Earlier this week I shared about my nearly 10 years using the name Kingsbridge Photography for my business. It served me well! In 2016, I began considering a rebrand to something personal. After all, what sets me apart from other photographers is ME! I attended a Katelyn James Workshop in June of 2017. Katelyn’s comments pushed me over the edge to begin creating a personal brand.

During a website review, Katelyn said she aligned with my vision and totally understood what I was going for with the name Kingsbridge. Of all people, she got it. But she said “Kingsbridge” sounds a little corporate. I couldn’t deny that fact. I mean, the original name was “The Kingsbridge Group!” If I wanted to keep the name, she suggested making it more obvious who I was and what Kingsbridge meant.

So that’s what I did! I completely redesigned my website later that month. The first thing people saw when they came to my website was “Hi, I’m Christi!” and a little bit about me. I wasn’t quite ready to give up Kingsbridge Photography, but I knew I wanted a personal brand. At that point, I planned to rebrand to Christi Johnson Photography (or something like that) a year or two down the road, but in the meantime I would start sharing more about me online.

I started showing my face more on Instagram, I started blogging consistently, and people started noticing! During this time I got more in-person comments about my business than ever! People were saying, “Christi, I love your Instagram stories!” Or “Hey, I really enjoy your blog posts!” I never actually said out loud, “hey, I’m going to make my brand more personal!” I just did it. Today I want to share the reasons WHY I wanted to create a personal brand. Next week I’ll share why I chose now to actually change my name! Stay tuned for that.

 

Why I want a Personal Brand

 

1. As a photographer, my clients spend more time with me than anyone else at their wedding

When couples hire a photographer, they’re choosing someone that is going to spend more time with them on their wedding day than ANYONE else. It’s true. When I photograph weddings, I spend more time with the bride than any one person. I’m with her more than the makeup artist, more than her mom, more than her bridesmaids, and more than her future SPOUSE. While I’m sure the groom spends more time with his friends than with me (haha), I definitely spend more time with both of them together than anyone else. They spend more time with me than without me!! I’m sure couples want to make sure they hire someone they actually LIKE spending time with and don’t find annoying. By making myself at the forefront of my business, they can be sure to do that.

2. As an editor, I am cheerleader for my clients

My approach to business is not just transactional, it’s relational. I am a cheerleader for my clients. You’ll always find me cheering them on! I build relationships with my clients and continue to support them, even after they’ve moved on. I want to help in any way I can. I seek their success and want them to thrive.

3. My work is personal

I don’t sell a product, I sell a service. A service that’s completed by me. If I sold clothing, calling it “Christi Johnson Clothing” wouldn’t make sense because I’m not a celebrity. And I wouldn’t be selling myself, I’d be selling the clothes. I’d come up with a phrase or word that represented the brand. But as an editor, photographer, or a pianist, being known by my name makes sense. Not only am I selling a service, my services involve me pretty heavily (see the next point).

4. I’m a small business, not a large corporation

When someone hires me for editing work, they have the luxury of knowing that an actual human being that cares about their vision is working hard on their images. Many retouching or editing businesses have large teams and get a high volume of clients. They may have a high turnover rate and are just focused on getting the job done. That’s okay – there is a place for that type of business! But as a small business owner, everything I do is personal. I run everything! I’m who my clients interact with, I do the work, and I deliver it. I want to reflect that in my brand!

5. What sets me apart is me

There are so many photographers taking great photos, and there are so many editors doing phenomenal work. Each person does have their own unique style, but to an untrained eye sometimes it all looks the same! Why would someone want to hire me over anyone else? What sets me apart from everyone else is ME. So I want my brand to reflect my personality and who I am.

6. I want to avoid confusion

When people refer me, they usually remember my name, not my business name. Since what I do is so personal, people usually say “Oh, we hired Christi and you should too!” I also introduce myself as Christi Johnson, not as Kingsbridge Photography, because that’s who I am! I’ve actually had people tag the wrong person in their photos before because they’ll tag someone (that wasn’t me) named “Christi Johnson” instead of “Kingsbridge Photography.” Some people may not even know the name of my business. I’ve also had people confuse me with other businesses and think my face goes with a different business. Having a personal brand avoids all of that confusion!

Maybe you want to have a personal brand but don’t currently have one. Maybe you’ve named your business using your name, but you’re not sure how to actually create a brand around yourself. I can help! I hope to write a post SOON about how to go about creating a personal brand. Stay tuned for that!

– Christi