Understanding the branding process – Podcast Highlights

I spoke with Ingvild Kolnes, a photographer’s coach and host of the Sustainable Photography Podcast, about all things branding and understanding the branding process and how to navigate it.

Ingvild and I have worked together on several brand projects, including Inese Photography and Perla Photography. We talk about the branding process I follow to create standout brands that feel completely unique and authentic to each person.

Here are some highlights of the conversation, and you can find the full episode below:

Why you need a brand

First impressions matter because consumers make split-second judgments about our abilities, credibility, value and expertise.

Often, we think if we’re good at what we do, people will automatically know and understand that. So when it comes to self-promotion, we don’t always put our best foot forward, we think it’s a given that people with just “get us” and that’s wrong. It takes a huge amount of intention to get that message across effectively.

We do ourselves a disservice when we don’t show the world how brilliant we are. When you craft a brand based on your expertise, skills, experience and personality, you make it easier for people to quickly see your value and the right clients to find you.

Brand “you” is the best brand you can build

This speaks to the heart of what I do at Be More You. Being more you in your brand is the key to building an authentic and aligned brand. If you try and fit yourself into the box of what you think you should look like, you run the risk of becoming generic and fading into the background. When you build a brand that reflects who you are, it feels authentic and stands out.

I use the example of Inese at Inese Photography, who blossomed when she expressed her extrovert and fun-loving side and embraced the fun style of photography she loved.

The challenge of creating brands in your style – not mine

Part of my design ethos is creating a brand that perfectly fits and reflects the style of the person I’m designing for rather than applying my own design aesthetic to everything I do.

Make sure that your brand style reflects you, because if you create a brand that makes you look exactly like your competition, you run the risk of becoming generic and you’re not giving your customers a reason to choose you.

Don’t assume that someone is going to go through your whole portfolio, testimonials, or website and uncover your value for themselves. You have to show them!

Aligning your brand to your goals

It’s really important to think about your goals while considering your brand style as well because these may impact the experience you need to deliver – I give the example of wanting to be a luxury wedding photographer and the expectations that come along with that.

• Who you are
• Your goals
• Who are your clients and what’s important to them
• Your values – what’s important to you

An example of this can be seen in the nature-inspired bohemian brand we built for Henriette, at Perla Photography who specialises in outdoor elopement photography in Norway. We also included some bold colours to complement her muted colour palette that she could use when promoting her editorial and brand work. (Brand & Web Direction: Be More You, Web Design Ingvild Kolnes)

Branding as a sustainable business practice

Branding might not be the first thing you think about when you think of building a sustainable business, but dialing into your brand can save you time and energy in the long run. When you are clear about your brand, your voice, your style, your creative choices you can create templates so you’re not reinventing the wheel trying to tweak your welcome packs to appeal to different clients constantly.

And when you elevate your brand and put your best foot forward, you can price accordingly and charge for the quality work you’re delivering.

Can having a brand make you more confident?

Having a professional brand that reflects your skills, strengths, and unique value can be hugely confidence-boosting. When your brand reflects the highest version of who you are, you won’t feel like you constantly have to justify your value.

Confidence seems to be a natural by-product of going through the brand process, digging into what makes you different and valuable.

Finding your unique brand style as a photographer/creative?

Finding their unique brand style is a challenge encountered by many wedding photographers. As creatives, they are used to looking outwards at the market and their competition and it can create pressure to be and look like everyone else. In the podcast, I share steps that creatives can take to find their unique brand style:

• Start with building a brand strategy and a deep dive into who you are.
• Ask someone to give you feedback on your portfolio – what does your photography say to them about your style?
• What personality traits could you lean into that support that?
• Lean into your strengths
• Decide what parts of you you’ll bring into your brand and what doesn’t make sense to talk about

Once you have these foundations, you can start making brand decisions based on this knowledge.

The role of Storytelling in branding

The story you build around your brand is crucial for setting expectations and helping customers understand what they’ll get from you. Storytelling can also help you attract the right clients, it’s a way to educate, inspire and differentiate ourselves from the competition.

Storytelling is an opportunity for connection with your audience and clients. Your storytelling says – This is who I am, this is what I’m about, these are my values, this is what’s important to me and what you can expect from me.

People are buying the experience so you need to sell them the dream. The trick is to use your story to set the expectation for the minimum that somebody can expect from you and then constantly exceed that.

When to invest in branding?

When it comes to deciding when to invest in branding, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. For the people who have a really clear sense of who they are, and who they are trying to reach or serve, it makes sense for them to dive in and invest in their branding as early as possible.

For people who really haven’t found their niche, ideal audience or specialism yet, it makes more sense to keep the branding a bit more general and evolve over time.

When you have a professional, cohesive, aligned brand, it helps you to raise your prices and position yourself as an expert or experienced professional. If your brand looks like a home-made DIY brand, people are less likely to pay a premium for your services.

If you find that people aren’t choosing you or are consistently choosing less talented or experienced competitors over you, that’s the time to elevate your brand!

Ready to elevate your brand?

If you’re prepared to develop a high-converting, authentically aligned brand and website that genuinely represents your expertise and resonates with your ideal audience, I’m here to help. My comprehensive branding and web design services are tailored specifically for professionals like you.

Not sure where to start? Let’s have a conversation about your unique needs and how we can transform your brand and online presence. Book a no-obligation discovery call with me.