Photography Business Branding Basics

I’m delighted to have my friend Amy from Photo Business Tools share a post today on Photography Business Branding Basics. She knows her stuff! Amy approached me a while back about c0-authoring a photography business book, and we’ve been working on it feverishly to get it finished to benefit those of you that are starting a photography business. So exciting! Stay tuned in the next month for more info. Take it away, Amy!

Branding Basics

Branding yourself is a vital part of every photographer’s business. It represents your entire business from your style of shooting to your pricing to your customer service all with one visual symbol. Having consistency within the way your brand yourself can show you’re a true professional. However, if your brand is confusing, the customer may be less than impressed and move on to another photographer.

Here are a couple of basic tips for photographers that will help them create a brand that is consistent, impressive and professional.

Choose to be timeless. One of the biggest mistakes that I see with newer photography businesses is that they choose a logo that is very trendy. I made this same mistake when I got started. I started out with a cute trendy logo and 18 months down the road it was already out of style. In addition, I had outgrown the logo with my own shooting style and my first logo now seemed amateur for me. I decided to “grow up” and chose a design with my name that was simple and clean and non-trendy. The new logo can now last for years to come without having to re-brand.
Make sure it fits your style of photography. As I have mentored many beginner photographers, I’ve seen some superb branding and some crazy branding. Your brand/logo need to match your style of photography so that the potential client will immediately know about you. Here’s an example. If you are a senior high school photographer that shoots mostly high fashion, then your design might include lots of color and the use of modern fonts. If you are a high school senior photographer that shoots mostly vintage, then your design have an aged look with muted colors.
Delegate the design unless you’re a designer. First impressions count in branding too. If you have a ‘homemade’ design as a beginning photographer, it will be one of the things that holds you back from collecting professional fees for your services. For a minimal fee, you can purchase a professional logo and branding package from many companies that cater to photographers. These expert designs will give your potential clients the right impression so that you are taken seriously as a photographer.
Get it everywhere. Getting your brand visible in as many places as possible will boost your company. Be sure that your logo and colors are used in all of the following places:

Website
Blog
Social media sites
Business cards
Stationary
Email signature
Watermark
Favicon – (the little guy next to your URL)
Packaging
All marketing materials

In addition to getting your logo on everything that leaves your office, it’s great for marketing to have your brand/logo be noticed all over town. Seeing your logo in different places gives your potential clients the impression that you are “the photographer” in town to work with. This also gives you a leg up on the competition. Partner with local businesses and events to start getting local recognition and boost your reputation.

Here are a few timeless logo examples: