:48
Speaker
Hmm. Oh, yeah, I like that and I think that I think I would definitely agree So we're gonna break it down for you. But when it comes to business branding, this is all of the professional aspects of your business So how your website's constructed the colors the fonts, you know that the design structure like for example Is it more minimalistic or is it artsy is it?
00:02:07
Speaker
kind of a vintage vibe, like all of that stuff. So your business brand will also include things like your logo, your mission statement, um like the attentions of your business. So as a photographer, like, do you want to capture families or like, do you want to capture more of a clean, classy wedding? Like all of that is decided as you build your business and will reflect as you build your business brand. It kind of all comes together.
00:02:33
Speaker
Absolutely. And then there's personal branding. So some of the things Beth described can overlap with this, which we'll get into. But as the name implied, personal branding is the image of yourself that you put out into the world. And again, this I feel like is bigger now more than ever, as of the last five years, like I feel like 10 years ago.
00:02:51
Speaker
personal branding, I don't even know if that would have been a word, like maybe very early on or you know, a term. um Yeah, maybe 20 years, maybe longer. But anyway, this is where social media becomes important. But this also does include your website, kind of like Beth said, also with your business branding, but then also how you are in person when interacting with clients.
00:03:11
Speaker
um This is the reels you put out, the way you write your captions, the kind of images you share, the about me section of your website, how you relate to others, how you actually work one on one. I like to think of it as really the best parts of yourself, the parts of you as a person that you love and that love you that loves your business the most. and All that's kind of put in the spotlight.
Enhancing Business Branding
00:03:33
Speaker
um I really love personal branding because there's something for everyone in there. There's something for the introverts, the extroverts, the extreme professionals, the jokers, everyone in between.
00:03:43
Speaker
it's It's just you. It's who you are. So there's room for everybody in it. There's no one right way to really explore a personal brand, but that's what that is. Definitely. Beth, why don't you kick us off with business branding? I kind of came up, well like we brainstormed five ways to business branding. I'm sure there's more. Each one of these topics probably deserves its own podcast, but for today, five ways to business brand. Beth, kick it off.
00:04:07
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Let's do it. Okay. So five ways to build your business brand. Number one is your website. This is just such an easy place to start website. Like I could, we'll shout it from the roof rooftops website every time. So I know we've said this before on the show, but it's time we said it again. I think when building up yours,
00:04:28
Speaker
While building up your socials is great, people are booking your services through your website and they also want all of their questions answered usually through the website. So it's really crucial that whoever sits down and visits your website understands you and your business and your services and can get like maybe 80 to 90% of their questions answered within the first few scrolls.
00:04:49
Speaker
Yes, o that's so good. And um this almost inspired me to make like more of a business or a business. That's our whole thing. A website specific episode at some point here, but to break it down a little more um on how this connects to your business brand. Here's a few key areas to implement your brand into your website.
00:05:07
Speaker
And that is going to be kind of some of the more superficial things like colors, fonts, photos, structure, and your copy. um This is my the biggest point of the business branding section, so I'll try to just get through it. But decide a color scheme. Colors are a big part of your brand while they're not the only part. I think that's what a lot of people first think of when they are doing a rebrand or whatever. They kind of look at their website, how it's looking.
00:05:29
Speaker
um So decide a color scheme. These colors should and will transcend your website, socials, and really any graphics related to your business, a pricing guide, business cards, other pamphlets, um whatever. So choose wisely. I like to kind of start by deciding between a warmer cool palette and then go from there. um You don't have to go, and I won't tell you to go like full neutral or full beige or anything like that, because that doesn't reflect everyone's business. But make sure your colors are pleasing to look at. Go well together.
00:05:58
Speaker
It's not complete like sensory overload going to your website clean easy to read And limited to just a few like most places aren't more than like five to six colors. I would say at most um Yeah, oh sorry go ahead No, I'm just gonna say interject and say yeah, I agree and I did hear from a professional They said like your maximum you should be choosing yeah like three to four colors and they should be mostly like neutrals just because the rest of your brand is gonna kind of make it pop if that makes sense and maybe it's different for different kinds of Brands, but like photographers especially you should lean more on the neutral so that your work can speak for itself But anyway, sorry keep going. Yeah, I guess that would be specific for um Yeah, like photography websites and that's kind of what I did for mine with photo editing And then yeah, who knows if you do like pottery or whatever you know, and the more like, the more you branch out. Yeah. But still, I would say like, keep it limited and keep it consistent. um yeah That's something I kind of didn't do when I first got into the design aspects of my business, like just the aesthetic was all over the place. And it served me a lot in the long run. Because at first,
00:06:59
Speaker
It's like weird, but when you have to pick like a smaller color palette, and I did go with like a more neutral, warm color palette, I was like, does this is limiting my creativity. But actually, it's just like it limits in the best way. Because imagine designing your colors and your fonts for every single graphic you make all the time, ever, yeah rather than just the same ones every time. It's pleasing for your clients to look at. It's helpful for you. it just um It really helps you in the long run and shouldn't really limit you too much.
00:07:27
Speaker
The same goes with fonts. A good rule of thumb is to just choose three fonts. A title font, usually some kind of plain typed script with a serif. A good cursive font, and then a small sans serif font for all of your copy and paragraphs. You don't have to follow it perfectly, but that's kind of a tried and true recipe. um No matter your design preferences, all of these need to be easy to read, obviously. You wouldn't think I have to say that, but I've reviewed some websites and I'm like, this is beautiful, I can't read it. so um Next is the photos of yourself and your work. This speaks for itself. People are visual, especially in the creative industries. Your photos should reflect you and your business in the best way, your best work only. ah Bonus points if your photos match your color scheme, but kind of like what you said with photography, like if you're doing these beachy wedding elopements, lots of blues, whites, creams, neutrals, of course, like matching your aesthetic to those. Beautiful, and beautiful.
00:08:26
Speaker
And then yeah the last, ah oh, and then not the last, sorry. Next is the actual written
Website's Role in Branding
00:08:32
Speaker
copy. This also does fall under personal branding, which we'll talk about, but this is the area where you tell your clients who you are, what your business accomplishes, why they should hire you over someone else. This is where words like motivated, committed, caring matter a ton and establish your business.
00:08:49
Speaker
And then the last thing I say about your website in regards to business branding is it needs to attract your dream clients. When building a website or hiring it out or however you get your website going, gather inspiration from others in your industry, not copying obviously just for inspiration and the websites of your ideal clients to spend depending on what industry you're in. um aligning with that and sort of matching with that is a good way to attract the people you want. That's the exact experience I had with my website. Like the first draft of it when I launched my business almost four years ago was
00:09:22
Speaker
Like, you know, I tried. I did my best. It was what it was for like the resources I had. Same. Yeah. And then I had an audit done by ah ah by a professional. I had her audit my website and she was like, you know, please list like who you want to attract. And I was like, destination photographers, traveling photographers, warm, moody, like creative, filming photography, all of that. And she was like, okay, like right now your website's like,
00:09:49
Speaker
attracting newbie photographers like beginner photographers and like Macy's department store photographers and i was like dang okay like good to know that's not what i want um and then i went from there and she gave me some websites to go off of for inspiration and basically like i had a really good success story from that like i i spent a long time completely redoing it and I remember in the time feeling like, oh, this isn't what I would do. This limits me. But I'm just saying, I searched, and searched, and searched, and got inspiration, and of course, threw my own flair into
Consistency in Branding
00:10:19
Speaker
it. And then I've actually had calls with multiple photography clients since then saying, wow, your website's beautiful. I actually just got off a call a week ago with a girl. And she was like, I was so attracted to your website. I thought it was so beautiful because a lot of editors had basic, boring,
00:10:37
Speaker
not complete done website sorry editors i'm not so like be mean to you but you know it was just like a white screen times new roman font yeah one picture of themselves and of course i'm not enough information whatever this is why website is so important and she was like your yours had beautiful images and it had before and afters and it had colors and it looked like something i would design and i was like yes that's exactly what i want so it definitely needs to appeal to your ideal client yes 100% I love everything you just said and narrowing in on like thinking about what do you want to attract and um ah like yeah it's just so important to think about what they your potential clients are drawn to so I'll you know speaking like as a photographer um high-dollar clients you know people in the luxury industry typically statistically what are they drawn to they're drawn to technically more like minimalist but that's just because that encompasses usually something more
00:11:32
Speaker
ah Professional more clean easy clear um think about how your visuals can reflect the things that they are searching for because it really like visuals is its own language you know they say a picture can speak a thousand words that's so true with your website and you can convey emotion you can convey professionalism you can convey so many different types of vibes and And as much as you might want to get creative and not stick with like the same thing because it may it seem like boring to you, um remember that repetition is memory. So the reason you want to choose a theme, choose an aesthetic and stick with it so hardcore is for memory retention of clients. And, um, also again, don't fix what's not broken. If it's consistently working for other people that you look up to and that you admire, there's a reason for it. And sometimes you have to start with what the tried and true first. And then as time goes on, you can kind of branch out and customize it a little bit more. So, um, like Ayla said, she was able to put more personalization into it. She kind of re rehauled her website.
00:12:35
Speaker
you know She didn't like that it was a little bit boring you know having to stick with the same stuff, but at the end, you were able to kind of customize it and bring that life and that personal branding into it or that branding into it. Yeah, totally. and I designed graphics that were like um paint slatters paint splatters and like paint strokes and then like threw them in there so long as they match the colors. and I wanted to say a good example of this, someone that I think of, they don't have a website, but the Wand Her podcast, we had them on. A while ago. I love them and I'm in love with their Instagram because they do have like fun colors and it's kind of like yeah crazy like they use a lot of graphics and they've got like oranges and yellows and reds and stuff they use I don't know if they do this on purpose. I'm sure they do because I like knowing them this would totally be an intentional choice, but
00:13:21
Speaker
they use the same colors every post and like the same kind of fonts so whenever i see warmish brown red orange in this font i don't even actually have to look at the username i know who's in my feed now exactly just using that so you still have the creativity you want but then Sticking in a way that it makes it digestible, easy to see and focus on, and then is memorable. And you commit to that and keep posting it, keep showing up regularly. um But like you said Beth, like repetition is memory. So you can still be creative, but then sticking with it, I guess.
00:13:54
Speaker
Yeah, that's true. Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And things that that you will you'll learn over time through trial and error. But you know the basics are important to stick with. So all right, next for business branding. um So what is your actual goal for business? So step two, or the next thing we're going to talk about, not really step two, but you know ask yourself, what is your goal for your business? So what is your why for why you started this business? What are your biggest goals?
00:14:20
Speaker
And what do you want to bring to your clients? How are you going to serve them? So for photographers, it could be something like, you know, destination photographer, ah capturing couples on the most important day of their lives. I mean, that's just so, so simple,
Branding Strategies and Client Attraction
00:14:31
Speaker
right? And then you could also do like documentary style photographer, capturing candidates and the small moments of a wedding day. So see, they're kind of different, you know? So this applies to every single business. Tech companies, brick and mortar shops,
00:14:44
Speaker
um, coffee shops, even law and real estate offices. And you know what? Not everyone does a really good job of it. And when you start learning about the stuff and you look into the real world, you can see, wow, these people are really good at branding and kind of compare and see like who's, you know, what they're missing and you kind of apply it to your own.
00:15:00
Speaker
your own life, but literally everyone has a reason they're there. Everyone has a reason they started their business. They have something to bring to the table and branding is how you separate yourself from the crowd. So think about it with like real estate, right? That exists everywhere and everyone knows that the goal of real estate is to sell houses, right?
00:15:17
Speaker
So branding takes that from selling houses to matching families with a perfect forever home. So see the difference like that, something like that. Oh, I love that. And Beth, as you explained that, I just, it made me think of something how you said like not everyone is really good at that. And I think sometimes certain corporate world or older businesses are things we don't always think about like dentists and doctor's offices even like, right? Oh my gosh.
00:15:44
Speaker
I actually, ah in this one town that we have in Saskatchewan, this is so random, but like it's um it's this one like small town that we breeze through, and there's a dentist's office in there that's like independently run and owned, and yeah it's called Bite.
00:15:59
Speaker
says on the front and it's not this super sleek like kind of sexy like design in a way I've never seen because really it's your dentist office like it's a dentist office they're just like doctor what prefer dentistry and it's like it's dentist office but this one I've never seen the inside but they painted it these like cool like kind of dark modern industrial colors they gave it a name and I'm like what the heck Like I want to go there because I'm a consumer and like I want to go there. So it literally applies to everything. And again, like we're going to get into branding is more than your colors design, but when I see something like that, I'm like, well, I automatically want to go see what they're up to rather than Dr. McStuffy face over here that has the same dentist office as everyone else. So like literally applies to everything in ways that I think we're still learning about. Yeah.
00:16:45
Speaker
No, exactly. And that's what social media I think has really shined a light on and has allowed people to do because before when it was just word of mouth, it was a lot harder to kind of do those personalizations and those unique things because at the end of the day, you're still going to have kind of the same amount of clients as you always, as you're going to get. Like, you know, especially if you're thinking about like a dentist, but social media can totally change that. And it's crazy, can I just say so fast? The fact that you were talking about a dentist when not an hour ago I was on social media and I saw this dentist, it was just a random reel and um it was a dentist who you go in and they're like, we're not like other dentist office. Like you actually want to come here because it's fun. And like you sit down in the chair and they give you a complimentary, like um like a ah sheet of paper that's like, oh, choose your complimentary. like
00:17:28
Speaker
it Care whatever I don't even know it the point is like they bring you a blanket headphones you do like these little wax like hand Massage like mask things while you're getting your your teeth done they believe like know things That's what I'm saying they put these little things into your eyes like the little like ah what do you call those like? It doesn't matter they have like the entire things going on. Yeah like these little masks and And you have like a whole like list of things you can choose from and you're literally going to a spa. And I'm like, tell me why that is the best idea ever. And I want to run to every single dentist office within 100 miles of me and be like, let me fix you. And that's the thing about all of this that we're going to be talking about. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. The more you learn about branding, the more your brain will automatically see things in other businesses and will apply that all around
Brand Perception and Market Positioning
00:18:17
Speaker
you. And you'll see things that are good and bad in branding and like every kind of business. And like for me, I don't know Ayla if you're the same way, but I feel like a lot of the time I just want to like run into some of these businesses and be like, let me fix you or like the dentist thing that I saw. I just want to run and be like, I want to go try and see if I can convince a dentist office near me to do that. Like that'd be so cool. Absolutely.
00:18:38
Speaker
And I think about that, it sounds like mean because again, I'm no expert, but I think about that when I see businesses that have it so close. And I'm like, ah, if you just do this one thing with like your socials or something like that, like, yeah, no, I totally, yeah I totally get it. And it's always easier to see that with other people and it's hard to apply it to yourself. And we know that we're not saying that we're like so great at it. Like it's easier to point out in other people, but that's why we say you should observe other businesses so um of all different kinds because you'll learn ah slowly over time how to apply it to yourself.
00:19:08
Speaker
Absolutely. All right. Moving right along, this is kind of under the website umbrella, but other design choices such as your logo also fall under business branding. Again, what will people feel or think when they see your logo and maybe the motto beside it, like a few little words blurb about who you are, what you do. Um, are you trying to brand yourself as an adventurous destination photographer, but your logo is bulky, industrial, dark, rigid, big fat font, weird.
00:19:36
Speaker
colors that could confuse any potential clients coming across your website or business card with what you actually do. um It's a small thing but it really matters and I believe everyone from the biggest dogs in business down to the average computer consumer notice things like your logo and motto. um Whatever direction you take your business you want to be consistent like we said so if you are trying to be like adventure destination wedding photographer and your logo looks like it would fit for a construction company Like that that just wouldn't make sense. It wouldn't make sense. You're ah automatically creating confusion to people who look at your site So again, not trying to put you in a box but see what others in the industry are doing and then see how you can apply that to you and your Creativity just to help it make sense. Yeah, and this is where hiring a professional to design a few logos for you If this is not your strong suit can really really pay off
00:20:27
Speaker
Yeah, actually, again, back with my website audit, my original logo that I had, the lady who audited it said, like, looking at this, this looks like... What did she say? I'm trying to remember, her because I had a very simple, squarish kind of basic logo, and she was like, this looks more like...
00:20:45
Speaker
ah clothing boutique logo, this one looks more almost like fashion. um this like These are the things this is giving. Here's some examples of other like editor-photographer you know logos and like ways to clean it up a bit. so um Really, really matters. like Again, that's one of the first things people people see, so it's a small thing, but yeah it pays off.
00:21:07
Speaker
It does. It truly, truly does. Okay, so moving on. move Moving along. Believe it or not, your actual services themselves also reflect your brand. So this is where the discussion of niche comes up. So even your pricing is part of your brand. And I know this seems a little bit confusing, just stick with us. But are you a luxury photographer? And if you plastered out on your website, clients will expect your services to be luxury and your prices to be luxury. This may sound a little bit crazy, but they will expect those large packages and those more like all inclusive packages and so therefore those higher prices. So go ahead and like think about it. It's not consistent to be a luxury photographer and then have wedding packages that are like a thousand dollars, right? So however, if you want to brand yourself as a photographer with customizable budget friendly packages, that would be more consistent with pricing. So again, ah even down to little details like this, you just have to think about what consistency means and what it all applies to.
00:22:06
Speaker
And yeah, even your pricing and um all of that matters. It all goes towards your brand. Yeah, this actually makes me think of my sister, who's been a florist for the last several years, owns her own floral studio. um And from the get-go, her business was all about high-end personalized floral design, like European inspired, with high attention on color and composition. um She's the best buyer of the way, wild bud, a creative floral co, if you didn't already know. um Her prices and experience will be different from a florist that's more meant for like picking up your kind of daily bouquets and arrangements.
00:22:40
Speaker
um But her services that she's curated are reflected by her brand. It's very clear when you look at her website, store, socials, her Instagram, that you're getting a more luxury and personalized experience when dealing with florals. That way when someone scrolls through her designs and then later books her for something and sees the price, that's going to match because she's already made that clear who she is and who um her designs are for versus maybe a different kind of florist. And again, neither one is like right or wrong. It's just, that's where you fit.
00:23:10
Speaker
in the nation and in the in the industry? No, exactly. That's a really great example. um So for the last tip of business branding, this is going to sound funny, but it's your clients actually, believe it or not. This kind of goes with your business goals and your why and all of that. But at the end of the day, you need your people. If you're a small business owner, actually if you're any business, you need your clients and your people. Your clients and customers are what make your business go round and your brand may actually evolve as you land more and more of your dream clients.
00:23:46
Speaker
So the people referring to you as your friends, sharing on social media, booking your services and fueling your business reflect hugely on your brand. The kind of clients that you bring in, they reflect of course your brand. Like we said, advertise for who you want to attract and therefore the people you attract, they're going to be further proof and like kind of further solidifying of your brand.
00:24:11
Speaker
Yeah, that's where reviews also can come in handy on yeah your website, what's so important, who's who's reviewing and whose reviews you choose to have up there. You believe it or not like this might sound crazy, but you want to pick people.
00:24:25
Speaker
who you want to keep booking, if that makes sense. Like all the reviews you get, especially as a photographer who have more clients kind of coming and going, the people that you really loved shooting with and the experience that completely reflected the kind of business you want to run. Those are the people that plaster everywhere and get referrals from and all that. And I really love this point because I've seen it live itself out in so many ways in my business and in other businesses I've worked for.
00:24:48
Speaker
In my own business, I started out trying to put trying to book destination photographers and while that succeeded and that is who I like to work for, ah the business really adjusted itself to attract busy mothers and women supporting their family. Like over 90% of my clients are mothers and that's like how they found me.
00:25:08
Speaker
and how they realized like I was a good fit for them because I promised freeing up your time and not only to work more like there's one way to say like oh I free up your time so you can book twice as many jobs but I also said I free up your time to invest back into your family and back into your life and that really just like landed for a few people.
00:25:26
Speaker
um And so that was like another part of my brand that kind of developed itself was, was being just a true helping hand and being a friend, your friend in the industry. Um, that, so that's like how that kind of naturally shifted. And that was a shift I let it take. Um, I also like, I worked for a coffee shop back in the day that initially wanted to make and serve only strictly like third wave prepared coffee. I won't bore everyone with the details, but it's just the modern way right now, coffee's prepared.
00:25:54
Speaker
It's less emphasis on like syrups with cream milk and more on like the coffee itself and flavors, whatever. And it's not for everyone. This was in my smaller hometown where the general clientele wants more reliable, easy to digest, not not like physically digest, but like easy to try coffee and food. They wake up and they make their morning pot and they eat their bacon and eggs. And that's what they want when they go out.
00:26:16
Speaker
So the shops sound found some ways to compromise, please their customers because those are the people who are going to be coming in, but also branding themselves as um we step above where many steps above Starbucks. We're a step up here. We put craft and care into what we do and kind of married those two things. so um Beth and I were talking, to you and I were talking about this about something else the other day, but about how you can have like luxury and high-end dreams and goals for your business, but it won't go anywhere if like the area you're in, if those people won't come to you. um It can, depending on what the business is, but we were talking about gyms. We were talking about like starting like these crazy good gyms, but how it might not take off in the area you're in.
00:26:59
Speaker
based on what people are looking for. I think we were talking about our hometown or something like that. Not like they would love that. But we were just talking about that. What will land and what won't based on the people around you when starting a shop. So we were like- So true. Yeah, it's- Just talking about that randomly. The other day. Exactly. No, it's just so true. It's important to know your clientele. The clientele already exists. The clientele is most likely to be yours that you're going to automatically attract.
Adapting to Market Demands
00:27:20
Speaker
And it's important to have the foresight um That if you are going to be offering a service or a good or something like that that ah is not quite what they would want you're either there's two choices one either it's not gonna work out because they're not gonna go for it or Two you're gonna have to market yourself and sell so and hustle so much harder than if you just went with what they already knew what they were familiar with and what with what they wanted yeah so it can be done and
00:27:51
Speaker
But sometimes the amount of effort it would take to market that, uh, won't be worth it. Um, so yeah, like what we were talking about with the gym, like could we maybe eventually convince people in like, cause you know, we travel a lot. So we see these different towns and sometimes sometimes it's fun to think about like, you know, ah Oh, I wonder, what do they need? What does this place need? Exactly. Yep, exactly. Like, you know, you're staying in a place for a couple of weeks and you're like, wow, there's like no gyms around here, but I feel like that would be, it'd be great place for that.
00:28:17
Speaker
And you just have to kind of think like, oh, okay, but I don't think these people, like maybe, okay, there is two gyms already and you come to find out they're really like, they're really packed, but I don't think that they, and they have really kind of like, maybe they're not very clean or whatever, but people are still going. That's kind of probably all that maybe they want. Maybe those people don't want to pay twice as much to go to a gym that's like got, you know, childcare and it's, you know, beautiful. And it has like these innovative classes. Like maybe they don't want that. yeah And again, not to, not to pick on that. Like that's such a random example. We're not experts in starting a gym, but we were talking about that concept of yeah your clientele. and like ah Is your goal to just bring in clientele and make whatever, or is your goal to like make a business you really, really want and do the extra work to get people to understand that they want it? yeah yeah Extra work or maybe move the area if that's not going to work.
00:29:09
Speaker
Yeah. So your brand sometimes might need to compromise, but again, um, everything we just kind of listed is very important. It comes first and foremost, and then see who your people are, who's investing in you and, and keep going from there. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So essentially that was our breakdown of business branding. So let's get into personal branding. All right. Again, this is who you are in your business, how you speak, how you joke, present yourself. Um, it's all part of your personal brand.
00:29:39
Speaker
The first part of personal branding also kind of falls under website. So I'll go through it real quick, but it's quite literally the words you write about yourself and your company of everyone, maybe not everyone, but I'd say the grand majority of people, especially in the creative industry like to know the face behind who they're hiring or purchasing from. Um, now this is a side note. Uh, I, but I will say this does not, and should not mean a huge, long novel about yourself on your website. No one's going to read the whole thing. Sorry. If you're super proud of it, uh, they're not.
00:30:07
Speaker
And that shouldn't be the first thing they see on your website. The first thing they see should be like the essential information, if it's if you have hours, whatever, stuff like that. But yeah um there should be a little section about you. i I check it out when I'm checking out websites. I like to read their little their a little story, their little blurb. So it shouldn't be the first thing people see, but it should be easy to find. um This is a great area to write copies, such as you know World Traveler, Adventure, and Happy is Capturing a New Wedding, whatever, blah, blah, blah.
00:30:34
Speaker
um This is your this is your your spice your secret sauce whatever it is about you that is gonna get people to hire you um And the amount of humor or professionalism that you implement into your website This part's fun because it kind of really is up to you and it needs to be true to you It still needs to be a formative don't get carried away in either branch You know like you you don't got to write a whole comedy script or whatever very about me page It still needs to benefit you and your website, but it's just kind of a fun area to get to be creative
00:31:06
Speaker
So yeah, don't feel like you need to get stuffy and overly professional if that's not your true character. And like I said, don't try to write a comedy script if it's not coming naturally to you. Your brand starts with who you are at your core and because people can tell if you're pretending to be anything else, especially if you end up working closely and personally with your clients. If you're a wedding photographer and you plaster, I'm so fun. I'm your adventurer. I'm your adventure buddy. I'm going to dance with you at your wedding. And then you show up and you're like a bore.
00:31:33
Speaker
um ah yeah They're going to feel cheated, misleading, whatever. So you want to be authentic to who you are in the actual words that you write on your website while still being clear, informative, concise, all of that. Absolutely. 100% love all of that. And um I think the one thing I would add is like, cause what you were saying towards the beginning too, if it doesn't need to be be super long.
00:31:54
Speaker
Agreed people are not going to want to read that if you feel like you have a lot to say I'd say there's like two exceptions to that to maybe needing to write longer um that would be number one if your business literally is you like if you are so closely tied to it like you're not really selling a good or like goods or anything like that, but your service is like so closely related to you or If you have some kind of really unique thing or backstory, something that's really moving that is behind your brand, maybe that would be an exception, but you have to make sure that's on its own about me page. Don't just put that on the very front. Again, there may be exceptions, like I'd say if your business literally is you or something, but really have an about me page for that to go more in depth.
00:32:33
Speaker
if that was already yeah absolutely i remember the first draft of my website i was going through my about me page and i was reading that blurb and i was like gosh i am boring myself like it was so long and i was like nobody cares like i'm not in a sad way but it's just i shortened it to include the the important and i still say like introvert here's my coffee drink and here's my favorite place i've traveled but it's just not like a billion pages long yes so Exactly. And just remember people value efficiency in this day and age. And um if they want to know more about you, they can go to your Instagram and stuff like that. So for sure. just They're not looking at a website for like 40 minutes straight. Exactly. Some people are, but more and more nowadays they're not. Okay.
Social Media and Personal Branding
00:33:10
Speaker
So, uh, the other big, big factor with personal branding is of course your social media.
00:33:15
Speaker
like We just kind of dipped our toes in that a second ago. so Do you want your page to be a space to laugh, a space for like business advice, um something for your portfolio, a place to grow your sales, or maybe a combination of a few different things? The purpose of your socials and how you execute them really matters. like It matters so immensely for personal branding.
00:33:36
Speaker
so For example, when thinking about personal branding, um so a couple of people who I've always loved their branding, um and I think they do personal branding very well kind of within their business. um Taylor Dewey, she's a photographer in Hawaii. She's amazing and does a really good job of getting out like the personal branding stuff with her business and where they all kind of ties in really well. You understand her mission. She has multiple missions, of course. and um like multiple things that move and drive her. And she just has a really good job of sharing her life and work. And then also Evie Rupp, Evelyn Rupp, for those of you. Right. Is it still Rupp? It's not anymore, is it? It's McLeod. Oh, it's McLeod. but it's your you sure that Well, not me totally butchering that. But you know it used to be Evie Rupp. It's Evie McLeod. But um you know she has ah she was a destination photographer, still is, and moved into photography education. And she started a swimsuit brand, Evie Swim, which is amazing, by the way.
00:34:29
Speaker
and ah Yeah, so she's always done a phenomenal job I think of having personal branding and business branding all tied together. Yeah, and then I really like Nathan Chansky. He's one of my favorite photographers. I follow on Instagram and I like his podcast too. He talks about personal branding a lot and he nails it on his Instagram, like that mix of advice and humor, but also his work and portfolio. Excellent. Also with this, a big part of personal branding is to let people see you. This is so big on social media. They have to see your face. They need to see you as the person behind the business way more often than you think. A lot of people go like months or weeks without showing their face. um
00:35:06
Speaker
so It's really crazy how many small business owners forget to actually show their face in their socials, but don't be afraid to have like daily stories um and reels of you speaking, not just like a voiceover or a trend, but like you actually talking, um whether you're giving advice or posting a story. This goes along like with all the personal like portraits.
00:35:29
Speaker
Sorry, I really butchered that. this goes ah This goes along with personal portraits. So you know maybe making a post to every, um some people have different formulas like every once a week or some people do every 10 posts, different things like that. But having a post that's like an introductory post of you. um So yeah, who you are is a big reason people will follow you. The most unique thing that you have is yourself. And um no matter what you want to do with your business,
00:35:53
Speaker
ah logos and your branding and your colors and your theme and your mission statement like you are going to be the most unique part of your business. Yeah and with that a very similar factor in personal branding is like how you look and the appearance you put on. Do you wanna dress nice and be presentable for your reels or does it work well for your business to be a bit more casual and laid back with how you look? Again, remember, while you should be true to yourself in your business, make sure your brand is consistent. And I wanna be careful at this point because i'm I'm actually a really big proponent for being real on social media and not being... fake yeah and not doing things that are fake to you. um That stuff drives me nuts actually like I am a like it's a big thing but especially like that's kind of how I feel about personal social medias. I'm really not about people like you know pretending to be somewhere they're not or whatever weird stuff like that but for your business if you're branding yourself as a high-end luxury photographer showing like a super messy house and a messy computer um and a messy
00:36:53
Speaker
Self might not align with your business brand and I'm not saying you can't share like some of the behind the scenes and raw real You know your luxury photographer, but right now you're in like cave rat editing mode. We all do that We all get that I'm not saying you can't do that But I just like I guess decide carefully on what you share and if it benefits or supports the entire brand That you've been working hard to set up. Like again, if you're going to be, um, I can't think of a lot of personal examples with this because again, I am very like social media as a tool and be careful with it. And I don't think you should have to be fake to be on it, but every single thing you post basically, and the appearance you put on inside of it should just benefit you and your brand, I guess.
00:37:33
Speaker
Yeah. i Just to just to just like drive that point home, honestly, the truth is that human nature, and it's a sad truth, does judge what we put on social media. and While some people are relieved to see that real life, the messy, you know the raw, whatever, um some clients might want to see what they want to become. and so There's two ways to do it. you know, raw, real, messy, blah, blah, relatable. And then there's the inspiration and you have to figure out which of your clients are, which your clients are, you know, do your clients want to see all that perfect? Everything seems really organized and perfect and productive because they want to be like that because we should be following people that inspire us. So just figure out which side your clients are.
00:38:18
Speaker
Yeah. And like doing a little bit of both is fine, but yeah, I wouldn't do consistent like, ah, here's my real life. Um, i'm I'm not going to like out anybody, but I know a few businesses like bringing more to businesses and a few like photographers, not personally, but just what I follow where I will admit a lot of their content is this week's been busy for me. I'm just scrambling this week. I'm just so busy and I'm doing this thing and I'm busy and I'm editing and I have my kids and I'm just so busy and life's a scramble and oh my gosh. And.
00:38:45
Speaker
ah and Me, as like a possible consumer, i I don't want to be mean, but I look at that and I think, well, I shouldn't hire them if they're so busy, like if they don't even have time. And I'm not saying that you can't be like, sorry guys, I'm just getting to emails this week. I've been busy now and again. But again, if your full feed is like, I'm just falling behind, I'm drowning in my work, I might think, ooh, maybe I should give him a break and not hire him. You know? like which And honestly, that doesn't drip success. Like that does not say so success and success is attracted to success. So if you want to attract really successful clients, they're not going to be impressed by your scrambling and by your chaos and by your lack of organization and by all of that mess necessarily. So again, every once in a while there's time and a place for it, but you really have to understand
00:39:33
Speaker
your own clientele. The next part of locking in your personal brand is actually establishing how you act with your clients um and keeping that really, really consistent.
Client Interactions and Brand Consistency
00:39:42
Speaker
so um Something that I heard when I was first starting business, um some advice was treat every client like your most expensive, um like most favored client. Make sure you are not judging people or treating people differently based on how much they're paying you or anything like that i mean obviously within reason like if i have an all-inclusive package that maybe has like a welcome box being sent to them then that's you know that's gonna go to that package i'm not just gonna give that to everybody but how you treat them the way you respect to them the urgency in which you respond to their emails um just all of that so you know
00:40:16
Speaker
And also it even extends to how you act on a wedding day. So are you a wedding photographer that likes to tear it up on the dance floor at a wedding? Or are you more reserved and professional? Do you prefer to be a fly on the wall? Do your clients prefer you to be a fly on the wall? Neither method is right or wrong, but find who you are and keep it consistent. And you're going to be able to keep it consistent if it's genuine. If you're forcing yourself to be out there on the dance floor, you might have a hard time really keeping up with that.
00:40:42
Speaker
So anyways, this factors into any calls or consultations you also have with clients, you know, like we're saying any personal interactions um and just your attitude while you're performing your services. That's really all it is. So this all really, really matters when you get into hiring employees as well or associate shooters if you're a photographer.
00:41:00
Speaker
um All of that, but you want to make sure that the work you put in to represent yourself a certain way to clients is also reflected in the person that you hire um when it comes to how customers are treated and that will again translate to their customer satisfaction. Absolutely. Yeah. I kind of forgot to include this here, but ah in my one-on-one interactions with people like as an editor, this is where I really like nail down some of the language I use like on my website and on my Instagram and reiterate it to them because they've probably read it before. So I want them to hear it again. Um, like a lot of things that I have on my website are, are sentences like you're the creative person. I'm here to help or like, um, you're not losing any of your creativity. I'm just taking on that busy work. Like I say that to lots of people because one, it's true, but second, it re integrates that messaging and those words almost like slogans, but they're not cheesy because it's real and it's true.
00:41:55
Speaker
But whenever ah they have questions you know it's it's down to everything when they're like oh can you run down the process for me I go yeah I've worked really hard to make sure that this process is clear concise and easy for you to use so like little little things like that that are on your website that you say again naturally um yeah just see your actual interactions and using your own language and copy and words that you've set up. But yeah, times like that are just a really, really good time to take all that copy you worked so hard on, just take everything that is about your brand and actually implement it into your one-on-one discussions with people. Like integrate that into the language you actually use daily with them, if that makes sense. Yeah, absolutely does. Love that. Okay. And then finally, the last thing to look at when dialing in your personal brand, which is something I kind of already said, but I wanted a fifth bullet point and it kind of deserves its own bullet point.
00:42:46
Speaker
But just be yourself and decide which parts of yourself to be. And I know this sounds cliche, but I'm so serious. Like we said, people can tell once you meet one on one with them, if you haven't been genuine this entire time.
00:42:58
Speaker
You're a business owner and you are running something that you created. That's amazing. And in a lot of cases, your business is a result of the best parts of yourself. Hard work, perseverance, cleverness, resourcefulness, more. Dig deep, do some praying and really look at your favorite parts of yourself. Are you funny and you like to use humor in your day to day life? Are you proud of the hard work it took to build your business? Are you a big people person and you just love connecting with people one on one?
00:43:25
Speaker
Like basically don't be afraid to dig deep and find the favorite parts of yourself and highlight them in your personal brand. Because if they're the favorite parts of yourself, if that's who you are at your core, then that's what your clients are going to see. That's what your customers are going to see. And that's what they're going to love. Like your business, I think is just a mix of all the best parts of you. So that's what it should be about.
00:43:46
Speaker
Oh my gosh, I love that. I was like, has one to say and i'm like oh I don't want to say anything. I don't want to add to that. I love that. But just remember everybody and consistency is key. I think that's just the last thought that I have on this is consistency is 100% key. People will remember how you treated them. They'll remember consistently seeing the same logo, the same colors, the same style, the same fonts, the same quality of work. They'll remember hearing over and over again from people how fun you are, how kind you are, how professional you were.
00:44:14
Speaker
just if you're consistent with all these things we mentioned, then you automatically will have a very strong brand. You got it. Thank you guys so much for listening today and for your amazing support of the Art of Intention. A few ways to support the show that are completely free to you if you love what you we do and even if you don't,
00:44:31
Speaker
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00:45:01
Speaker
We'd love to see you over there. We can't wait to see you there and we will catch you again next week. We post every Tuesday and we will catch you then with a new episode. Bye.