When you are running your business, there are a million things to do doing to get started/ keep going/ stay focused on finding clients and bringing in the money.
But, don't forget the basics!
Creating a solid visual identity will ensure that you look professional, it enables your audience to get a feel for who you are and what your business can offer them quickly and simply.
What is a visual identity?
There are 3 main elements to your business visual identity and these 3 parts all work in conjunction with each other, so you really need all of these:
Logo
Website
Brand Photography
Using your brand colours, your business model, your core values and personality, these three elements will help tell your audience exactly who you are and if you are right for them.
LOGO
Your logo will be smart and simple. It will use your brand colours and suggest simply and clearly what your business does. Adding a dash of your personality in there too is nice and can be effective.
WEBSITE
Without a clean, easy to navigate and informative website you will lose potential customers. No-one wants to have work hard to get the information they want from a website so think carefully about your navigation and where you want to lead your customers to.
BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY
Brand photographs are going to be your bread and butter. They are vital in adding personality to your website and creating an atmosphere and ambience that showcases your business to all your visitors.
They are also going to be an invaluable catalogue of images that you can use throughout all your online marketing; social media, newsletters, flyers and other forms of advertising.
Honestly, and I'm not just saying this but visual images are vital to your business!
What images do I need for my visual identity?
You need a variety of images, that with creative planning can be fun to capture and tick many boxes for content usage.
The top Brand Photography image you will need are:
Personality portraits (not just old fashioned headshots!)
In action shots (showing you doing what you love to do)
Ambience shots (images that create a feeling)
Flat lays/ content shots (collection of items that tell your story/ personalised images that can be used with graphics)
Product shots (if selling physical products)
How can I create these images?
Here are some questions, I ask my branding clients to get them started in planning their Brand Photography. Remember, you want to create personal brand photographs that truly show who you are and your passion for your business.
Planning for a photoshoot (professional or not) can be daunting, especially you are not keen to be in front of the camera! But, as many a business mentor/ coach will tell you... if it's your business, you need to get out there and shout about it and the way to do that is through photos. The more planning you do ahead the better the results will be!
Start by asking yourself the following questions:
What do you want to tell your audience?
What are your brand colours? How can we bring these into your shoot?
What’s your look and feel? Example: Are you serious and masculine in your approach or light hearted and feminine?
How will you work with clients (in person/ remotely/ classes/ retail outlet etc) and how can we portray this in your images?
What locations help inform your clients about your business - do you have a place they can come to? or do you create in a workshop?
How do you want to be seen by your audience?
How do you want your audience to feel when they see your content?
What props or actions can help create the content you need? Notebooks/ Journals/ Cups of coffee/ working from sofa, walks in nature etc
Do your clients want to relate to you personally? If so, how can we bring hobbies, how you relax, family life in?
It is worth investing in professionals to help me with my visual identity?
There are heaps of guides/ YouTube videos/templates/ tutorials out there so, of course, it's possible to do of this yourself but I would highly recommend bringing in professionals to help you.
Professionals can offer something that a tutorial cannot and thats personalising their expertise, guidance and advice. They will get to know you and your business and create things that fit you perfectly, plus, it can take away the daunting task of trying to tackle areas that you are your expertise and allow you to be focusing on doing what you do best.
Investing in your business is hard and scary, especially when you are just starting out.
But, by investing with the right people at the beginning, you can save a lot of energy and expense.
Why waste your precious time making things that are not quite right, or re-doing tasks which impacts your consistency - note: very bad for business!
Using people who are brilliant at what they do, will not only help you in the short term but also build up connections locally so you never know when business will come back to you!
Personal Brand Photography with Me
My job is to help you create a catalogue of photographs that will help propel your business forward. My style of brand photography is very relaxed and my aim is to create storytelling images that speak clearly your brand message to your audience.
My passion is to take photographs that you will be proud to show and to empower you to overcome any self image fears by letting your passion and enthusiasm for what you do shine through.
I am sensitive to your worries and am on hand throughout the process. Together, we will make a great team, I promise!
If you are interested in a brand shoot with me then please reach out to me here. I am more than happy to jump on a call to discuss your hopes, dreams and business!
You can learn more about me here... I also have a unique personal brand photography subscription package 'Brands Lens' too, so check out the details!
Final Top Tips from me:
Show up as yourself
Be comfortable in your clothes
Allow your passion for your business to show
Smile!
Looking to build a team to create your brand identity?
Investing, trusting and employing people to create for you takes confidence and there is nothing better than word of mouth or personal recommendations.
I have had the pleasure of working with some great people so here are a few who are local to our area in 64 France who can help build your your brand identity... together you will make a great team!
Logo design
Elodie - A graphic designer based near Pau. A fabulous and talented creative who is genuinely lovely to work with and whom designs beautiful graphics!
Website design
Marion Jicoulat - A web designer who creates beautifully stylish and smooth sites that embody the clients that she works with. A wonderful lady to work with and you can have confidence that she will create a top class website for you. Based in Sauveterre de Béarn.
Business Coach
Sometimes we need little help and guidance to push us forward in our businesses and having worked with both these ladies I can guarantee they will be a great guide for you.
Zoé Pitorre
Zoé is a French entrepreneur helping other females blaze ahead in business. She will help guide you to success with helpful business strategies. A beautiful soul based near Navarrenx, Béarn.
Suzanne Acteson
A Canadian bilingual business coach based in Salies de Béarn, who specialises in aligning your feminine energies and cycles into your business strategy and approach. A game changer in so many ways and an inspiring woman who has seemingly never ending ideas for each of her clients!