The Importance of Branding...

I was just asked by a reader about branding and whether I think it's worth spending the money, and I say 100% yes. Branding is such a subconscious yet, important thing to consider if you want to have a business and make money. I spent 5 years as a graphic designer branding and creating identities for companies, and is actually what I went to school for. If you think about your business as any other business, then branding is huge. Think of Coke vs the generic cola brand at a store. Most people want a brand they can trust, and will pay more for that. That's why most people make the subconscious decision to purchase a can of Coke over genera. We buy into brands a lot of because of the visuals that they portray, with the extension of how the brand lives up to those visuals. That's why advertising is such a huge deal these days. Most people without a design or advertising background aren't trained to see visuals and breakdown, so it becomes subconscious to the untrained eye. I wrote a post on Lovemarks.com a little while back. A great website by Saatchi on how we rate certain brands and why we love them. Most small businesses (especially photographers) make the mistake of trying to do these things themselves with no formal training.

Perception is Reality.

Branding yourself is creating they other people perceive you, which becomes their reality. All you have to do is live up to that perception to make your brand successful. Deliver a product that in line with your brand. It's especially crucial in Commercial & Advertising photography since our clients are the ones creating those brands visually.

In consumer driven businesses like Wedding photography, it's extremely important as well. Us consumers choose brands that we love, that portray the things we want, personality, product, service, and a visual brand that tells us that's what we are going to get.

That said, the process of hiring the right designer/agency is very similar to the way an agency hires a photographer. Here are a few tips:

1. Make sure you're ready. Have you come to grasp with your visual style, what you like to shoot, how you like to shoot, what you WANT to shoo? Have you developed a plan to get there? This all plays into your brand.
2. Prepare yourself to spend enough money. Good designers/agencies from $3K-$10K for an identity design. It's a process, and good agencies will take you through the process asking you questions to find out who you are and how they can play those elements into your brand.
3. Do your research. Look at different designers/agencies that suit you. That will give you the style you want to represent your brand. Just like hiring a photographer, their portfolio says what they can do. You can see the quality of work from their portfolio.

Comments

[Christoph]

I think branding is a really interesting but by many people still underrated aspect.

I also enjoyed your book hint "the brand called you" a lot.. very informative..
read the other ones too : )

[nickonken]

Christoph, Branding is a very underrated concept, and it's hard to convey that to people that aren't formally educated in design and advertising. It is SO much of a subconscious thing that unless you're tuned into it you don't realize it's impact.

[Gary]

Nick
Thanks for pushing the branding idea here. Like yourself, I worked for many years as a graphic designer and art director - much of that time for a lifestyle apparel brand.

I think what a lot of people summarize as branding is not completely accurate. Most think it's their visual representation such as a logo and colors that match their letterhead and business cards. But it's far deeper than that. It's about looking at the industry you're in and understanding where you fit within it and then representing that in your marketing efforts. Branding transcends the visual styles and is part of the way you approach your business. It's the way you answer email, the way you speak to clients, the way you show up on set. Branding is you so it pays to spend some time thinking about how others see your brand.

Thanks again for the post and all the great info you share.

[Jamie]

Thanks Nick! Very helpful. I've always wondered how much to invest in myself on branding. Keep the inspiration coming.

[J.J.]

Great post Nick. I see this everywhere. Often, great photographers don't get the clients they want or could simply because they lack the understanding of branding and executing a sound marketing plan that coincides with it.

I find it quite interesting that you and many other formally trained "graphic designers" have turned towards photography and become even more successful than trained photographers. Jeremy Cowart comes to my mind right away. It has a lot to do with understanding or the drive to understand the business of photography and branding. As designers you've done it, so asking yourself those questions come commonplace. As I venture out on my own, I'm constantly realizing how important the business side is. Success seems to come moreso by what's happening on the business end. Don't get me wrong, you have to have a great product and take great images but you better have the branding/marketing end well executed or people won't know you or care to.