Your brand resides within the hearts and minds of customers, clients, and prospects. It is the sum total of their experiences and perceptions, some of which you can influence, and some that you cannot. - About.com - What is Branding?
Your logo is not your brand. It is your logo. I see so many people get wrapped up in creating their logo, when they may not even need one. Does Annie Leibovitz* have a logo? No. But do you know who she is? Most likely. She has a strong brand.
A logo is a symbol that people can use to identify your work. It might set tone for their initial perception. But your brand? That is so much more. That is truly based on how people feel about your business. It is something you can try to control, but you can't control how people think and feel.
Before you get wrapped up in it all, stop and think -- what do you want people to think and feel when they think about you? About your business? About your photography?
How can you move forward and build that brand?
Suggested reading:
- Ayn Brand's Branding 2.0 presentation - Grace's presentation at the recent PhotoCamp Houston was what got me thinking about this topic, and the Annie Liebovitz example is entirely hers - she posted it on Twitter that day.
- What is Branding and How Important Is It to Your Marketing Strategy?
- Become a Passion 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.
great post christine. definitely food for thought.
ReplyDeleteI concur, thanks for sharing Christine!
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the links and thoughts! I've been really focusing on branding this week.
ReplyDeleteWhile having a logo isn't all that important per se, I do think it's important, when you're a real presence in the online community, to keep a continuing theme going. Using same fonts, colors, and other branding choices etc. throughout each of the places people find you keeps a unified feel that will make clients remember you.
ReplyDeleteNissa, I agree -- and for my packaging, a logo makes sense. I can then use it across my website, my business cards, my packaging.
ReplyDeleteBut so often people get wrapped up in worrying about that and think that is all that branding is about -- when it isn't. Having a style guide (fonts, colors) would help them, and allow them to then move on to getting the word out about their work. In the end, it is all about the buzz!