Hey, my name is Maurice Jager, and I'm a portrait and headshot photographer.
And I'm the founder of personalbrandingforphotographers.com
And in this video I'm going to give you five tips
to get your own personal branding for photographers going.
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Tip number one is be authentic and be honest.
Like, back in the day there was this whole concept of
when you're in business, you don't share personal things.
Well, the word "personal branding" already like sort of gives it away.
So, it's okay to share personal stories
and to make sure that you are actually relatable
and people can build a connection with you
because the majority of the connections made are not just based off your work.
It's also about the person you are
and the way that you see things and the content that you share.
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Tip number two is know your audience
Like I work in the headshot business predominantly with like corporate people,
so the way that I talk to these people is slightly different
than if you're a wedding person or if you're like a landscape photographer
or like any photography other than headshots or focusing on corporate world.
So, my content is geared to them
and make sure that they understand what I'm saying.
And I have the benefit of working in a industry or having an audience
that I used to work in myself,
so it's very close to home.
But make sure that the words that you use are relatable and recognizable to those you're talking to.
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Tip number three is choose your platform wisely.
And by that I mean, like, we are bombarded with social media platforms and outlets
and places to put your content and tell your story and build your brand,
but that sounds like a day job, and I don't like that.
So, what I do is I choose two or three--mostly two--platforms that I use.
And for me, for the corporate headshots is obviously LinkedIn,
and for my photography and my personal branding for photographers it's Instagram
because that's where the photographers live these days.
And those are the platforms I'm focusing on.
Am I neglecting Facebook and Twitter and all these other ones? Not per se,
but I do not focus as much attention on those platforms
as on LinkedIn and Instagram, for me personally.
So, if you have a lot of rapport
and a lot of like engagement on Facebook, for example,
focus on that one and maybe instagram.
Or like find where your content is most consumed by the people that are your audience,
and focus on that one, and make sure that you have a killer presence on that platform.
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Tip number four is show your face.
Like nobody wants to see just your work and your portfolio.
There's websites and Instagram and like there's places for that,
but make sure when you go into personal branding
to turn that camera around every now and then.
Or use your iPhone and get a shot of you working
or a shot of you like doing whatever in your free time,
and tell the story why you did that.
But make sure that you have your face out there because that's what people remember.
Like I'm bad with names. I'm good with faces.
Maybe that's like a professional thing because I'm shooting faces all day,
but I think that's how the world works these days:
they want to get to know you.
and the easiest way and the uniquest way that you have is your face
because unless you're twins there's only one of you.
So make sure that you point your camera at yourself every now and then,
and post that on the social medias and on your website,
and use that to build your personal brand.
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And tip number five, which is probably the most important tip
when I built my business is don't go anywhere
and take control over your own message.
And with that, I mean two things.
So this is actually 5.1 tip:
Um... if people reach out to you,
reach out to them back.
Like there's like so many people that send DMs and messages and emails based on my content,
and they took like couple minutes out of their day to reach out to me,
and I need to do the same thing to like start building that relationship.
So when somebody message me, I always message them back.
Sometimes it takes a day, but they always get a message back.
And on the other, like on the flip side of the coin, if you will,
um, there's no reason to post a ton of content and posts and whatever.
And just wait and see and sit on your hands.
So, what you can do is you can actually start and instigate your own conversations
So, what you want to do is, um...
For me on LinkedIn, specifically, if I want to shoot somebody
or want to work with somebody or I feel like I can add value to somebody else's audience.
And the predominant word here is value: we're not selling people anything; we're adding value.
No sales pitches, just value-adding conversations.
So, I find these people that I think we share the same audience,
and then I reach out to them.
And I just tell them, "Okay I'm doing this."
"I recognize clients of mine or people that I want as my clients in your network."
"Maybe we should do something together."
Or, "How can I help?"
"What are the questions that people have that you're working with?"
And start a conversation that way.
And that's how you can take control.
So, that's probably the most important tip.
So tip number five, like do that but don't sell.
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So, these are my five quick tips for starting your own personal brand
and getting yourself more out there and finding those people that you actually want to work with.
If you want to learn more please visit personalbrandingforphotographers.com
and listen to the podcast
where I interview leading photographers
and they talk about what they do
and how they became successful.
And be on the lookout at the same website
for the next event that we're hosting.
And I love to see you there.
If you want to reach me personally,
please go to my Instagram
which is @maurice_jager
which is J-a-g-e-r.
Thank you so much and enjoy your day!