As a personal brand photographer, I know the importance of branding and how it sells future relationships with my clients.
My hope is that long after their session is over, and five years in the future, my branding clients will have built and nurtured those professional relationships that allow them to thrive in their businesses. Relationships both on and offline are vital to any business. The importance of a personal branding session is that it allows you to write your story and show up authentically online. Showing up online authentically will help you connect with your ideal clients. Powerful imagery leads the way!
When completed, my branding clients use on-brand images to position them as an expert in their industry. Your personal brand is your name, your face, and how you make people feel. In a post-COVID-19 world, we all see the incredible value of having an online presence and personal brand to help you connect with those future clients by building relationships.
Remember, if people don’t know who they are, they can’t do work with you. Relationships start with trust. Trust combines credibility, reliability, and authenticity. Personal branding session clients have all of the resources they need to show up as credible experts, who are the top professionals in their industry. Your branding images allow you to position yourself and stay top of mind.
Today we’re going to discuss the 3 ways to use branding sessions and the importance of branding to position you as the go-to pro in your industry :
#1 Credibility
We establish credibility by having a clear message that stands out from your competition. Everyone is in a saturated industry these days, full of professionals who are selling the same thing. I work with branding clients to go more in-depth and figure out what they are selling, making them genuinely different. We use that message to create their zone of genius. The one thing they are known for and how clients can come to them for help. Your website, social media platforms, and client testimonials, combined with high-quality imagery, are crucial to presenting yourself as credible. It establishes you as the go-to pro in your market.
#2 Reliability
Your reliability is determined by how you show up for clients once they decide to do business with you. Do you show up with a service mentality and put your clients first? Do you have systems in place to make sure you are communicating with them regularly and guiding them along their journey? As a photographer, it is my job to advise clients who have booked a session with me on their location choices, wardrobe selection, professional hair, makeup referrals, and what to expect, combined with a timeline for the session’s day. My clients know they want pretty imagery in the end. It’s my job to direct them and help them achieve that goal. Regular and consistent communication combined with follow-through are the keys to having a higher reliability factor.
#3 Authenticity
The third component in building that trust will be to establish you like the Go-To professional in the market, is authenticity. It helps you stand out in a saturated market. I have mixed feelings about the word and feel like it is way overused in today’s world, but it truly is the key to standing out above the crowd. Your clients are craving connection and community in this modern world, and showing up authentically allows your future clients to get to know you. “But I hate talking about myself, and I don’t know what to say,” Are common objections that I hear from new branding clients. At this point is where writing your story comes into play. We dive deep into your passions, your hopes, your dreams, and your whys. We uncover what makes you unique through a series of questions and why people like you. These are crucial elements we weave into your branding session. I show you how to use your newly branded images to post them online with engaging captions.
These posts, combined with your engagement with your future clients, the importance of branding allows you to show up and shine online and nurture those relationships. Your relationships are essential in any business. Just think of the relationships online as the same as an in-person relationship. Once people begin to know, like, and trust you, they will want to do business with you and with you first and foremost. Not only does this establish you as a credible professional, but it will allow you to charge more for your services in the end.
SENIOR | FAMILY | TEENS | BRANDING
Shelly Niehaus Photography is a Boise, ID-based branding and headshot photographer. Shelly specializes in professional headshot photography, personal branding photography and lifestyle photography. Shelly serves the greater Treasure Valley area including Boise, Meridian, Eagle, and Nampa.
