I Rebranded My Photography Business in 2022

1. You're in the mood for something new. Get Bored.

This is probably the worst reason to rebrand your business. If you're tired of your graphics and logos, hold on for moment, there may be some other things that you should consider looking at first before rebranding. If you changed your logo and website every month because you got bored of it, no one would ever learn who you are, or what you stand for. They would not recognize you anymore and won't be able to retain your brand in their minds anymore. That is key, because as business leaders, attention is vital. We need to stay in the forefront of people's minds as often as possible.

2. You want to look like the competition.

I have fallen into this trap time and time again. It is SO tempting to copy and paste what other people do. "Well they are doing it, and they are successful, so if I do that then I will be successful! Right?" WRONG! That notion comes with good intention, however it will result in disappointment. Why? Because you are a boutique business, which means YOU are a part of your brand, which means when clients are interested in working with you, they want a UNIQUE and SPECIAL experience. That's why I want to stress that it is incredibly important that you are being yourself. Let your personality show in your branding. You don't need to copy your competitors, because you will always live in their shadow and your business will forever be compared to theirs. Find your "WHY" and your niche, and then stick to it. Let your user experience or service be as unique as you are!

3. Changing my visual brand will automatically bring in new customers.

Good point. Yes and no. I believe there is a time and place to update your brand visuals. But remember, rebranding is not JUST about the visuals, rebranding goes deeper. It is about changing the way people perceive you, which can be done in many different ways, such as relationships, business messaging, and customer investment.

You definitely don't want to be stuck with a logo that looks like it belongs to your grandparents. Then it might be time to update your visual branding. If that is case with your business, then I would strongly urge you to update.

I would just implore you to remember that emotions are way more important than a cool new font choice and a hipster logo. People want to connect with you on an emotional level, which means they are way more interested in the MESSAGE of your brand than how it looks. They want to know your WHY. That is how they buy in. That is how they become loyal clients.

1. My target audience was changing.

This is what I believe to be the number one strongest reason to rebrand your business. When I started my photography business back in 2016 (Formerly "Asher Studios"), I offered a LOT of different services for a lot of different types of clients. I actually started filming videos to corporate clients, doing product photography for merchandise companies and video game companies, and every once in a while I would shoot family portraits and maternity portraits. It was WILD! I read a book by Sarah Petty called "Worth Every Penny" that totally changed the photography game for me. It basically showed me that I was doing way too much, and needed to buckle down and be more specific on my craft. There were so many different types of clients in different industries with completely different desires and expectations. It wasn't until 2020 that I decided I want to be a specialist in one area. I wanted to to cater more specifically to couples who were engaged and about to be married. Those were the clients I wanted to spend time with. I've always felt like I was just another member of their wedding party! That was difficult for me to switch, because it meant saying "no" to a lot of other opportunities and photoshoots. But let me tell you, IT HAS BEEN SO WORTH IT.

If your target audience is drastically changing, then I would say yes to rebranding. It will help you and your customers know that you have officially taken a new direction and purpose.

2. My business was evolving.

Let me elaborate on that. When I say "My business was evolving", I don't mean my team was growing and I was doing way more things and offering more services than ever before. In fact, it was quite the opposite. For me, my business evolving meant that I was narrowing down my ideal client base to a very specific type of client. Wedding and Elopement Couples. Fun, natural, candid couples who wanted me to capture their special engagement or wedding day. That's who I wanted to serve. So that actually meant I was doing less things altogether and focusing more on a smaller audience. That of course, required a rebrand. I had to connect with my new client base.

Is your business evolving? Maybe you are expanding, your team is getting larger and you are outgrowing your original mission. Maybe like me, you are buckling down and finding a niche in the market that you want to focus on. In both cases, I think it totally be smart to rebrand!

3. My old brand identity no longer communicated what I wanted it to.

"Asher Studios" (the former name of my photography business) is still a special name to me. "Asher" is actually my middle name! It is also a Hebrew name meaning "blessed" and "fortunate". I've always thought that was a cool way to describe my business. And it was..... for a while. "Studios" no longer communicated the new direction I was taking in the Wedding industry. I was not doing studio portraiture, or product photography, or senior portraits, or really anything that required a "studio". Because of that I felt like it was time to remove those two words from my business and move in a new direction. Introducing "Jed Horca Photography"! Simple, focused, and I am now more integrated into the brand name. A lot of photography success is personality driven, so I do believe it is important to attach myself to my brand more closely. That resonates better with my new target audience.