Personal Branding Stories: Case Study of Enumclaw Estates

There Are Many Stories To Your Brand

And make it outstanding!

Show people how they will feel when they work with you. Create a mood and a vibe that shows people the possibilities and be authentic in the process. Build an atmosphere of truth! As my title suggests I’m a PERSONAL branding photographer, let’s establish the personal side of your business. 

People connect with people! We always connect more with faces and expressions than without. Pretty product photos and stock images bought from an impersonal company only get you so far, but they are great place holders on your website. To level up your business you’ve got to take your clients through their journey and as business owners we are always the guide and not the hero.

This post today is guiding you through the stories within a personal brand. I’m using my client Enumclaw Estates, a family owned business as my sample. Your stories for your brand will be different. However, the end results are still the same; to help clients KNOW, LIKE & TRUST YOU with the intent of directing your clients through the journey you will guide them through.

About Me

We begin our journey with the owners, the people behind the business that keep everything running. From the man who purchased the business so he could be closer to his family and maintains the property. To the daughter who gives client tours and owns a cleaning company to clean up after guests. Then to the VA that does the scheduling and keeping the business running with the technical stuff that needs to happen. 

This story is all about those people, the business owners. This is the part where you will insert the lifestyle headshots and the business type tasks we can photograph. As you scroll down, they are still in other images and many stories interweave, which is what we want to happen. A story only makes sense if all parts still have connections.

These images will be used on the About Me pages of your website and any introductory posts that you create.

Client Journey

The next story segment is the client piece. The journey through working with you, the interactions and vibe you want to create for your clients. How they will feel when they choose to have you help them. 

In this specific sample we’ve got a mix of interacting with the clients and showing them around the space. As well as the end result of then hiring and using your space/service/products. With this business we wanted to really showcase all the different spaces and how much potential fun and memories can be created here. 

This is the journey piece of the story and the part where they start the interest in working with you, deciding to work with you and then the end results of how working with you can help them. These images will be used in rest of the website, supporting social media post, blog posts, newsletters and advertising information.

Know Me

If you’ve read any other part of my website or chatted with me in person, my favorite phrase I love to use when I’m talking about personal branding photography to people who don’t know what my type of photography niche is that “Your more than just your headshot, you’re a multi faceted person and 1 headshot, 1 smile isn’t enough to truly convey the amazing person you are. You need more photos to really create authentic connections with your ideal clients and to support the know, like and trust factors”.

This piece is really the PERSONAL piece to personal branding photography. The part where we add who you are beyond your business and add a few little personal pieces that you can share and create connections with. This is where you’d add in the walks in nature with your dog you love to take after you’re done with work. 

This will look very different for every business. Sometimes this could be going to your favorite coffee shop, maybe journaling or reading a book. It can be a big portion or it can be small little ways to add into your brand. 

While the About Me images are more the official and professional images of you working within your business, I want you to think this more like the unofficial and off hours of your business. We are not just our businesses, we have whole lives outside of our businesses.

With this part, think of it as making those little connections with people on a personal level, those moments in conversation when you're both “Oh my goodness, me too! I love ___!” and then you go into your story and you create genuine connections. 

For my client we added them around the town and a way for them to show their favorite spots to go to and also a way for them to share with their own guests places to visit locally. Drinks in a few different bars, shopping, ice cream, walking down the street and a whole lot of laughter and fun! Oh and I can’t forget about the real life in action connection they made with the pizza truck and they hired for their open house the day following day. Connections, community and fun!

I want to call this the supportive part and the piece that can cement the know, like and trust. The how well will you get along and can you find commonalities? Those working behind the desk are great photos, but then adding in your snarky mug adds a touch of personal.