The term ‘personal branding’ is a new and shiny buzz-word in the modern marketing sphere - but because of this relative youthfulness, it leaves a lot of people wondering what it is, exactly.
Luckily for all of us, it’s pretty self explanatory, and we can break it down for you right here!
Whether you’re a one-man show or a thriving, fully-staffed business, your personal branding tells the world (or, more specifically, your client base) exactly who YOU are - it’s a way of sharing your core values, attitudes, personality, and ethics, as well as telling everyone exactly how you differ from your competitors.
A personal branding shoot, by extension, adds a visual element to all of this. Here are five reasons why a personal branding shoot is essential when it comes to standing out in a crowded marketplace!
1. Authenticity
In a world saturated with impersonal cookie-cutter marketing and one-size-fits-all advertising, people (now more than ever) crave authenticity.
They want something that speaks to them on a personal level; that addresses a particular problem they have and says, “Hey, we see you - we can fix that for you.” Your target audience wants to connect with you. They want to see your personality and all the things that make you unique.
A personal branding shoot is the perfect way to introduce yourself (or your team) to your audience in a way that shows your authenticity and human-ness. It lets you scream from the rooftops, hey, I’m not a bot! I’m a real person just like you!
2. Connection
Authenticity causes a cool little chain reaction within your audience, and it’s called connection. We form connections with things that we personally relate to, or that speak to us on some level.
By taking that leap and showing your true, authentic self to your target market, you’re inviting them to form a personal connection with you.
We are visual creatures by nature. A personal branding shoot is the perfect way to give people a visual connection to you, as well as an emotional one. If someone is already invested in your content, putting a face to your online personality is a sure-fire way to deepen that connection and build a stronger relationship with your audience.
3. Aesthetic
Your aesthetic is another integral part of your brand identity. Like we’ve already mentioned, we have become an increasingly visual society and as such, recognisable aesthetic choices form a cornerstone of your personal branding. This could come through in the colour palettes and design of the clothing you wear, your online infographics and website design, and even your product packaging.
A personal branding shoot allows you to solidify your brand’s unique aesthetic choices through styling, artistic direction, and even the inclusion of some of your products and marketing collateral.
The benefits of this? Your brand becomes instantly recognisable through its association with certain colours, the styling of your clothes and, most importantly, your face!
4. Content
Personal branding sessions are also a great way to get a big variety of images for your various social media platforms. Personally, we love a good-looking social media feed with high-quality images that follow a consistent look and feel - and we know your audience does, too.
A well put-together feed inspires trust in your brand, and lets people know that you’re a serious business who takes pride in your online appearance.
It also gives you a chance to show off some really snazzy lifestyle photographs of your products and services, to let your audience know exactly what you do and how you do it!
5. Trust
We mentioned trust in the previous point, but it’s so important that we thought we should mention it again for good measure. We think we can speak for most people when we say that we tend to trust what we see more than what we hear through the grapevine.
The same goes for building trust in your brand - if your potential customer base can see what you’re offering and who is offering it, they’re more likely to put their faith in you.
Think of it this way - you wouldn’t buy a second-hand car you’d never seen before, would you? We can guess that the answer is a firm no. You’d want to see it in person to scrutinise every scratch and dent, get a good look at the state of the upholstery, and have a peek at the goings on under the hood.
It’s very much the same when a potential customer is checking out your brand or business for the first time. They want to have a look at the nitty gritty; at the nuts and bolts of the operation and figure out if it’s something they’re willing to invest their hard-earned money into.
By investing your own time and money into some good personal branding, you’re not only jazzing up your business’ appearance - you’re also giving customers peace of mind by allowing them a sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes of what you do. Personal branding shows your customers exactly where their favourite products and services come from, as well as who makes and distributes them.
Are you interested in giving your brand a leg-up on the competition with a personal branding shoot? We would love to help you!
Here are some super blog posts that tell you everything you need to know about prepping for and getting the most out of your personal branding sessions:
How To Get The Most Out Of Your Personal Branding Session:
How I Prep For My Personal Branding Sessions:
And did you know that we have a fabulous studio space all of our own called Fynn? It’s the perfect spot for your next personal branding session - it’s fun, bright, fresh, and secure (and comes with free coffee!).
(The cherry on top is that existing RDP clients get a 50% discount on bookings at our studio!)
We can’t think of a single downside to booking a personal branding session right away - we’re ready and waiting!
Get in touch today to organise a booking: hello@robyndavie.com
All photos in this post were taken by the Robyn Davie Creative Studio photographic team.
All photos and content are copyrighted to Robyn Davie Creative Studio.