Making branding mistakes can happen. Whether you are just starting out in wedding photography or a seasoned pro. You may be more educated on what a solid business brand should look like because you are inundated with high end brands that are trying not to make branding mistakes. And as such, you may have a much more critical eye and expect a higher level of experience. Starbucks will always redo a bad drink. Victoria’s Secret will wrap your purchases like a birthday gift. Apple will forever be dedicated to a sleek and sophisticated electronic look. You need to find ways to brand your business like these companies do.
Branding (and avoiding Branding Mistakes) is about the overall customer experience, which has so many places to excel and places to improve. Want more tips for improving branding? Check this blog post out here!
5 Branding Mistakes in Wedding Photography & How to Fix Them
When you think about your photography branding, If your brand message is confusing or misleading, you may miss out on clients who are ideal for your business. Often, branding mistakes occur unintentionally, and since making adjustments in your business can take time, it is likely you haven’t had the opportunity to fix the issue.
So here are five common branding mistakes photographers make and the quick ways to fix them.
1. Make Sure You Have Branded Headshots
An ideal client would visit your About Page after having seen your homepage. If you share an image of yourself which does not represent your brand, how can clients know you will create stunning photos from the wedding day? Your headshot is vital to your brand, so take the time to create one with the perfect lighting, posing, and representation of your personality. Having both the professional and personality elements on your About Page is crucial to showing who you are as a person and a photographer.
2. Keep Your Writing Consistent
In addition to featuring the best photos on your Homepage, are you adding text to enhance the experience? If you are only featuring photos on your Homepage and nothing else, how can ideal clients know your brand is different than others?
You can show where your work has been published, as those brands help influence your own. Plus, add in your photography business logo so they keep your unique style in mind.
3. Good Design Matters
Hiring a professional designer who can create a specific and branded design for your business is recommended and is one way to avoid making Branding Mistakes. If you do not have the budget to hire a professional designer, you can use websites such as 99Designs and Creative Market to get you started.
4. Manage Conflict Professionally
As a wedding photographer, you work with various people. You may run into conflict with people during this process. Avoid posting about conflicts with clients on any platform, especially social media. You can control the way the conversation goes over the phone, rather than risking a misinterpretation of an email or text. It also shows your clients how invested you are in solving the conflict, and acting in a professional manner which reflects your brand.
5. Do Not Showcase Multiple Specialities
Finding your specialty is crucial to attracting and booking ideal clients. Having a confusing brand is one branding mistake to avoid. We know, as a photographer, you may enjoy shooting other areas outside of wedding photography, but if you share multiple types of photography on your website you may cause confusion for clients searching for a wedding photographer.
Quick tip: If wedding photography is your specialty, but you love shooting newborn portraits, create a separate website for each of your specialties.
Create Branding that Stays True to You
Branding is a continuous task that evolves as your company grows. There are endless ways to brand your business. It can be seen in the type of post-it notes you use or the billboard space you just rented. Just be you. Start with you, end with you, and be true to you everywhere in between.
So if you’re making any of these 5 branding mistakes in your photography business, hopefully we’ve given you solutions to get your branding back on track. Next week, we’ll be back with another blog on marketing and branding your wedding photography business. Until then read and apply our tips to brand your business and stand out in the crowd.
Check out our Part 2 of Branding Tips here!
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