Personal Brands

In today's climate, it is very important to have a personal brand. For some of us, this is tied directly to our business brand, and for others it isn't. Either way, it is important. It will make you memorable to the people that meet you, and networking is very key no matter what you do for a living, but especially for photographers.

I was recently reminded again how important it is for us to step outside of the box, outside of our usual social circle. Do you really want to do what every other photographer is doing? At that point, what sets you apart?

Some great resources out there that can help you define your personal brand, and possibly even rebrand yourself if necessary:

• CC Chapman's Managing the Gray podcast on Origins and Self-Brands



• Really, ANYTHING that CC Chapman talks about on his Managing the Gray podcast. I'm putting several on my iPhone so I can catch up and listen to them whenever I have a chance



• Free eBook - The NXT Big Thing on Personal Branding for Technology Professionals (Don't let the title throw you off - it really applies to everyone.)



• When I'm all done with catching up on Managing the Gray, I'm also going to check out CC's other podcast, a group podcast with some really amazing people, Media Hacks

If you don't know CC Chapman, I suggest that you learn more about him. I've had the honor of knowing him for years thanks to my personal blog, and I regret that we haven't met in person on my trips to Boston or his trips to SXSW. I'm convinced 2009 is the year it will happen! If you like music, his Accident Hash podcast is fantastic, his day job is in the marketing and advertising world, he is (of course) on Twitter as cc_chapman, and he has been making independent films for Random Foo for over 10 years. On top of all that, he is a rather serious photography enthusiast! Like I said, a pretty amazing guy. Hopefully, some of his bits of wisdom will help you sort out your own personal brand!

Christine Tremoulet is a Houston, Texas Hot Mama Boudoir photographer and wants you to have a Business of Awesome. She also runs Wholly Matrimony, a destination wedding blog. She is a creative geek, having blogged since 2000 at BigPinkCookie. When she isn't taking photos or knitting, she is busy devouring all the info related to Marketing & Social Media and its powers that she can find online. Follow her on Twitter.