What to expect at a branding session
Your branding session starts well below we ever take a picture. Before we can create something valuable for you, we need to first understand what you are offering and selling. You may think these are one and the same, but I find they can be very different and your offer is vital to selling.
I want you to think about how you go about searching online (or even in person.) It usually starts with a question, “ How do I ….?” Or “ Best ways to….” or “Where do I find XYZ?” You are searching for a solution, an answer. As brand owners, even though we are consumers ourselves, often forget to share about the problem we solve — we just hit folks with the product. We don’t position our product or service in contrast to the problem.
Your message has go to be the most important part of your branding session. We can create pretty images, we can make you look great in your professional headshot, we can nice product photos— but if these don’t connect with your message you many find them missing the mark.
Recently we created a stunning branding gallery for Wild Indigo, who is an aesthetician in Holton and Atchison Kansas. What she offers is trust and discretion and she sells facials, spray tans, and waxing ..to name a few. First and foremost we had to position her as welcoming and trusting and then show off her knowledge, services, and products. When people search for “Facial in Atchison” and they see these images… boom. She looks great and professional. People like seeing the faces of those they may hire… They also like to get an idea of what to expect. I see photos like these on her social media, on her “about me” page on her website, and even an FAQ section on her website.
The plan
She wanted to convey what she offered both as services and products as well as create some personal branding images to use on social media and her website. We started by looking at her website and social media to see what she liked, what she didn’t, and what she was missing. We landed on the concept that she provides, in many cases, a very intimate service and needed a way to provide education and interest. In some cases people are coming to deal with acne or embarrassing hair in other cases people just want to feel better about this skin. We had to create content that allowed her to talk about intimate topics in a modest way- and in a way that would not be shocking but informative. We created a list of what and who she needed to bring for her shoot and created an outline for the shots she needed.
We decided we need to “fake” some services. Bringing in models is really helpful when you offer a product/service and don’t want to interrupt. This also apply to gym classes, message, even hair cuts. To create the kind of content that will be most valuable to your brand we need to curate everything so it looks great and branded as well as we don’t want to just be flys on the wall. We need specific images that you couldn’t get at a real appointment. For example, during Wild Indio’s shoot I stood straddling the model on the message table to get the shot I wanted… obviously if that was a real appointment and I jumped up on the table it wouldn’t be acceptable.
Ironically one of our best ideas wasn’t pre planned- but because we knew we were creating a more modest approachedwe were able to see the idea. Before the session we purchased a purple, pink etc, bouquet to go the brand colors. As she was holding them in a super cute basket the idea just made sense- “ How do you tend your garden?” Again she works in very intimate areas and this was a modest way to talk about personal waxing. Not only does it give her a great way to talk about waxing, it also just looked great with everything else. Meaning that she can use those images in coordination with all of her other brand images.
Our goal was to create feminine and beautiful content to allow her to educated and connect with her audiences in Topeka, St. Joseph, Holton, and Atchison. We wanted to showcase her services and present her as a trusted (and fun) resource for personal questions. I think her images coordinate well with each other and she has lots of images to elevate her message! Anna was excellent to work with and I would 100% trust her.
The Reality about Brand Photos
While I would love to say that just having amazing brand photos is enough, it is just one part of your marketing plan. I am invested in my clients and what their images to take them to the next level. In order to do that their messaging and search optimization needs to be just as much (if not more) of a priority as social media. All of these tools and efforts are a part of your marketing funnel from introduction - to education- to trust builting - purchase.
Even though I am just the photographer— allow me to help see your brand from the outside and use me as a sound board for ways to solve your target audiences’ problems with solutions … and pretty pictures.
