Intro by Skip Cohen
Lori Nordstrom and I have been friends for a whole lot of years. That friendship came out of the respect I have for her understanding of business, marketing and her ability to continuously give back to the photographic community!
I found this post in her archives and I love the approach. Think about it for just a second. If you can describe yourself and your attitude about life, those same words should extend into your marketing material and presence in your community. They should extend into virtually everything you do and can help build your brand and reputation.
But it’s the process of describing yourself I enjoy the most. We all want to be perceived in the right light, but our identities often get buried under the daily baggage of being a business owner, parent, spouse and friend. We literally forget who we are, want to be or hope to be.
So, after you’ve read this post, take a few minutes and find yourself a place where you can be without interruption and then find 3-5 words that best describe you. Then, follow Lori’s last suggestion!
by Lori Nordstrom
Do you describe yourself as outrageous and bold? Are you fun and happy and make the people around you happy? Do you tend to be silly with the children in your studio? Do you laugh out loud and scream when you are excited?
I can imagine your photography might be colorful and saturated, with kids running and jumping. Posing or telling them to stay still is not for you! You encourage kids to laugh and even make faces! When you photograph families you ask them to play together, sometimes even photographing kids at the park or on the playground.
In your marketing, use the same bold colors and use a fun font. Your logo should be bright and cheery. Use words like “let’s play” or “smile pretty”. Explain to parents what a fun time their child will have and ask them to make sure to prepare the children with that expectation.
Give the parents specific cues like, “Tell them that you’re going to meet a new friend and have a great time together”. Make it clear that you will let them be themselves and will capture all of those happy moments with your photographs. Help parents catch your fun style by sharing with them testimonials from moms whose kids didn’t want to leave or who beg to have you take their picture again.
Perhaps you are soft-spoken and sweet and genuinely care about the people you meet. You’re a good listener and enjoy learning about the relationships within a family. Do you love to snuggle and smell babies and listen to the precious sounds they make? Do you choose understated clothing? Maybe you are introspective and insightful.
I would imagine your images to be soft colors, or black and white. The eyes make the statement in the images — you seem to see right into the very soul of a child. Mothers trust you easily and never hesitate to hand you their baby and allow you to leave their sight when photographing their child.When photographing families, you ask them to lean in, to whisper to each other, or to think about all of the reasons they love one another. For you, your subject doesn’t even need to be smiling to speak words and emotions to the viewer.
Your marketing may talk about cherishing each moment, remembering the love. You may talk to clients about the uniqueness that you have of making new mommies feel very comfortable. Use testimonials from mothers who trust you and feel nurtured after spending time with you.
Drawing from what you discover about yourself, remember to be true to your personality in all aspects of your business right down to the fonts you use in brochures and the sign outside your business. Be thoughtful and deliberate in all that you do in presenting yourself to the public because in every way that you announce yourself to people you are telling them about your photography.
Think about who you are 3-5 words that describe you
Get descriptive about the way you interact with people.
How can you market that?
