Many gave emailed me and have asked about my branding. Who made your website? (I did, because I’m a Showiteer!! Woopwoop!:) Who made your logo and your blog and how did you decide on TEAL? And how did you make people REMEMBER you and keep coming back to your blog? These are questions I receive all the time and they are GREAT questions!! REALLY great questions. When I think about the photographers that I LOVE following… they all have something in common. They all share a simliar marketing strategy and it WORKS. These photographers all use what I like to call “Brand Boosters”.
Now, I created this term so it’s not official, don’t try to look it up. I may not be the first to coin this phrase so if I’m copying someone, forgive me!! A BRAND BOOSTER is anything within a business that makes it more unique, set apart and builds up the existing brand. We’re in an industry where we have to be UNIQUE….. there are SO many photographers out there that have amazing images! Anyone can shoot weddings with a 50mm lens and have awesome images that have a simliar style to mine! So how do I become UNIQUE in a saturated market full of photographers trying to do this SAME thing as me?! I market myself and make my BRAND about ME! … And I do this through BRAND BOOSTERS.
BRAND BOOSTERS are things that photographers incorporate into their blogging, tweeting and facebooking that allow viewers into their personal life and form a connection!! I have so many people send me links to “House of Turquoise Blog” and tell me to check it out!! Why?! Because they think of me when they see TEAL! My love for TEAL is one of my Brand Boosters! Here are some examples from some photographers you may know:
Jasmine Star’s Brand Boosters:
1. Her Past, she has an incredible story!
2. Polo!
3. She’s not the BEST cook in the world and she admits that openly
4. JD, he’s a HUGE part of her business!
5. Whenever I see a Pinkberry sign… I think of her.
Justin & Mary’s Brand Boosters:
1. They drive a cute mini-cooper
2. Coincidentally, their adorable golden retreiver is named Cooper
3. They’re addicted to Starbucks and admit that openly:)
4. They just renovated their first home and it’s beautiful!
5. They’re huge WVU Fans!
The Shultzes’ Brand Boosters :
1. They’re so active in their awesome church and blog about events frequently
2. They just started their family and baby Boone is adorable
3. They have three dogs… that blows my MIND!
Gray Photography’s Brand Boosters:
1. They had a MASSIVE Christmas Tree! MASSIVEI tell you!
2. They too are obsessed with coffee with a green mermaid on the cup. Is that even a mermaid? I don’t know.
3. Somehow they BOTH look awesome in little trendy hats!!!
Katelyn James Photography’s Brand Boosters:
1. I just got married and had a peacock themed wedding!! LOVE peacock everything!!!
2. Michael! He’s handsome and he’s an amazing husband…. so I blog about him!
3. I’m addicted to Diet Mountain Dew!
4. I’m young, just graduated from college 1.5 years ago
5. TEAL IS MY FAVORITE COLOR… Nothing even compares to its’ beauty!
6. I love to decorate… so I show off our home with “Before and After” posts
7. My husband is a Youth Pastor and so our life is FULL of teenagers!!! So I blog about that.
8. OUR NEWEST BRAND BOOSTER?!! ….. Our Puppy! You better believe he’ll be on the BLOG … A LOT! NEXT WEEK EVERYONE! NEXT WEEK!!
So here’s my challenge to you! 80% of my blog readers are photographers believe it or not! So I know that a LOT of you out there are running businesses of your own and that’s so exciting! Whether you’re a blogger or a tweeter or an avid facebooker or ALL THREE….. start using some of your own brand boosters! Maybe you’re an AMAZING cook… unlike me! Use that skill to promote your brand! Maybe you just had a baby?! SHARE about this new phase of life because I guarantee other people that follow your work have had children of their own before and can relate to that! When people relate to you… they remember you. It’s that simple! But you have to give them SOMETHING TO RELATE to! Maybe you’re a knitter, or an athlete or maybe you’re in the process of REALLY getting into shape and losing weight… maybe you have a room in your house that’s painted NEON ORANGE… BLOG about that! If I read a blog post about a NEON ORANGE bedroom… I wouldn’t forget it!
I hope this post gave a little insight into how brand boosters can be a HUGE marketing strategy for your business! Take a look at your life and start picking out some weird, crazy, cool, and sentimental aspects of it to SHARE! If you have some great ideas of BRAND BOOSTERS for your business… SHARE them in a comment! Be sure to leave your email so I can send the BEST Brand Booster idea a little Starbucks gift!!
Thanks for reading!
— Katelyn
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