Tag / personal branding
By On In Human Icon Alchemy, PortraitsLeave a comment

Last week I had the enormous pleasure of (finally) shooting the delightful Dasha McGee of Dasha McGee Property. Dasha already had a very strong brand identity which she was using all over the place, but she wasn’t quite leveraging its potential becuase her imagery wasn’t current and not consistent with her brand in its look and feel. This inconsistency can make some clients feel uneasy about your brand, like they can’t trust it, and they might go elsewhere.

So, we worked together to craft Dasha a gorgeous personal brand collection for her to compliment her existing brand identity. Dasha had a firm idea of what she wanted and how she wanted to use the images along with a plan in place for her existing collateral such as a billboard that was in desperate need of replacement. As a local real estate agent, there’s nothing more important than “trustability”. Your clients decide on your trustability before they’ve even engaged with you, by your personal brand. Don’t underestimate the power of your personal brand. Don’t be put off by the new fancy moniker “personal brand”. Its always been there. Its just now that the interweb has sent our accessibility into hyper-drive that it has become a “thing”. What was it before the internet??? Reputation.

   

By Samantha Halpern
B. Visual Communications (Photography & Digital Imaging)
Dip. Fine Arts (Photography)
Fully Accredited Member of the AIPP since 2008

Owner and Principle Photographer at JettyBlue Photography

Email me to connect and book a personal consult to discuss your online business branding and how JettyBlue Photography can give you the tools to compliment your content marketing strategy.

sam@jettyblue.com.au 0414 412 069.

By On In Human Icon Alchemy, PortraitsLeave a comment

For all the fella’s out there who think that personal branding is just for the ladies…think again. Don’t be put off by those who say things like “personal brand is just a fancy word for wanker”. Personal branding has always been there. What did we call it before the inter web sent our accessibility into hyper-drive? Reputation.

I had the pleasure of capturing David from OzLocal Australia for his personal branding on the eve of his flight to Cannes for a marketing industry event. The deadline was tight, but with the right tools and a space at the Pier 1 bar, I was able to process and supply a handful of images for him to take away that evening. Here’s the rest…

Not sure if personal branding is for you??? Check out my guide for the menfolk.
By On In Human Icon Alchemy, Studio News + Promos

In any service-based business, clients want to connect with the business owner. Right? So don’t think that just because you’re a man, that the same rules don’t apply to you. Or that “nobody cares what I look like, I don’t need a personal brand”. In fact, according to an article by Bridget Brennan for Forbes magazine,

“If the consumer economy had a sex, it would be female.  Women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing, through a combination of their buying power and influence.  Influence means that even when a woman isn’t paying for something herself, she is often the influence or veto vote behind someone else’s purchase.”

So even though you’re a serviced based business who sells predominately to men, don’t be fooled. You’re sales data says one thing, but the influence to buy comes from somewhere else all together. Bridget goes on to say;

“Service is a key differentiator.  Because women tend to have higher expectations for customer service, when you elevate the customer experience for women, you elevate it for everyone.”

Including your business! Your customers will only connect with you once they establish a “Know, like, trust” relationship with you BEFORE they decide to buy from you or engage your services. Women are particularly cognisant of establishing a relationship with whom she chooses to spend her hard-earned with. If there’s no relationship, she’ll take her dollars elsewhere.

So how do you establish that relationship? The good news is, you won’t have to take her out to dinner to get the sale, the solution is way simpler…TALK to her. Put yourself out there. Tell your story, we all want to hear it! People buy people and the only thing that makes you stand out from all the other business owners is the one thing they can never gain, never buy and never take from you…YOU! Whether you’re marketing to men or women, the same rules apply. To attract your perfect client, you must reflect qualities they see in themselves. Tell your story with images that speak of your authenticity and your clients will recognise their own hopes, dreams and values. This familiarity is priceless and helps your clients feel comfortable and assured that the relationship they’ve just found themselves in is one of mutual trust and respect. BAM! Happy client, good business.

If you’d like more information on your personal brand, or to subscribe to my newsletter with all my tips, articles, interviews and latest special offers, email me sam@jettyblue.com.au  As a thank you, you’ll receive a free welcome gift “Guide to smashing your personal branding shoot”
By On In Human Icon Alchemy, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Clients often say to me that the main reason they hesitate to update (or even initiate) their personal branding, is they worry that they won’t look like themselves in the images. I’m all about communicating authentically and delivering nothing but authentic imagery for my clients to communicate their story. My client Melissa from Divine Creative Agency​ recently updated her personal branding and here’s what she had to say afterwards…

By On In Human Icon Alchemy, Portraits, Studio News + PromosLeave a comment

One of the things I love about my job is when I get to meet business owners who are passionate about what they do and I get to help them tell their story to their customers using images. I do this through personal branding.

In these times of modern technology and advanced information age means that with a decent website, being active on a few social media platforms and a mobile phone just about anyone can call themselves an expert. Brilliant! Right?

So, in this multitude of opportunities for consumers, how does one find the ‘right’ person that has the solution to solve my problem? And how will I know they are the right person so I don’t end up wasting my time and money?

How do you search for a vendor? Google? Yellow pages? Trading Post? Facebook? Most often our first port of call is their website. What are people looking for when they’re on your website? PROOF! Proof that you exist, proof that you have similar values to them, proof that you have credibility. This search for proof extends way past your website, its communicated in your emails, blog posts, books you write, facebook posts, print marketing, Traditional media.

Do you have professional Headshots for LinkedIN, Facebook, Twitter and the other Social Media platforms? You know that your prospects will only want you, and your products & services, when they know, like and trust you. This is why your Personal Brand is vital, to position yourself as a professional who’s credible, authentic and is the real deal.

The solution to building credibility and trust with your clients is to have a strong personal brand. After all, people only do business with other people they like, respect and trust.

So what is Personal Branding??? Unlike Corporate Brands, simply put your personal brand is who you are and how you show that to the world both online and in person. CLICK HERE to see for yourself!

First, let’s talk about personal branding. Think celebrities: Who do you like? Why do you like them? Who do you identify with & why? The reason you love or hate a celebrity is because of the image and elements of their personality & values they put out for us to see – after all, that’s all we’ll ever get to know about them!

These are personal brands. Why the Kardashians always wear black, white, silver and gold. Its why Richard Branson comes across as a likeable larikan, and why everybody loves Jimmy Fallon.

Anyone can and should have a strong personal brand. Who are you? What do you stand for? What are you known for? Do you express yourself with your wardrobe? Are you Kmart or Armani? We all like to be defined and feel understood and to understand others. It is human nature to categorize the world and people around us. Heard of stereotyping??? So, why not make a stand for what categories you are willing to be put into. No one can please everyone so commit to being proud of who you are. That way you will be attracting the kind of people you want to like and repelling those who never stood a chance with you anyway.

This is why you need to you build and maintain your Personal Brand to create a point of difference over your competitors. To successfully leverage your Personal Brand you need a well laid out plan on where, when and how you’re going to use your photos. But for today, I’m talking about using photography to communicate your personal brand.

Did you know??? the human brain can process entire images that the eye sees in as little as 13 milliseconds! That means that you’ve already seen this photo, processed it in your mind and decided whether you want to trust this person or not.

How does this information help you to build your Personal Brand?

1. Use images (photos or graphics) more than anything else to communicate your message. The information transfer is faster than video or the written word as both take some time to watch or read. Facebook photos generate higher engagement than posts with just text. That’s where I come in!

2. Use them frequently and in various mediums to maximise your exposure. Such as your website, on social media, in print and traditional media.

3. Do it right all the time because with every image you publish you are either enhancing or damaging your brand, so be consistent and use high quality imagery.

Your customers want to know about you! what makes you tick, your story and your personality. Focus on what problems you solve for your clients, why you are the right choice for them. Show more, tell less. It’s easier to absorb visual content that’s authentic and you’ll hold the viewer’s attention.

Your personal branding shoot images need to communicate to your customers:

1. What problems do you solve???: Show how you deliver on the problems you solve.

2. Keep it real and authentic: No stock images, Keep it real with actual photos of you and your team, in action, having fun at work so you can show some of that awesome culture you have created.

3. Toot your own horn: photos of you and your big name clients, sponsorships, promotions, exhibitions, VIPs, the people you associate with you at events.

4. Include your staff: At a minimum include a headshot of all your team and a short description of what they do for the customer and their role in the company. Go one better and show your team in action during their working day. If you’re a Solo Entrepreneur include photos of you in action – photos that give people insights as to who you are and what you do.

5. Keep it on brand: Keep the look and feel of what you present, on brand. Show your personality, your character, something quirky about you and always keep it professional. No drunken team building shots.

7. Tell your story with photos: Include where you came from how you started show some depth and volume in your history so that it gives people a sense of who you are as a person (people if you have a team) which adds huge amounts of trust and credibility. This will help fast track the Know-Like-Trust journey.

8. Include photos not of you: your office, your awards, covers of magazines, the media you’ve been featured in (TV, Newspapers magazine or Radio), articles you’ve written, books you’ve published (contributed, co-authored or fully written) plus products/services.

So how does JettyBlue Photography deliver you a solution to your personal branding problem? CLICK HERE to download my FREE Personal Branding E-Book!

If you want a world class brand, you just need to call in an expert. My Human Icon Alchemy Shoots are not just about pretty pictures for instagram – they are all about YOU. Being immersed completely in the experience and enjoying yourself is key to my process. After all, its my time too and I like to have FUN at any opportunity I can! Professionally directing every shoot, I work together with professional makeup, hair and fashion stylists to capture your perfect look and make your brand message sing.

And here’s a few real life examples of my imagery working hard for my clients:
http://fsinsights.com.au/
http://wyzefinance.com.au
http://boutiquelifecoaching.com.au/
http://helenowen.com.au/
http://sylviatroccoli.com.au/

All of these websites were created by the amazing team at www.divinecreative.com.au

Lastly, if you haven’t already checked it out, I’m on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram and I’d love for you to connect with me so you can keep up to date with what’s happening in JettyBlue land.

If you are considering investing in the best personal branding images, lets connect over coffee and workshop your very own Human Icon Alchemy shoot!

Samantha Halpern
B. Visual Communications (Photography & Digital Imaging)
Dip. Fine Arts (Photography)
Fully Accredited Member of the AIPP since 2008

JettyBlue Photography
0414 412 069
+612 9575 7542
sam@jettyblue.com.au
www.facebook.com/jettyblue
jettyblue.com.au/blog
www.jettyblue.com.au