Personal Branding in Rochester NY
Recently we had the opportunity to join forces with the team at Serendipity Labs to host a Happy Hour with a side of Personal Brand Portraits, and we have to say—they were AWESOME!
Each attendee got to mingle, have a snack and a drink, AND get a micro brand photography session, where they walked away with an updated branding image to use however they needed it!
Why is that such a big deal? I mean, what can you do with new brand photographs anyway?!
After her personal brand session was complete Jessica said “Your process helped me take a more thoughtful and intentional approach to my brand.”
She also said “We laughed, we posed, my hair got frizzy…you made what can feel like a completely unnatural and awkward experience fun.”
That’s high praise coming from a business and personal development consultant. It’s also exactly how we want you to feel about your personal branding session.
She’s the Owner and Chief Transformation Officer of ApPROach Consulting. We recently caught up with her to review her personal branding photography session. We asked her five questions that might help a business owner decide if this is a worthy investment. Here’s what she said:
“apPROach Consulting is a strategic planning and business development consulting practice that serves individuals, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. I believe that a great strategy for building your business is through creating a personal connection between the business owner and the client. This is something that can be uncomfortable for business owners. In my business development classes we spend a lot of time talking through how vulnerable it feels to put your words and your face out there. Showcasing products and services is usually much easier. I wanted to put my philosophy into practice by using my personal image to connect with my own customers and demonstrate the value to other business owners.”
“Completing the personal branding questionnaire in advance of the photo shoot was a great opportunity to reflect on how I do business, engage with clients, and project my values through my services. It is important for every business owner to pause and evaluate their values and their vision regularly. Lori and Erin’s personal branding questionnaire is a tool I will revisit in the future to assess my brand as my business evolves.”
“Being photographed is usually an uncomfortable experience for me, like most people. Lori and Erin made a typically awkward and unnatural photo shoot feel fun and exciting. Because we had met and discussed my business and my goals in advance of the photo shoot, I felt connected to them both and at ease. They truly partnered with me on my personal branding journey.”
“I have featured my images on social media, approachconsultingllc.com, and I’ve updated my profile pictures in the many online meeting tools we’re all using these days (Teams, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Webex, Hangouts, etc.) I have received great compliments on the updated images. The new images capture my essence so much better than the traditional headshots I used to use.”
“Not only would I recommend working with Lori and Erin for any photography service, I would recommend stepping through the personal branding process with them to any business owner or organization. The same way strategic planning helps align a person or team around goals and priorities, completing the personal branding questionnaire helps to solidify the image you have for your business. Lori and Erin can take your vision for your business and help you craft the visual content you need to connect with your audience.”
We focused on more than updating her headshot. We planned, we worked together and created stories in images that she could use to connect with her audience.
And it wasn’t hard, in fact - it was fun for all of us. So if you want to learn more about your business, show up in front of your clients, and have fun doing it - we’re ready for you.
Before her branding session, Laura told us that people fascinate her. She told us that she loves their stories, and seeing something in it that they didn't see.
Same! Our style of personal brand photography is very much the same. We loved looking at her brand, and hearing her stories to see something she hadn’t thought of about her brand.
And then, we took those stories and created images to support them. For example: As a therapist, she believes that life is messy, and we’re all a little bit broken - like a chipped coffee cup. But, even though the cup has a chip in it, it still works and still functions as a coffee cup.
So we incorporated some of that idea into the imagery. We included some mess, some learning and growing, and her favorite chipped coffee cups.
We combined it all together to create both updated headshots, and stories she can use on her own platforms to show people who she is and what she believes.
The images don’t have to be neat, tidy picture perfect scenes if that’s not the right story. Because real life includes chipped coffee cups and messiness.
Personal brand photography is all about connecting to your audience. So show them your real you, and you’ll attract your ideal clients.
The world shut down. Businesses on pause.
Throughout it all, we kept asking ourselves “How can we help the small businesses in our community?”
The answer was obvious, but we had to wait until our phase allowed us to open. So while we waited, we brainstormed the “We are Open Project.”
The goal was to showcase small businesses in our area on our social media outlets to show the community that these businesses are here, and now that they are able to open again, they would benefit from the community’s support.
We were so pleased with the businesses we were able to meet and photograph. We visited local pottery shops, consignment stores, urgent care and even churches in Fairport.
Just because these businesses are open now, doesn’t mean they don’t have new guidelines to follow that complicate business as they once knew it. The challenges will continue on as they maneuver them all. So they need our support.
This project was one of the ways we knew we could be helpful in a difficult time. We hope that our photographs will shine a little bit of light on our local businesses - and that you’ll check them out too.
Recently we had the opportunity to join forces with the team at Serendipity Labs to host a Happy Hour with a side of Personal Brand Portraits, and we have to say—they were AWESOME!
Each attendee got to mingle, have a snack and a drink, AND get a micro brand photography session, where they walked away with an updated branding image to use however they needed it!
Why is that such a big deal? I mean, what can you do with new brand photographs anyway?!
With the current emphasis on supporting small, local businesses, we want to help you show up in a way that resonates with your clients. You know what they want to see? You. The real person/people behind your business.
Let us help you build the relationships that build your business.
Inspired by others in response to Covid-19, we’re launching a special effort to help spotlight our local, family run businesses by supporting and celebrating them with photography.
There are a few ways to be involved, based on how your small business is doing right now.
This is fantastic! Book a branding package with us and we’ll help you take it to the next level with a bonus strategic planning session on how to use your images on social media. AND if you book, we’ll donate a micro session to a business in need.
We feel you! Things have changed for everyone in the last two months. But, it is important to keep showing up! Book a micro session with us to get some fresh images and let folks know You Are Open!
Times are rough, and though you know fresh photographs could help market your business, you just don’t have the funds right now. Nominate yourself or another small business to win a free micro session!
Lori and Erin Photography will create a portrait of you and your family outside of your place of business. You can hold signs, products, or whatever represents this time for you.
We will be spotlighting each business who participates with a short interview on our blog, Facebook, and Instagram. These are quick sessions and include digital files that you can use on social media.
So if you’d like to take part in this project, please contact us with any questions or to get on the list! We’ll start preparing for your session so that as soon as it is considered safe to do so, we are ready to create your photographs!
Maryellen Dance is not your average therapist. She’s motivated to help people, and to change perceptions about self care, mental health and going to therapy. She’s also full of life, excited and self proclaimed as brash and loud.
She came to us knowing she needed to update the portraits on her website, but along the way we helped Maryellen that she has SO much more to say and show her audience. In her discovery meeting, we discussed the idea that going to therapy should feel like you’re just having a conversation in the kitchen over a cup of coffee, or a glass of wine.
We worked with her on a variety of looks and stories, but this them was the starting point to helping her tell a story in a visual way. If you’re in the market for a down to earth, professional, knowledgable and fun therapist - you should check out Maryellen and her team at QL Therapy and Wellness, and tell them we said hello!
