5 Tips for the Brand Conscious Photographer-- from DigiLabs
digital photographer
image © Roger Schultz (creative commons)
The DigiLabs blog recently featured an essay on branding, which was filled with thoughtful tips for maximizing your "brand" as a photographer. They talked about being consistent, being visible, telling your story, minding your reputation and advertising. My favorite tips are below. Click here to see the whole story by DigiLabs.
Be Consistent: ...Since for most photographers, their website is their branding environment---take care of it. Make sure your website reflects recent work and communicates to the client that you are most likely to appeal to. While design is very important for visual appeal, make sure your copy, user interface and navigation, load times, and links convey your brand and message. Also make sure that your website and anything linked to it (shopping cart, slideshows, blog) maintain an easy and consistent user experience, this way, you will impress instead of overwhelm visitors.
What is Your Story? With 120,000 new photographers entering the market last year, you need to have a unique story. People love stories. They are interesting, engaging, and easy to remember and associate a brand with. People especially like Cinderella story. For example, Apple started from 2 determined people in a garage and today is a leader in technology and design. This story makes us feel inspired. Tell your client a story which is consistent with your message and represents your brand. Are you an artist? A sucker for love? A family man? A mother of three? A commercial photographer? Are you a photojournalist? A fashion photographer? Who you are will help you set yourself apart from the others and build your brand.