This week, I’m giving a presentation to the Canadian Association of Farm Advisors on how to strengthen their brands. They are all consultants and advisors to farmers. Farmers, as you know, grow our food, feed us, and provide us with safe, cost-effective and nutritious choices for our excellent quality of life.
The best definition of a brand is from my mentor, Alan Weiss. He says: “a brand is your customer’s perception of your quality.”
Here are my branding lessons that I’ve learned from photography and how they can strengthen your business brand.
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Sunset over Regina Beach. Photo by Phil Symchych. |
- Plan – every photo project starts with a plan. What does the artist want to create? What does the client want and need? What emotions do they want to generate? What are the client’s goals and what are the alternatives to achieve them?
- Focus – this is the most important part to highlight what you want the observer to see. What is your brand focused on that reflects your business in the most powerful or favorable way?
- Exposure – relates to how much light you want to let in to create the image you see in your mind. Illuminating your brand requires strategic lighting on the most attractive or relevant parts from the customer’s perspective. This is not about your methodology; it’s about the results you create for your customer.
- Shutter speed – can freeze high speed motion such as action sports or show background blur to emphasize the focal point of a scene. In business, are you known for responding to your customers quickly and servicing them (and invoicing them) with consistent speed? The best way to build your brand is to take care of the customer you already are helping.
- Depth of field – is about how much or how little of the scene is in focus. A good portrait will focus on the eye and the face may appear soft and the background may be blurred. For a good landscape image, everything is in focus. Does your brand highlight your best features or is it diluted with too many distracting and unimportant internal methodologies?
Ultimately, your brand needs to be about how you take care of your customers and clients, and how you make them better, happier, faster, stronger, or wealthier.
What is your brand saying about your business?
