how to build a brand for your photography business with Seattle photographer Neyssa Lee

How to Build a Brand for Your Photography Business

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I am Neyssa Lee a Seattle area photographer, mom of 6, planning obsessed, and who help you see the beauty, love and joy, in your own family’s chaos. I also use my super power of time management to help fellow photographers take control of their businesses. Learn more by heading to my ABOUT ME page.

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how to build a brand for your photography business with Seattle photographer Neyssa Lee

You have decided to turn your love of photography into a business. It doesn’t take long for you to discover that running a business is about more than clicking the shutter on your camera. There is so much more behind the scenes, like learning how to build a brand for your photography business.

Building a brand in business is not about picking the right colors or having the coolest logo. While those details may feel like the fun part, branding goes so much deeper.

So where do you even start?

Keep reading for the first steps on how to build a brand for your photography business. Walk away from this post with direction and focus to start creating a business, a brand, that helps you attract the right clients.

The first thing to remember in how to build a brand for your photography business is that it is about you, but also about them.

There are plenty of photographers out there, but each one has something unique to offer. YOU are what makes your business stand out, what you offer, your take, your vision, all matter. As you start to communicate those points you will help distinguish yourself.

However, there is a fine line between talking about yourself, helping someone get to know you and your business, and leaving them feeling like you are self-centered.

When communicating what you offer and how you are different you must relate it to your potential clients in a way that shows them what they gain from working with you. What’s in it for them? Why should they care?

With this somewhat contradictory truth in mind you can begin the work on the next step.

Clearly define your “why” so that you can communicate it everywhere.

This step can feel so easy to skip. What does it matter why I photography families (or weddings, or animals, or fill in the blank)? If I do my job well, who cares why I do it?

When people are hiring a photographer it is usually for a reason. They are solving a problem. But they are also putting themselves in a vulnerable spot. They want to connect with a photographer to ensure the best experience.

By communicating your why you will attract those that resonate, agree, and buy into your business more fully.

So why do you pick up your camera? What matters to you and your business? What is a deep rooted belief?

Bonus tip here: Play the Toddler Why Game. Ask yourself why are you a photographer? Answer that question and then ask why to that answer. And repeat until you get down to the root of your why. (This could take 7-10 times of asking yourself why)

For example. Why am I am family photographer? Because I love photography. Why do I love photography? I love that it can capture a moment in time beautifully. Why do you love that? Because my children are growing so quickly and I don’t want to forget about that. Why don’t you want to forget?

And so on.

The next part in how to build a brand is to define your ideal client or ICA.

As you are building a brand you will communicate why you are in business (as we just worked through above), but to take it a step further, you must consider your ideal client.

Who is your ideal client? What is their family like? What are their pain points? What are their values and beliefs? (Here’s a small hint, these should align with your why at least in part).

Understanding your ideal client will help you form content that speaks directly to them, which will attract them to working with you.

The next piece of how to build a brand is to connect, solve problems, and inspire through consistent communications with your copy and content across all platforms.

With your ICA and your why in mind start sharing consistently across social media, your website, newsletters, and client communications. Speak to those problems your ICA has and how you can help solve them. Connect on a deeper level, and inspire them. Your work is more than just a pretty picture, there is heart and soul behind it. Share it.

This is the root of how to build a brand for your photography business. As you start showing up and speaking with purpose and intention you will see your business attracting the right type of client.

Learn more about the benefits of building a brand, or head grab a free resource just for photographers.

I also highly recommend reading Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller. It is one business book I have read several times and refer to when I’m needing a refresher as I update my copy or branding. It will walk you through how to build a brand for businesses and how to think about branding differently.

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