Comments on: Are You Lazy with Your Branding?

By: Ron Dawson

Ron Dawson — Thu, 14 May 2009 17:07:38 +0000

@Christine: some companies to look into:
– F22 Branding: http://www.f22branding.com (there’s a waiting list. This is Kevin Swan’s consulting biz, and one of the Operation Brand Aid Dream Team).
– Elevation has a special photog program: http://www.yourelevation.com (ask for Gary Sikes)
– Red Door Creative: http://www.reddoorla.com/ (these are the guys the did Becker’s and Jessica Claire’s logos
– Matchstic: http://www.matchstic.com (local Atlantans here GA who do amazing work.)

Be prepared to invest a good amount, but in the long run, it’ll be worth it.

By: Christine Lee Smith

Christine Lee Smith — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:55:40 +0000

Okay, great point. Now the next question is how?
Reading your recent Tinker Bell post, I am not gifted at developing my brand. Where do I look for someone like that to help me professionally flesh it all out?

By: M.J. Love

M.J. Love — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:52:52 +0000

Ron,

Thanks for the post, I totally feel you on the unique identity of a website. Sometimes we photographers get it and sometimes we don’t. When I designed my website (I have a background in graphics and architecture), most photographers felt I was ludicrous for designing my site the way it is now. The purpose of my site is not to blend in with other gallery sites, but for potential clients to learn what it takes to capture great photographs and to contact Studio of Love for more information. Simple as that. The minute they call, thats when they experience the brand and feel the love.

Anywho, thanks and keep up the great posts.

– M.J.

By: shout out wednesday « michele blog

shout out wednesday « michele blog — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:43:35 +0000

[…] shout out goes to Ron Dawson and his blog http://bladeronner.com/?p=375 Ron does photographer interviews at F-Stop and Beyond http://fstopbeyond.tv/ , where he interviews […]

By: Bladeronner

Bladeronner — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 15:55:46 +0000

Thanks everyone for the comments.

@steve – congrats on taking the step to redo everything. Your comment reminded me of one more benefit. Ideally, we should all be building our businesses to one day sell them. Whether or not you do, it’s wise to build it as if you might. That means building value. The more you create a unique brand, the more valuable your business will be. The branding you spend $5K on today might make you a million dollars ten years from now. The sky’s the limit.

By: Kristina Marshall

Kristina Marshall — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 14:43:34 +0000

Great perspective! Thanks for sharing! 🙂

By: Jordan Boesch

Jordan Boesch — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:02:25 +0000

Thank you so much for doing this series. I’m working on branding my site and business right now and any help I can get it great. I don’t know how good I am at it, but I’m working on it!

By: Andrew Hsu

Andrew Hsu — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:59:06 +0000

maybe your next post can be picking out some logos/brands that you think are unique and impactful. That would be a great post. (But no narcissism!!)

By: Steve

Steve — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:28:30 +0000

What a great post. I actually took your advice and am investing in a custom site, logo and blog to go with my new brand. It is a lot more than purchasing a template but I know now it is so important to invest in creating a strong brand. It is going to help my business grow in so many ways. Thanks Ron!

By: ARMIN

ARMIN — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:19:22 +0000

Great post Ron, I agree with everything you said. With so many photographers in my market (DC/MD/VA) it’s increasingly important to be as unique as possible. Not just to compete, but to also help ourselves carve out our own niche in the market share here. As a result, I think we’d all be a little more successful. Not to mention how transient the DC region can be, people from out of town making their homes here, and having wedding guests from out of town. So when we market to the DC region, we have to understand that we’re also marketing ourselves to the world! I’m fortunate that I’m friends or acquainted with over a hundred photographers in my region so I can see what it’s looking like. We have a lot of work to do in this realm. Great post!