QUESTION : Who do you want your customer to become?

Hold up. Come again? What does my customer’s personal growth have to do with my brand and branding photography?

If I took the questions right out of your head just now, you’re not alone. The first time I was asked this question, my head snapped back a little. It seemed a little out of the ordinary to be asked this but, when I started verbalizing it, I realized I’d known the answer all along. Here’s the thing though, “kind-of” knowing something in the back of your mind and truly knowing an important piece of information and knowing how to utilize it are two VERY different things.

While knowing important information in the back of your head - like who you want your customer to become - will still trickle into your brand, fully knowing the transformational potential of your client and fully knowing the journey you want them to take will propel your brand and marketing efforts forward.

If you know the growth that your client will experience using your product or service, write that process down. (Seriously, go grab a pen and write it down.) Shifting your focus from yourself, onto your client with this key information will simultaneously help you step into your clients’s shoes and that will help them better understand the value of what you offer.

Knowing what your clients experience allows you to be able to talk to them from their perspective. It shows that you understand them, that you will be able to listen and relate to the problem their having - a problem that they will then see you as a solution to.

Think about some of the brands you love and invest in. Why did you make the investment? What experience did you have that keeps you coming back to them? How did they improve your life?

I’m currently sitting here at my computer with a slew of BeautyCounter products I just bought - and will now live and die by. They were an investment, something I saved up to purchase. Why did I buy them - a more expensive brand - when I’m a person who’s not really ever been huge into cosmetics or skin care and there are plenty of other skin care lines that are cheaper and will help my skin feel good? I bought into them because I was able to sample the products and experience a true transformation. My skin didn’t just “feel good,” my skin felt good as an organ. This transformation *cough, cough, keyword here* convinced me on the necessity and difference clean beauty can make. AND, if you go to Beauty Counter’s website, they’ll pretty much tell you that’s exactly what they’re going for. They desire for their clients to become healthier, more ingredient aware women who aspire to have clean beauty.

Knowing this transformation they want their clients to experience, Beauty Counter can more specifically talk to their target audience - both through their verbiage and their brand photography. They keep things direct, minimal, natural-looking and clean cut. Their written content is strengthened by their brand specific imagery that showcases their values. It’s a hand-in-hand, consistent relationship. Just think, if a brand talked about being natural and clean, but paired their written content with a photograph of a woman who has a caked-on face of makeup, perfectly done hair with loud costume jewelry, clothing that doesn’t have a single wrinkle or seam and is studio-lit looking very commercial and over-done, that visual doesn’t really hit the target of their message does it? No, it doesn’t. In fact, it works against their messaging (and therefore brand), causing people to subconsciously notice the inconsistencies and not trust the brand as much.

So while it might seem a little out of the blue to focus on this part of your brand and business in order to make sure your brand photography properly markets to your client, we assure you, it’s important. Not only will you become more knowledgeable about what and how you’re sharing content with your client, you’ll also start noticing a stronger, deeper bond and clarity with the clients you attract.

Winston-Salem Brand and Business Photographer | Jasper & Fern