Photographers branding and attracting your ideal clients!

We all have heard it said many times. You need a brand and without a rock solid one, you will not get your ideal clients. But today I wanted to share with you why you need it and just how it works to book your ideal clients!

A brand is how your clients and or audience “see and feel” about your company. It’s a process using a combination of research, soul searching and truly digging deep into how you want your brand to appeal to others. When people shop or look for services they do so based on a number of things. Usually first is word of mouth.  You know, you ask a friend hey who do you know or use as a mechanic. Then your friend gives you who they use and you just don’t even bat an eye right. You just use that mechanic.

If we don’t have a recommendation from a trusting friend or relative then we got to find our own.  So we shop based on feelings. Weird right? Our feelings are what make us buy a product or book services. So we have to find a way to emotionally connect with our ideal clients.

I specialize in branding for photographers and I know the field very well since I started my design career first as a photographer. And as you know, the market is flooded with photographers. And you may even be really struggling with getting clients. I have seen so many Facebook posts about the “new” photographer in town charging $50.00 – $100.00 a session and a lot of photographers are wondering how to compete with that.

You can’t and shouldn’t, and are not competing with them. Truth be told we all started somewhere. And I grantee the new photographers are connecting with clients who do not value photography but rather those who just want some images to have memories.  If you want clients who value your work, time, talent, personal social skills, ext… Then you need to look at your brand. Does your current brand look seamless? Do you have the same logo, font, and colors on your website, and social media accounts? What about your welcome guide and client onboarding system? Does your brand attract the right clients? What feeling does your brand give?

Let’s have a look at my own brand. These images are all pieces of my brand and or pieces of my work. My brand is Brand Me Gorgeous. My ideal clients are those that are attracted to gorgeous, girly, and dreamy, designs. I attract women business owners who are dreamers and need guidance and help in achieving those dreams. Before I had a strong brand I wasn’t attracting clients. I only received work through word of mouth.

Oh and then there is branding yourself. Have you ever bought a logo on Etsy and loved it? Then a month later saw something else you love and bought that one? I too was so guilty. Branding myself was the worst headache I have ever had to deal with. As a designer, there are so many styles I love and can do. But I needed to narrow down even farther than that.  I needed a brand that told my dream story and who I am and what I do to my audience. You can absolutely brand yourself. It is possible but you have to dig deep and really think about your business and services or products. You need to know what clients you’re looking for.

The design field is just as flooded as the photographer field and photographers have one up on us. You can use SEO to your advantage in terms of location. You’re usually only competing within your area (unless you’re a traveling photographer) whereas we designers are working all over the world.  I know branding works because it is working for me and the clients who come to me needing a sold brand.