Over the past few years, I have built my business on the base of personal marketing. I share about myself online in so many ways to share my life, what I’m all about, and the things I love. People love connection, so giving them something to connect with you on is so important. It gives them a reason to want YOU and not just another photographer.

It’s been such a big part of my business, to the point where now, most of my brides I meet with feel like they KNOW me… before they even meet me for the first time!! By the end of the wedding experience, my couples feel much more like friends than clients. You don’t have to share everything about your life for those following along to feel connected to you!

I’ve found a few key things that has elevated my business and the experience I give, and that’s also given me a personal brand! Here are a few ways you can implement personal marketing into your business right away:

1. Include things about YOU and what you love on your about page. Share some facts about you that have nothing to do with photography. Chances are, most of your clients aren’t going to be photographers… but they’re PEOPLE! We all crave to connect and be a part of a “tribe,” and one way to foster connection is to share about yourself. This doesn’t mean you have to share every detail of your life, but an easy way is to share a quick list of things you love. For example, I would share I love my husband, chocolate, chai lattes, and marriage. Most of my couples can’t connect with the fact I’m a photographer, but they CAN connect that they also love their future spouse, or that they also love chocolate. Personally, I think that “how you started in photography” or about your business/photography degree should not be present on your about page. Most photographers have a similar story, so it’s not going to make you stand out! Intentionally sharing other things about your life WILL make you stand out! :)
2. Share your FACE on your Instagram. It’s so, so important to always be sharing photos of YOURSELF on your social media! Your profile picture on all accounts should have your face, and sharing photos of yourself and your life is such a wonderful way to share more of yourself. The more people see you, the more they associate you with your face and they feel like they know you! If you’re a photographer and don’t have any good headshots, grab a friend and swap headshots! If you’ve noticed the trend of people sharing their “top nine” on Instagram at the end of every year, have you ever noticed a trend? 90% of the images in everyone’s top nine is from their personal life or photos of themselves. This is proof that people want to know more about US and not just our pretty photos (or whatever we offer)!
3. Blog about things other than your sessions or weddings. Blogging is such a powerful way to share even more about your life and showcase your personality! Even if you don’t blog things about your personal life right away, even blogging things like tips & tricks for brides or photographers gives you a voice on a platform that’s guaranteed to always be there. My blog has done so much to elevate my business and give my business more of a personality! Even blogging once a week can make such a difference, and they don’t have to be long! :) 250-300 words is the minimum all the SEO “experts” say you need to have… that’s really only around 2 paragraphs!

Okay, now this gives you a good start on marketing personally – but to take it a step further, you’ll have to figure out how to strategically market yourself personally that attracts and books brides. I don’t think it’s enough anymore to simply be a personable wedding photographer… yes, that takes you SO FAR, there are still a ton of wedding photographers who don’t do that! But there is another element to it that will take you even farther and make you stand out. Share about the things you love in a way that adds VALUE to booking you over other photographers.

For example, something I love is serving people. That’s something that’s always been important to me in so many different ways. I love talking about this because it relates to my business so well: brides see a lot of value in someone who has a servant’s heart and genuinely wants to serve them well on their wedding day. Another example: I love encouraging marriage. Marriage is more beautiful than any wedding day, in my book. My ideal brides can 100% relate to this love of getting MARRIED to their best friend, because it’s the best thing ever. :) < This is why I share a lot about Michael & I and about marriage a lot!

Another way to curate personal things about yourself in your marketing is to choose which things to share. What things about you do you want to be associated with your brand? What do your brides usually also love (or do your ideal brides love) and connect with you on? For example, I am a HUGE Disney fan. Like, I’ve been watching them since I could talk and love all the classic Disney movies, and basically think Disney World is magical and I act like a little kid when I go there. But I don’t really talk about this anywhere… ha! Not that any of my brides wouldn’t relate, I think some of them could. But this personal fact about me doesn’t really elevate my brand and attract ideal brides.

Things I do talk about that I love, that also connect me to my ideal clients? Chocolate, getting married to your best friend, dogs, and chai lattes. A TON of my brides have these things in common with me. Not that every bride HAS obsess over dogs and love chocolate to be an “ideal” bride, but a lot of them do and can relate to these things in a way that elevates my brand! :)

Hope this gives you a good start on marketing personally and how you can strategically use it to attract brides!! :) Was there anything in this post that surprised you? Comment below what your biggest takeaway was!