With Guest: Angie McPherson
So often, starting a business can look like this: you have an idea, you conceptualize the idea, you validate the idea, which by the way means that now you’re taking money and taking names, and you’re excited!
Then suddenly, somewhere along the way, you find yourself resembling a walking talking brochure constantly selling your offer, and this is how you build a business. But if building a brand is what you’re here for, well then, that constant selling approach may not be the best one.
A business can be defined as an organization that creates awareness and demand intended to sell a product, service or offer. But a brand is more than that. A brand is an image, a personality. Something to connect with. A brand makes you feel something. A brand is something you will remain emotionally connected to long before and long after making the decision to purchase.
Building a brand means that you’re looking beyond the transaction to build trust, familiarity, rapport, and create meaningful connections with your fans, followers, and customers. And here’s the important part, if your feed only features what you have for sale, you’re probably alienating anyone that isn’t CURRENTLY ready to buy from you – and by the way, this is almost always the majority.
And here’s a common misconception: Often when we hear the word “brand” we immediately think of the visual components: logos, colors, fonts, and websites, but when you dig into what a brand truly is, it’s more about the vision, the voice, and the personality behind the sales offer.
And this is exactly what my new friend Angie McPherson is here to teach you about today.
Angie is a branding photographer, marketing strategist, and hype-woman who spends her days helping entrepreneurs to elevate their personal brands, expand their reach and therefore grow their businesses. Angie works everyday to teach business owners the importance of showing their faces, telling their stories, offering value and truly connecting with their audience online rather than just showing up to sell. She believes that only showing up to sell your wares and hiding behind your work is a common mistake that entrepreneurs make, and today she is here to tell you why. I had so much fun chatting with Angie, our stories are freakishly similar, and I just know you are going to love her and learn so much from her today. I know I sure did. Are you ready?
In today’s episode, Angie discuses:
- The decision to leave her day job as a marketing and PR specialist to follow her entrepreneurial dream as a branding photographer and personal marketing strategist.
- The relevance of building a brand rather than a business.
- Her ability to see her client’s progression based on their BEFORE: inconsistent photos, non-cohesive visuals, no calls to action, a lack of brand purpose, and values.
- The value of creating an intentional brand with intentional visuals, to effectively overhaul your brand.
- The importance of having consistent and fresh branding photos as well as understanding how often you should plan photoshoots for growing your personal brand.
- The number one thing you should be doing to build your personal brand and 5 questions you need to ask yourself before you get started.
- The fundamental difference between a branding photographer and a lifestyle photographer.
- Her three-step framework for overhauling your brand starting TODAY.
- The significance of showing your face, getting out from behind the camera, and not just capturing what you have for sale in your feed. You and your offer are a package deal!
- What a content plan is and how you can craft your own
- The definitions of brand building, value-add, and promotional content and how to check these boxes your business.
- The secret to remaining top of mind to your potential customers for when they are ready to buy (Truth: the majority are not ready to buy at the moment of contact)
- The key to knowing if your content is valuable to your (potential) customers.
- What a foundational blog post is and why you need one (or five) in your business right NOW!
- The importance of a consistent presence and her top tips for knowing how to show up and what to say every day on social media.
- The power of batch working and how to do it (especially if you have a 5-month-old baby).
- The ONE THING you need to do today to create a stronger more desirable brand for your business.
Angies Freebies and Checklists.
Angie is not only generous with her time to speak to me but she has a host of resources to share with you!
- 5 Ways to Show Your Personality in Branding Photos for Creative Entrepreneurs
- Personal Branding Photography Checklist
- Planoly – her favourite tool for scheduling in Instagram
- 5 Benefits of Personal Branding Photography
I will also shameless plug for my Ideal Client Profile Podcast and Worksheet.
Final Thoughts?
When asked what is the one thing listeners could do to move the needle to create a more desirable personal brand, Angie had a very insightful recommendation:
I would look inward to yourself and be clear and confident in who you are and how you can help people.
Angie McPherson
I just love Angie’s message. When a true brand is built, it is built on a rock solid foundation of serving your people. And when you build your business on this foundation, it allows you to unapologetically sell what you have when the time comes because you’ve worked hard to not alienate those who are not immediately ready to buy what you have to sell.
If you’re building a business, you’re showing up only for those who are ready to purchase. If you’re building a brand, well then you’re more focused on casting a wider net by building relationships through serving all people, even those who aren’t ready to buy, so that when the time comes to SELL, your audience is ready to hear that from you.
I hope what Angie had to say in today’s episode helped you to see the power in building a brand rather than a business, and I also hope her advice helped you to see how you can begin to do this in your own business. Because when you step out from behind what you have for sale with a desire to serve, a clear voice, and a genuine and recognizable personality, you will truly make a greater impact, reach a wider audience, and see the rewards!
Don’t forget to visit the show notes at kellylawson.ca/019 to find Angie’s free resource and find links to work with her and connect with her online!
…And was it just me, or did this one go by way too fast? I guess we must be having fun here after all! Until next week workshop warriors.
Get in Touch with Angie
https://facebook.com/McPhersonPhotos/
https://www.instagram.com/angiejanine/
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