Hello there, Sixth Bloom readers! I’m so excited to be chatting with you about online presence and personal branding today! First of all, I’m Morgan, the photographer, entrepreneur, and dog mom behind Morgan Anderson Photography. I still live in my hometown in southern Ohio, where I met my husband. We love to travel and make pancakes on Saturdays. I have been a wedding photographer for three years now and I love what I do! I JUST rebranded my entire business last month, so this topic is close to my heart and fresh in my mind! Let’s begin!
Personal branding seems to get more popular each day, and it’s for good reason. A personal brand is all about YOU! It’s how people see you and how they would describe you to a stranger. A personal brand allows you to tell your clients exactly how to think of you. In today’s digital age, that is HUGE! A personal brand is the biggest and baddest tool you can use to set your business apart from the hundred of others that are just like yours. I know what you’re thinking…I offer a unique experience to my clients…I’m the only one who takes __ portraits…My website is/isn’t trendy, and that’s why my clients are drawn to me…
Having a personal brand is so powerful when it reflects your passions and values. In a world where we have free marketing literally at our fingertips everyday, we need to learn how to leverage it and make it work to our advantage!
The Benefits
There are SO many benefits to having a personal brand for your business, but I am going to list the three that I think are most important.
- Immediate Recognition – Having a photo of yourself on every page of your website and all over your social media is an awesome way for your clients to know exactly who you are and what you look like. As human beings, we long for relationships and connections. I am more likely to follow a business page that has a photo of you vs. your logo. I see your photo and think “Oh wow, he/she’s a real person, just like me. I want to follow their journey.”
- Attracts and Repels – This is another big one. Hopefully just from these few paragraphs, you can tell I’m a loud southern Ohio girl who loves pancakes and puppies. I like to use exclamation points (I struggle ending sentences with a period), I’m a little long winded, and when there is something I really want you to get, I’m not afraid to use CAPS LOCK. I’m sure if you’re reading this you’re either loving my bubbly personality, or you’re wishing I would get to the good stuff. That’s what I want. I want my IDEAL CLIENT to be drawn to me like a magnet, and clients who would be better suited elsewhere, to do exactly that, and find a photographer that will serve them well.
- Collaboration is Made Easier – Vendors that have your back as a photographer is huge! It has been my goal to start reaching out to vendors in my area that I haven’t met yet. I want to network and connect with them. When I send them an email with my blog link, hopefully they visit and know right away if I would be a good photographer for their type of client or not. Weed out the bad and good so we can make room for the BEST fit.
I hope this post leaves you empowered to go out and make some changes in your business! I know it’s a scary thing, but it will be so worth it! Here are a few things you can do RIGHT NOW to start implementing a personal brand into your business:
- Change every social media profile to a photo of yourself! Even better if it is the same photo, or at least the same outfit across the board! Also, add a headshot to the home page of your website and the about page!
- Have an enticing bio and about page that says nothing about photography. Try it for a few weeks and see if people connect with it.
- Find your ideal client and audience, and market only to them!
- Start a Newsletter! I JUST did this, and it’s scary but exciting! Get those active followers hooked on your work and who you are!
- Find one vendor or photographer in your area and offer to take them out for lunch or coffee! Making personal connections is HUGE for your business’s success!
Until next time!
Guest Blogger: Morgan Anderson
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