@ashleystreff

daily inspo

Welcome to the blog! Here you'll find.....

What to expect 

Behind the scenes of photoshoots/the company/projects and the people I get to work with. 

Photography and Branding education for entrepreneurs. 

The Social Well Creative showcasing our A list influencers and the companies we help trend. 

LIKEtoKNOW.it looks. Lifestyle looks in home, fashion and products. 

welcome to

le blog

Currently Reading 

BRANDING EDUCATION

3/23/19

Why it’s so important to find the right branding photographer.

share

First let’s talk about branding. Branding is a key element to a successful business.  With the flood of small businesses people are creating, we’re talking, an epidemic of people leaving their corporate jobs to pursue their own businesses, it’s more important than ever before to understand branding.  Now, I fully believe that everyone has their role in business.  As you’ll see when you grow, it comes to the point where you CAN’T do everything, and part of your learned talent will be management and delegation skills.  And on the road, you’ll learn bits about the business that you never thought were essential. One of them is branding.
I don’t expect everyone to be an expert in branding.  Along my journey, I’ve recognized what’s in my wheel house, what my bread an butter is, what I can do, what I don’t like to do, and things I’m just not good at.  We all have a special talent and should spend the most time in our businesses doing that, along with learning how to set up a supportive team.  And apart of your team, you’ll find incredible branders.  Graphic designers, stylists, photographers/videographers, social media managers, editors, and so on, will be there to help support your message to the world.
Branding is all about cohesively communicating your mission, your message, who you are, what you do and how you serve.
In the beginning stages of your business, people get super overwhelmed over this.  People often don’t start their businesses because they’re so focused on finding their niche and having everything planned out.  Let me just tell you, your business is ALWAYS evolving, your message over time becomes more clear, you have to GET IN THE THICK OF IT in order to find clarity but what DOES help in finding the experts to help guide you.

Tips to find you experts.
As I said, there is an epidemic of people leaving their corporate jobs and creating their own businesses.  There are a lot of formulas and systems out there that people can create a seemingly legit business without backing it up with experience and integrity.  “So how do I make sure I’m not getting scammed?” you ask.  Well, there are a few tips to make sure you have a legit person.

1.  Do they have a website and at least one social media outlet that is active, updated, and filled with people who are engaged?
You can start to see the outline of a persons experience and legitimacy with their business by seeing their website is updated, filled out, and goes well with their social media account.  The social media account allows you to see the reputation of the expert.  You can see how engaged their audience is and how their audience is engaging to see if there is substance behind something potentially beautifully curated.

2.  Do they offer a scheduled complimentary call or meeting in their package?
You want to work with someone who is 100 percent confident they are here to serve and can give a quality product and apart of this is connecting with you.  When you’re getting ready for a photoshoot (or anything branding related) it’s important to connect energetically.  Believe me, it’s more important then you think.   These people WILL be open to a phone call/have a scheduled phone call or meeting in their packages.  If you’re talking to their assistant and they deny a conversation or ask for an additional payment, walk away.

3.  Do they have testimonials and are their links to their work with other clients?
Testimonials are great.  You can see if you relate to their client and have similar needs.  Testimonials can be made up, but what can’t be is, seeing links to other brand websites and social media handles to check in on a business they’ve helped a brand.

4.  Do they ask you to fill out a questionnaire about your brand?
You want to make sure that your expert really does have the experience in handling your needs and by them asking the appropriate questions, you’ll know they know what they’re doing.  This represents their understanding of perceiving possible variables that could alter an outcome.  For example, in branding photography, I ask to see people’s branding colors.  Cohesive elements like color are key to people recognizing your brand and for bringing the vision together.  So, if you showed up to the shoot wearing colors that don’t match and flow with your brand colors, it won’t translate well on your website or social media outlets.

5.  Do they send out a cohesive contract?
Contracts should not be there to confuse you. They should be relatively straight forward, not intimidating, but there to protect the expert AND you, the client.

Branding photography
Finding the right branding photographer is SO important.  I’ve worked with hundreds of start-up companies, to million and billion-dollar brands like Lululemon.  I’ve worked in the commercial world on big sets with full creative teams, to being the creative team for a client.  I’ve had 10 years of experience in this realm, and there are lots and lots of variables and lessons learned along the way.  There is a big difference between taking a pretty picture and taking branding images.
Branding photographers are thinking about a lot more than making sure we get a few good photos of you.  We want to know who your ideal client is, what the images are for, where you’ll use them, where you see your brand in 1-5 years, what your biggest challenges are, and what your branding colors are.  We’re thinking about format, styling, location and so much more when it comes to creating the best images for your vision.  What I like to say is that I’m here to help create bring your vision to life in tangible form.

Branding photographers are invested in your business, so make sure they’re system in place is there to really support you!

A successful branding shoot is known to enhance your business and transport your future you into the present.  You’ll not only feel more confident but your clients will sense this too and you’ll attract more ideal clients, increase pricing and increase your sales.

To inquire Ashley Streff Branding Photography services click here

To learn more about being a branding photographer click here

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

self

care

View All >

social

well

View All >

photo

biz education

View All >

home

& interiors

View All >

health

& wellness

View All >

branding

education

View All >

behind

the scenes

View All >

fashion

View All >

the library

categories

@ashleystreff

behind the scenes

subscribe

x close

We are always looking for new influencers to add to our roster!

Please complete the form and we will be in touch.

join the well

the social well

Welcome! We are always looking for new influencers to add to our rosters!

Download the Influencer PDF >

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum vitae imperdiet ex, at elementum nulla. Aenean pharetra tellus quis neque maximus mollis. Nunc purus felis, posuere ac velit quis, vulputate pretium risus. Fusce non massa erat.

influencer inquiries

the social well

Brands, please enter your Brand name and a descriptive word in SUBJECT or us to better track your email!
We so look forward to talking to you and learning more about your product photography needs! It is our passion through imagery and influencer marketing campaigns to help with successful product placement and launches! We want to see you succeed!

Brand inquiries

the social well

Brands, please enter your Brand name and a descriptive word in SUBJECT for us to better track your email!

Brands, please enter your Brand name and a descriptive word in SUBJECT or us to better track your email!

We so look forward to talking to you and learning more about your product photography needs! It is our passion through imagery and influencer marketing campaigns to help with successful product placement and launches! We want to see you succeed!

product photography

the social well

Brands, please enter your Brand name and a descriptive word in SUBJECT for us to better track your email!  

Hello from Ashley and team! We are SO excited to connect with you and can’t wait to learn more! Please enter a descriptive word in  SUBJECT for us to better track your email! 
 
Use this form for general or other questions that do not fit the other listed form choices.

connect - General inquiries

the social well

Please enter a descriptive word in SUBJECT for us to better track your email! 

thank you!

X Close

x close

x close

stay in the know

can i send you the freebies as i make them?! sign up here and you'll get them straight to your inbox!

email here

Subscribe