The most important thing you can do for your branding BEFORE you even think about your website.

Hey, guys! I want to chat with you about something that can propel your business and help you get noticed (and paid) –  whether you’re just starting out of well on your way. Today, let’s discuss how Photography, Perception and Pricing work together to create a strong brand story that helps make you money without having to defend your pricing.

Let’s talk photos. What is the number one investment (along with a professional design, of course) that you should make with for your business branding?

Professional photography.

I frequently have potential clients come to me ready to jump into a new site, new branding, new everything…but their photos are lacking or non-existent. If we don’t have great photos, it doesn’t matter how good all your branding looks – it will fall flat and you will be disappointed. In these cases, I advise clients to wait on the website investment and instead take that money and get great photos. If your images aren’t telling your audience WHO you are and WHAT you do in the way you to be perceived, your pricing will be the main casualty. If your prices are on the higher end, yet your photography looks like your cousin came over one day and took a few quick pics, your customers will have a hard time connecting their visual perception to the reality of your value. It’s like going to a casual place for lunch only to find they are charging white tablecloth, steakhouse prices. You don’t want to have to defend your pricing to customers. Beautiful photography helps you put it all out there and goes a long way in attracting the right type of person to your business – one who won’t hesitate to hire you and “gets you” from the beginning.

My number one piece of advice to business owners looking to rebrand? Focus on getting the right type of imagery for your brand before you focus on your website. I know, not what you usually hear from a web designer! Find a designer or photographer that will help you figure out the style and shot list first.

A couple of tips:

• always get a mix of layout orientations – with plenty of horizontals for your website.
• make sure to get plenty of “detail shots” to blend in to help tell your story. These could be shots of your desk, your favorite flowers, your tools, even your dog if it helps tell your audience more about you. You don’t just want a shot of you smiling directly into the camera on every page of your site. Detail shots help fill in the blanks.
• Find a photographer with the right style. Don’t just look for “headshots” or “business photographer,” branch out and connect with wedding, family and lifestyle photographers who shoot with natural light and focus on candid, non posed shots.
• Create a shot list: Write out a list of shots you MUST get. This not only helps your photographer understand what you want, it also helps you think through the shoot as a whole. A shot list is just a plan! Don’t get intimidated.
• Use some photos from your shoot on your IG feed to help create some consistency and connection.

Your website is like setting the stage for your pricing. Your work is stunning (and you are, too) so make sure to show it in the best light! A little time upfront makes a huge difference when your clients are hovering over that “contact” page.

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Exciting news!

We are offering a brand new service in 2018 to help you with this exact small business problem. Brand strategy, customer insight, and a super focused creative direction tailor-made for your business – all before you jump into that big design investment. Sounds good, right? Sign up here to be the first to know when we open the doors on this one. There will be limited availability per month. You can’t afford to miss it!

Designers: Are you wanting to put some strategy behind your design work? Tired of feeling like you have to follow trends and keep up with the pack? Join my email list just for designers and learn more about how I deliver beautiful design work that really connects with my clients.