One of the most crucial parts of having a successful photography business is creating a brand strategy. If you’ve been trying to improve your own brand, you’ve probably heard the term “brand strategy” a number of times. But what exactly is it?

Brand strategy is the key to connecting with your ideal clients- ones that really value you and your work. It’s a plan that helps you understand how to set yourself apart from your competitors, identify who your ideal client is, and determine how you can help your ideal client see that YOU are the photographer they need to work with. It also encompasses your “why” and your own goals for your business and life. Diving deep into brand strategy is one of my favorite things to do as a brand and website designer for photographers. So I’m sharing some tips about basic brand strategy today to help you formulate your own!

Having a solid brand strategy is one of the most crucial ways to set yourself apart from the other photographers in your area. Your potential clients will be able to trust you easily, and when that’s the case, they’ll be much more inclined to invest in your photography services. Let’s get started on creating your own brand strategy!

How To Create Your Brand Strategy

There are a few components of creating your brand strategy that I’ll walk you through! These are some of the most basic, but most important, things you can determine and utilize in your brand.

Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)

Your Unique Selling Proposition, or USP for short, can be summed up as this: how you provide your photography services differently from any other photographer out there. Get specific with this. You want your USP to show your potential clients that you’re different from all the other photographers, and that they’re going to benefit from that by working with you. So instead of saying something like, “Happy photos of you on your wedding day”, you can say something more like, “Photos that preserve the joy of every moment on your wedding day”.

See how different that sounds? As your potential clients are browsing other photographers’ websites, they’ll notice the difference when they find yours. And a USP like that will absolutely stand out in the sea of “candid photos”, “authentic photos”, and “real and raw imagery” that’s on everyone else’s websites. Make it reflect the service you personally provide and what makes your photos different.

Your Why

Another big part of creating your brand strategy is figuring out your why. This goes way deeper than “I love taking photos” or “I want to run my own business”. Your why is the life force of your business. It’s highly influenced by your personal values and your beliefs about the importance of what you do. Your why is the thing that really creates an impact.

My favorite resource I’ve found for helping photographers determine their why is this book by Simon Sinek, Start With Why. This was a game-changer for my photography business and I highly suggest reading it if you get the chance!

Your Offer

This is usually one of the first things you’ll determine when you’re starting your photography business. Most photographers start out offering digital photography of basically any variety so they can get experience. Family portraits, seniors, engagement sessions- you name it. But I’m going to challenge you to do something else as you’re improving your brand- create a very specific offer for your chosen niche. Yes, if you haven’t already, it’s time to niche down.

A lot of photographers feel unsettled by the thought of this, but it’s vital for having a strategic brand and booking your ideal clients. So instead of just offering photography of any type, figure out what you love to do most and want to book more of. Is that weddings? Family photos? Newborn photography? Whatever that is for you, create your offer around what you want to do, and don’t forget to infuse your USP into your offer.

Your Brand Story

Why do your brand and business exist? Again, this needs to be a reason that goes beyond “to make money” or “to work for myself”. You have a bigger reason than that. What drove you to not only become a photographer, but decide that you wanted to provide photography services to others for a living? You have a love for this work- use that to tell your brand story.

Your brand story should be a catalyst for connecting with potential clients. While this is about how your brand came to be, it’s important that it’s still client-focused. Use this brand story to show your potential clients that you are relatable, and you can understand their problems.

Your Tagline

Creating an effective tagline for your business doesn’t have to be daunting. It just needs to do two things: communicate a benefit that your potential clients will experience when they work with you, and be concise. It’s best if taglines are under 8 words long. The best taglines get to the point. Speak exactly to what your potential clients will want that you provide. For example, my tagline for my own photography business is “Preserve the joy of your wedding”. That’s it! It’s simple, but it speaks directly to what’s most important to my ideal clients about their wedding photos.

Need more help with your brand strategy?

If this all sounds like something your brand and business need, but you don’t want to go about this alone, I’m here to help! Brand strategy, including everything in this article, is something that I provide for all of my clients. I’d love to help you create a solid, strategy-based brand for your photography business! Book an intro call to get started!