Watching TV last night I found myself thinking about branding.  It was just one of those days when I couldn’t get my brain to shut off, but here’s what I was thinking.  You need to be working to build brand awareness, literally with just about everything you do.  There’s so much noise in our lives and the challenge becomes how many times you need to have your name in front of your target audience before they remember you.

We all know the lizard from Geico…the golden arches of MacDonalds…if you’re local you can sing the Empire Carpet jingle and if you’re into any television series you know the music from all your favorites.  So, how are you going to get your target audience to remember your name just as well?

It would be the longest blog I’d ever written if I went into all the detail, but here’s the short version.  You need to weave a web around your target consumers.  You need to be in front of your target audience at every opportunity. 

1) Direct mail puts you in their mailbox.

2) Advertising gets you into the local papers and magazines.

3) Email blasts and newsletters get you into their computer.

4) Links from everything bring them to your website.

5) Community involvement gets you physically next to them on various projects.  This is about you getting to know the people in your community and your neighbors getting to know you.

6) Publicity releases get you into the local paper.

7) A great image on a holiday card brings you into their homes at holiday time.

 8) Your business card and stationery remind them you’re a photographer.

9) Cross promoting with other non-competing vendors gets you into their heads via association with other business entitites in the community.

10) Being active on Facebook and Twitter gets you into their world of social media and makes you more accessible.

11) Writing your own blog and keeping it fresh with a consistent presence gives you an opportunity to show off your work and your personality,

12) Editorial gives you an incredible level of exposure and gives your publicity and advertising crediblity.

That’s it – twelve points of contact and ways to reach your target and build your brand, but it takes patience.  It also takes consistency and an unwavering dedication to delivering a quality product.   But even more important is your passion for the craft.  If you love photography and always shoot with your heart, then you can create images that tug at people’s hearts and word of mouth advertising becomes the mortar between the twelve bricks listed above!

But remember, nobody can build this “house” except you!