As a Boise Branding Photographer, I have learned there are three key components every client needs to infuse into their brand. Values, Vision, and Passion. They are the components of The Brand Equation and what will set you apart from your competition. My eight years as a branding photographer and growing my own personal brand have taught me some valuable lessons about each of these components.
When I was starting up as a brand photographer, I had no idea how to market my business. I was absolutely terrified about how to show up and present myself and my work authentically online. All of the marketing coaches kept telling me to show up authentically and be myself, but the thought of that was overwhelming. I had no idea where to start! The concept of putting myself out there was scary, and overwhelming, and it seemed to be self-promoting.
I hope that going through a simple exercise of The Brand Equation today will help you overcome some of the pitfalls I faced. I, unfortunately, did not learn this concept until years later.
The brand new question is a simple formula that enables you to define your personal brand and infuse your personality into your business. The three components of the brand equation are values, vision, and passion or B = V + V + P
If you take some time to sit down and do a deep dive into each of these areas of your brand, it will help you start to shape your message and define your voice. Your voice allows you to show up authentically online and in-person.
1. Vision
Your vision is a unique way that you see the world. Your ideas are unique because you have your history, your journey, and your individual experiences that have shaped your perspective and how you view the world.
As a Boise branding photographer expert, I have been in many classes where 10 to 30 different photographers will photograph the same subject and scene with the same camera and the same lenses. And you know what? Every photographer’s image looked different from all the others. Every. Single. Time. It’s because your vision shapes your view of the world and the choices that you make.
This will make you; this will make what you have to say different from everyone else. So how do you start to share your vision and your personal brand? Start with your three business goals and then expand the three personal goals, infuse these into your message and content and share the details that you are comfortable sharing with your audience, the who, the what the, when the, where, and the why of these goals is a great place to start crafting and the finding your personal brand—number two values.
2. Values
The second step to defining your personal brand and creating your message is to infuse your values into your brand messaging and content; sharing your values allows your audience and future clients to connect with you on a very personal level. And they start to develop that emotional trust factor. This is the platform or place to infuse your personal and professional values. But who needs a personal brand? Before we dive into the important equation, check if your business suits you best with personal branding.
A few important questions to brainstorm or think through are one, what qualities are essential. As a person and as a business owner, what three brands or companies do you resonate with? Why are you attracted to them? This helps you begin to uncover some of the qualities that you value as a business owner or a Boise branding photographer like me.
3. Passion
The third part of the equation is your passion! Think of what keywords you use to describe your brand, use common adjectives or phrases you use to describe your business? If you’re struggling, a great place to start is Google reviews or testimonials that clients have given you the past three passions. This is the fun element, in my opinion, because you get to infuse your personality into your brand. You’ve heard me right before that; writing your story is the first part of my branding session process. I hope that personal branding clients have spent some time thinking through their brand equation’s first two elements.
Before we meet, my job as a branding photographer is to show your personality by displaying your passions. When thinking through this element of the brand equation, ask yourself the following one. How do you define your style, your personal style, your business style, etc.? Think of three style icons that you really admire and what attracts you to their sense of style.
Now look at your own life and see if you have incorporated elements of these style icons into your own personal day to day life, to what aspects of your style do you want to communicate and incorporate into your brand three? What elements of your work do you like to share with your audience? Make a list and keep it handy because this will help us as we storyboard your branding session four. What elements of your personal life do you want to share with your audience?
How do you want your audience to feel?
Again, make a list as these are essential things to consider when storyboarding and planning your branding photography. Finally, after thinking through the three elements of the brand equation, ask yourself this big question. How do you want your audience to feel? What impression do you want to leave your clients with and your audience? How do you want them to feel after visiting your website, talking to you, or working with you? Your answer to this question will be eye-opening on how you should present yourself in a visual, verbal, verbal, and written format.
I know I’ve given you a lot of things today. I’ve done a considerable brain dump on my branding equation and branding session journey. In the coming weeks, I will work through each of these steps with you, um, of the brand equation and show you how this played out in my brand.
That’s a wrap for this week! I am so grateful that you have stopped by my little corner of the internet to learn more about personal branding. Have we connected on social media yet? If not, what are you waiting for? You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. I would love to connect with you and know more about you as well! I hope you will send me a DM so we can continue the conversion offline!
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.
