what's in a brand?

If you've had a chance to visit my website, you've probably seen my logo, designed by the talented Sandra Busta (who I found on etsy - hooray for indie business owners making it work!) I had no idea the process of designing a logo, the most outward representation of my "brand" to date, would be so difficult. Sandra asked a lot of questions about me, my likes/dislikes, how I perceived my product, etc. She also asked about my target customer, and how I would like my customer to feel when they view my logo/brand. It took a while to wrap my head around "brand Melissa" and exactly what my style of photography is. (PS-if you read the about me section on my website you'll get a better sense of how I describe my style).

It's no secret that there are a gazillion photographers out there, all trying to make their names known. It's intimidating, to say the least. The name of the game is standing out from the rest of the pack - but how to do that? One piece of advice I've received many times over is to "know your customer" - who are they, what do they like, where do they shop, etc.

Along those lines, I ran across this article on Trader Joe's and the cult-like following it has developed (I am a cult follower of TJs, that's for sure...). It's a very interesting article on knowing your customer VERY well and how important that is to developing your brand.

I hope this helps any of you out there starting a photography business (or any business for that matter). Enjoy!