EP 50: Demystifying Branding with Kristin Korn

00:00:00 [Alison]
We actually think of just logos and colors.
00:00:02 [Alison]
Right?
00:00:02 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:00:02 [Alison]
Like, in a kids new website.
00:00:04 [Alison]
But it is so much more than that.

00:00:06 [Alison]
What is branding?
00:00:07 [Alison]
Hey, I’m Allison, military spouse and family photographer.

00:00:10 [Melissa]
Hey, I’m Melissa, also a military spouse, lifestyle newborn photographer, and SEO expert

00:00:20 [Kristin]
relocations.

00:00:20 [Alison]
Coached each other through all these challenges, and now we want to share our experience with you.
00:00:24 [Alison]
On this podcast, we’ll give you actionable steps to help you keep it moving.
00:00:30 [Alison]
All right, guys.
00:00:31 [Alison]
Welcome back today.
00:00:32 [Alison]
We are chatting with one of my personal faves, Kristen Korn.

00:00:36 [Alison]
She is a branding and marketing master.
00:00:38 [Alison]
She’s the owner of core brand marketing and does all the stuff small businesses either don’t have time or don’t want to do.
00:00:44 [Alison]
Awesome.
00:00:44 [Alison]
Kristen, thanks for being here.

00:00:45 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:00:46 [Kristin]
Thanks, ladies.
00:00:46 [Kristin]
This is gonna be fun.

00:00:48 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:00:48 [Alison]
So how did you get into this?
00:00:50 [Alison]
What exactly do you need and

00:00:51 [Kristin]
who do you work with?
00:00:52 [Kristin]
Well, well, I went to college for marketing, and then right after, I started working for a large beverage distributor.
00:00:57 [Kristin]
So I did marketing for, like, 47 counties.
00:00:59 [Kristin]
So that was kinda like the core marketing world.
00:01:01 [Kristin]
I know.

00:01:03 [Kristin]
Which is kind of really weird because I don’t drink anymore now, and I just launched a business for nonalcoholic beverages.
00:01:08 [Kristin]
But so I know both sides That’s awesome.
00:01:09 [Kristin]
Industry.
00:01:11 [Kristin]
But, really, what got me started was when I was in direct sales.
00:01:16 [Kristin]
So I was in direct sales for ten years, and a lot of that is long time.

00:01:20 [Kristin]
It’s a long time.
00:01:20 [Kristin]
I was really

00:01:21 [Alison]
I’ve done direct sales too, but

00:01:23 [Kristin]
earn the car.
00:01:23 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:01:24 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:01:24 [Kristin]
When you are in something like that and everyone’s selling the same thing, essentially, like, they are, you have to stand out against another high school friend who’s at it.
00:01:35 [Kristin]
You’re right?

00:01:35 [Kristin]
Or another Right.
00:01:36 [Kristin]
Team recruiting the same type of consultants.
00:01:39 [Kristin]
Like, how is your team gonna be different than that team?
00:01:42 [Kristin]
Why should they go join you instead of them?
00:01:44 [Kristin]
Right?

00:01:44 [Kristin]
So Right.
00:01:45 [Kristin]
There was a piece of, like, we had to differentiate our team, and I had to differentiate myself.
00:01:51 [Kristin]
So you really think of your strengths of, like, what can I that people would get attracted to me?
00:01:57 [Kristin]
Right?
00:01:58 [Kristin]
I started by doing a team logo, and then I had a Kristin Korn logo.

00:02:01 [Kristin]
You know?
00:02:01 [Kristin]
Then Yeah.
00:02:02 [Kristin]
We promoted, like, fast start and extra training we gave and different trips that we offered through our team.
00:02:08 [Kristin]
So without me really even realizing it, I was doing UVP stuff, you know, unique value proposition.
00:02:14 [Kristin]
And, really, it was attracting.

00:02:16 [Kristin]
Like, we were one of the fastest growing teams, and it worked.
00:02:19 [Kristin]
So when I sold my direct sales business in 2020, then that’s when I started Core Brand Marketing and just started taking on because I knew there was different things that people who are starting a business needed to have done, and they didn’t realize the brand messaging and the different triggers that needed to happen when you’re building a brand.
00:02:38 [Kristin]
So I was able to use kind of that experience from direct sales and then build my own company.
00:02:43 [Kristin]
So that’s so it’s been, yeah, almost five years since I started

00:02:47 [Speaker 4]
Core, and

00:02:47 [Kristin]
I’ve worked with over 90 clients.

00:02:49 [Alison]
That’s amazing.
00:02:50 [Alison]
Okay.
00:02:51 [Alison]
So I know in from history, and I think a lot of people will feel this way.
00:02:55 [Alison]
When we think of branding, we actually think of just logos and colors.
00:02:59 [Alison]
Right?

00:02:59 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:02:59 [Alison]
Like, in a can’t see website.
00:03:01 [Alison]
But it is so much more than that.
00:03:03 [Alison]
What is branding?

00:03:04 [Kristin]
Branding is being remembered.
00:03:06 [Kristin]
So there’s a quote that I love.
00:03:07 [Kristin]
It says, build a brand so strong, could you before they’ve even met you?
00:03:11 [Kristin]
So if you if someone encounters you, your content, through a video, through a Google search, like, whatever it is, their first impression of your brand without even seeing your face is gonna mean a lot.
00:03:24 [Kristin]
So, yes, colors.

00:03:25 [Kristin]
It’s gonna be does their stuff look legit?
00:03:28 [Kristin]
Right?
00:03:28 [Kristin]
Is it which is

00:03:29 [Alison]
so important?
00:03:30 [Alison]
These days.

00:03:31 [Kristin]
Is the font so a lot of you know, too many fonts?
00:03:34 [Kristin]
Like, is it looks like it’s thrown up?
00:03:35 [Kristin]
Like so, yes, there’s that visual appeal that has to be there, then they’re meeting.
00:03:41 [Kristin]
Right?
00:03:41 [Kristin]
So then it’s you have to qualify them with the right messaging and copy, meaning the words on the screen.

00:03:47 [Kristin]
So whether it’s an Instagram reel, they came to you, they look at the caption, whether it’s a Google search, they’re on a blog article, they’re reading it, the pop up that comes on for the newsletter, whatever it is, all that needs to be speaking to your ideal clients, so your ICA.
00:04:03 [Kristin]
So and that language that you use, that’s just the aftermath of all the work that you need to do beforehand.
00:04:09 [Kristin]
So I core brand marketing was developed the core foundation to everyone’s brand.
00:04:14 [Kristin]
That’s where the name came from.
00:04:16 [Kristin]
So you have to be in your core all the time.

00:04:19 [Kristin]
It’s who you are.
00:04:19 [Kristin]
It’s how you’re gonna differentiate yourself.
00:04:21 [Kristin]
You don’t have to be better than anybody else.
00:04:23 [Kristin]
You just have to highlight how you do something different,

00:04:27 [Speaker 4]
and that’s

00:04:28 [Kristin]
it.
00:04:28 [Kristin]
So, yes, colors, I’m really big into that.
00:04:31 [Kristin]
Two to three colors, use them over and over, but then it’s the brand messaging and all the things that add up to that.

00:04:38 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:04:38 [Alison]
That really resonates with me because I don’t think I’m the best photographer here in Hawaii.
00:04:42 [Alison]
There’s some great family photographers who are more artistic.
00:04:46 [Alison]
They they compose better.
00:04:47 [Alison]
I, I look at their stuff, their personal, they’re doing it for their own families all the time.

00:04:51 [Alison]
And I’m like, I, too much.
00:04:52 [Alison]
Like I can’t even be bothered at the moment, but I do think I do my business differently.
00:04:58 [Alison]
And therefore it’s working for me.
00:05:00 [Alison]
Right?
00:05:00 [Alison]
Like I submitted things.

00:05:01 [Alison]
So like Kristen did my website years and years ago.
00:05:04 [Alison]
Melissa was the one that was like, Allison, you need a new website.
00:05:07 [Alison]
And Kristen was like, I can’t use your website.
00:05:09 [Alison]
It’s totally true.
00:05:10 [Alison]
But I think when I started leaning into the whole fast, fun done, and the fact that not a picture perfect type of photographer, I don’t wanna work with picture perfect types.

00:05:20 [Alison]
I don’t want to provide a wardrobe.
00:05:22 [Alison]
I don’t want to have the perfect shot.
00:05:26 [Alison]
Right.
00:05:26 [Alison]
I want to work with the messy.
00:05:27 [Alison]
I want to let kids be kids.

00:05:29 [Alison]
I want to get this over with because I know my family wants it to be over with when I really leaned into that.
00:05:35 [Alison]
Things really started to fall into place.
00:05:37 [Alison]
And part of that was the initial website relaunch that we did.
00:05:41 [Alison]
And some of it’s my colors.
00:05:42 [Alison]
Like I have my whole slogan is fast, fun done.

00:05:45 [Alison]
And I came up with that years ago.
00:05:46 [Alison]
I like encouraging or defeating that some of this brand messaging like took me years to like really fine tune.
00:05:54 [Alison]
But I came up with that years and years ago when we were still in Okinawa and it’s kind of been my mantra.
00:05:57 [Alison]
And it used to just be for my mini sessions, but now it’s my whole philosophy for family photos.
00:06:03 [Alison]
But my visual brand is fun colors, right?

00:06:06 [Alison]
Like it’s yellow and bright pink.
00:06:08 [Alison]
It’s neon.
00:06:09 [Alison]
It’s fun.
00:06:09 [Alison]
It’s festive.
00:06:10 [Alison]
It kind of reflects the beach motif that I really am usually shooting at anyway.

00:06:14 [Alison]
But the messaging then came after we worked together.
00:06:16 [Alison]
I worked with another copywriter that, just helped me get out of my own head.
00:06:20 [Alison]
Right.
00:06:21 [Alison]
Of like, but then going back to the UVP, like, I don’t want this to take an hour.
00:06:26 [Alison]
I want this to be thirty minutes.

00:06:27 [Alison]
You don’t need a whole hour to get what you really want.
00:06:30 [Alison]
And people are eating that up.
00:06:32 [Alison]
And I repeat that over and over and over again.
00:06:34 [Alison]
Let’s talk about more about UVP.
00:06:36 [Alison]
What are some other, like, UVPs?

00:06:37 [Alison]
We keep saying that it’s unique value proposition.
00:06:40 [Alison]
So what are some other ways photographers in particular are unique?
00:06:45 [Alison]
And Melissa chime in here too.

00:06:46 [Speaker 4]
I was just gonna say like talking where you’re like fast, fun, done, like my work was set because I’m more newborns and stuff.
00:06:52 [Speaker 4]
Like I leaned into the whole no props, no crazy poses.
00:06:55 [Speaker 4]
And, like, that was immediately and I knew that that was gonna I think the other thing with your UVP is it’s gonna attract the ones you wanna attract and repel the ones you don’t want.
00:07:03 [Speaker 4]
So anybody who wanted pose baby in four hour sessions, I was like, that’s not happening.
00:07:06 [Speaker 4]
No.

00:07:07 [Speaker 4]
And as soon as you get to my website and I tell you no props, no crazy poses, you click off and go somewhere else.
00:07:12 [Speaker 4]
But then what would happen is the ones who were absolutely with me, and they were like, you’re right.
00:07:16 [Speaker 4]
I don’t want my baby in a basket.
00:07:18 [Speaker 4]
Like, they felt like they found a home, and

00:07:19 [Kristin]
they were like, let’s go.

00:07:21 [Speaker 4]
I do newborns.
00:07:21 [Speaker 4]
Everything is just a little bit softer, you know, color wise and palette wise and stuff like that, and that just goes with the brand.
00:07:28 [Speaker 4]
But then it’s funny because on the SEO side, because I’m so soft on that side, I was like, I’m gonna embrace my Lilly Pulitzer on the on the SEO side, and I’m gonna have a website that’s, like, pink and teal and, like, more bright and bold because I get to now.

00:07:42 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:07:42 [Alison]
Because you can.
00:07:43 [Alison]
Yep.
00:07:43 [Alison]
And yeah.
00:07:43 [Alison]
And I think you said something really important.

00:07:45 [Alison]
Like, you can’t be afraid of repelling anybody.

00:07:47 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:07:48 [Kristin]
No.
00:07:48 [Kristin]
You have to you have to call think of it as qualifying them.
00:07:51 [Kristin]
Right?
00:07:51 [Kristin]
Like, you’re looking to big type of customer, whether it’s how they work well with you, how much money they spend with you, the beliefs that you overlap with them.

00:08:00 [Kristin]
Otherwise, you’re wasting everyone’s time.
00:08:01 [Kristin]
You’re wasting your time.
00:08:02 [Kristin]
You’re wasting your times.
00:08:03 [Kristin]
Then no one else

00:08:04 [Alison]
And you’re gonna stress out we stress out serving clients that are ideal.
00:08:08 [Alison]
I remember when I was doing some of this, like, couples, if there’s not a kid involved, I really don’t wanna have anything to do with it.
00:08:15 [Alison]
And before I was comfortable with that, I would stress out doing senior photos or doing couples or all these other things that were not my jam.
00:08:23 [Alison]
And it just, like, have to, like, kind of research how to do it and, like, really, like, get myself up and get motivated and inspired to do it.
00:08:30 [Alison]
And it just was causing more mental anxiety than it needed to.

00:08:34 [Alison]
And it’s so nice to just be like, no.
00:08:36 [Alison]
Thanks.
00:08:37 [Alison]
Not my cup of tea.
00:08:38 [Alison]
I’m not your person.

00:08:39 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:08:40 [Kristin]
There’s a part of this where you have to be really okay with how you are and the likes and dislikes that you you have.
00:08:46 [Kristin]
So because Yes.
00:08:47 [Kristin]
A lot of times, like, oh, I’m a photographer.
00:08:49 [Kristin]
I have to do it this way.

00:08:50 [Kristin]
No.
00:08:51 [Kristin]
How do you really wanna do it?
00:08:52 [Kristin]
How do you really wanna took photos?
00:08:54 [Kristin]
Like, you have to think about, does do I really like doing this, or do I not like doing this?
00:08:57 [Kristin]
And you make a list and being like, I don’t like doing it.

00:09:00 [Kristin]
Like, I was just launching, you know, my mocktail Fantasia brand on the side over here.
00:09:04 [Kristin]
And it’s like, I love all those fancy stuff, but I’m like, it’s just not me.
00:09:08 [Kristin]
I’m like, I’ll look at them and scroll reels through them.
00:09:10 [Kristin]
But I’m like, when I’m making a drink, I want it to be three ingredients less, takes me thirty seconds, and it costs $3.
00:09:15 [Kristin]
Like, so those are my UVPs for my company because people can remember that, and that’s who I am.

00:09:21 [Kristin]
That’s crazy.
00:09:21 [Kristin]
I’m gonna spend an hour making a drink, and it takes five minutes to drink it.
00:09:25 [Kristin]
That’s just not junk.
00:09:26 [Kristin]
Right.
00:09:26 [Kristin]
So it’s just not about your brand.

00:09:28 [Kristin]
There’s a place for that for someone else.
00:09:30 [Kristin]
Right?
00:09:31 [Kristin]
Like, so for photographers who like the baby in the basket, like, there’s people that want that.
00:09:35 [Kristin]
Like, that’s their thing, and that’s that’s EP.
00:09:38 [Kristin]
So don’t be afraid to do something totally opposite because there are people out there like you that want the have the same beliefs.

00:09:46 [Speaker 4]
I don’t think your UVP even has to be your style so much.
00:09:49 [Speaker 4]
Like, Allison is fast, fun, done.
00:09:51 [Speaker 4]
So they know it’s gonna be a short session kinda thing.
00:09:53 [Speaker 4]
So it doesn’t have anything to do necessarily with her pictures themselves.
00:09:56 [Speaker 4]
Like, you could brand yourself as being, like, the photographer that is just the easiest to work with because you get all the information upfront and everybody knows exactly what’s gonna happen, and they’re like, yes.

00:10:06 [Speaker 4]
Her customer service is out of this world.
00:10:08 [Speaker 4]
Like, that’s her UVP.
00:10:09 [Speaker 4]
I feel like as photographers, we get really caught of, like, well, my work looks exactly like somebody else’s.
00:10:13 [Speaker 4]
It’s like, okay.
00:10:13 [Speaker 4]
We’ll find something else that differentiates you from them.

00:10:17 [Speaker 4]
You know, it could be your experience.
00:10:18 [Speaker 4]
It could be your customer service.
00:10:19 [Speaker 4]
It could be something else.
00:10:21 [Speaker 4]
Even if your work looks the same.

00:10:23 [Alison]
Girl, are you still struggling to get profitable?
00:10:25 [Alison]
Are you relaunching your business or trying to refine your profitability?
00:10:28 [Alison]
I often hear and I’ve been there.
00:10:30 [Alison]
As a military spouse for fifteen years, I’ve moved my photography business seven times effectively launching a new business with each move.
00:10:36 [Alison]
I’ve never worked anywhere longer than three years.

00:10:38 [Alison]
I’ve had all inclusive hybrid and virtual IPF.
00:10:40 [Alison]
Now I know what it takes to adapt and thrive.
00:10:43 [Alison]
I went from barely supporting my hobby in the early years to generating consistent six figure sales, supporting my crazy family along the way.
00:10:50 [Alison]
If you’re ready to break through the roadblocks, attract dream clients, and finally see the profits you’ve longed for, let’s work together.
00:10:58 [Alison]
Visit alisonbell.co to learn more or DM me on the gram at keep it moving pod.

00:11:03 [Alison]
Links in the show notes.
00:11:04 [Alison]
Let’s do this.

00:11:06 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:11:06 [Kristin]
It’s usually you’re alleviating some kind of pain that they want to avoid.
00:11:10 [Kristin]
Right?
00:11:11 [Kristin]
Yes.

00:11:12 [Alison]
Yes.
00:11:12 [Alison]
Okay.
00:11:13 [Alison]
So that was another thing, because, you know, for somebody who doesn’t know what they like or dislike, it goes back to the, like the photographer, shoot a ton, shoot it all, like, shoot everything for a while and you’ll figure out real fast what you do and don’t like.

00:11:27 [Kristin]
Yes.

00:11:27 [Alison]
But when it comes to branding and messaging, say like somebody’s found their niche, They have done the whole shoot a ton thing already.
00:11:35 [Alison]
Like, where do we start with this?
00:11:39 [Alison]
Like, where does somebody take all these things and ideas in their head and the visuals and the

00:11:43 [Kristin]
what have you?
00:11:44 [Kristin]
Like, where do they start to figure it out for themselves, what their brand is?
00:11:48 [Kristin]
When I work with clients, first thing we do is we go through a core foundation.
00:11:51 [Kristin]
I have this Google Excel sheet type thing that, you know, you go through you have to answer the questions, and then you start placing it on your website.
00:11:59 [Kristin]
Right?

00:11:59 [Kristin]
So Mhmm.
00:12:01 [Kristin]
Whether using, like, a Donald Miller template or whatever like, he’s got a really good brand story thing.
00:12:06 [Kristin]
Story brand.
00:12:07 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:12:07 [Kristin]
Story brand.

00:12:08 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:12:08 [Kristin]
You have to know pain points of your clients.

00:12:10 [Alison]
Okay.

00:12:11 [Kristin]
You have to get into their feelings.
00:12:12 [Kristin]
You have to know their wants.
00:12:15 [Kristin]
You want feelings once.
00:12:16 [Kristin]
The other thing, like, you have to think about is purchases come when someone hits a wall.
00:12:22 [Kristin]
Right?

00:12:22 [Kristin]
Everything you buy, whether it’s shoes, a mic, a computer, something happened, like, you can’t start your computer.
00:12:30 [Kristin]
Hey.
00:12:30 [Kristin]
I’m gonna go buy one.
00:12:31 [Kristin]
Okay.
00:12:31 [Kristin]
So think about branding.

00:12:33 [Kristin]
So branding is whether they know you or remember your brand because your branding was so well and you spoke to them and it was like, wow.
00:12:40 [Kristin]
They are even though I’m not in the market for an SEO specialist or whatever, like, I know her.
00:12:46 [Kristin]
And I who is speaking to me, But, eventually, they’re gonna get a wall, and I’m gonna say something to where, like, you know, I’m gonna show a client.
00:12:54 [Kristin]
She’s getting 2,000 clicks on her website every month, and they’re gonna go look at their data, and they’re gonna be like, I got three.
00:13:01 [Kristin]
Okay.

00:13:02 [Kristin]
And I’m not getting any sales.
00:13:03 [Kristin]
Like, whatever it is, like, they have to hit their own wall before them Right.
00:13:07 [Kristin]
Purchase.
00:13:08 [Kristin]
So if they remember you from your branding, when it’s time for them to hit that wall, they’re gonna buy from you.
00:13:15 [Kristin]
Right?

00:13:15 [Kristin]
So even if they’re they’ve hit the wall and they’re going to re SEO specialists, photographers,

00:13:20 [Speaker 4]
whatever it

00:13:21 [Kristin]
is, like, they’re gonna use SEO.
00:13:23 [Kristin]
If you’ve done SEO well, they’ll find your website, and they’re gonna read the UVP.
00:13:28 [Kristin]
They’re gonna read your features.
00:13:29 [Kristin]
They’re gonna read, like, step one, two, three, make it super easy for them to work with you.
00:13:34 [Kristin]
And they’re gonna be like, oh my gosh.

00:13:35 [Kristin]
Yes.
00:13:36 [Kristin]
This is what I need.

00:13:37 [Alison]
Yep.

00:13:37 [Kristin]
So you have to come at it with both angles because a lot of times people are like, oh, I start my business and no one’s coming.
00:13:43 [Kristin]
Well, that’s fine.
00:13:44 [Kristin]
But first, they have to figure out who you are.
00:13:46 [Kristin]
They gotta know you.
00:13:47 [Kristin]
And then when the times comes for that wall, then they’ll remember you or go looking for you.

00:13:53 [Kristin]
And I feel like SEO like, I’m a huge SEO person, so is Allison.
00:13:56 [Kristin]
Like, yeah, that is so big to finding this cold market.
00:14:01 [Kristin]
And then your brain kicks in when they find your website.

00:14:04 [Alison]
So Yeah.
00:14:05 [Alison]
And we say, cold marketing quotes because if they’re searching on Google, they’re not cold.
00:14:08 [Alison]
They’re warm.
00:14:09 [Alison]
They’re ready.
00:14:10 [Alison]
They’re they’re starting to hit the wall.

00:14:11 [Alison]
They’re recognizing the warm coming at them.
00:14:13 [Alison]
Yeah.

00:14:13 [Kristin]
Warm market people always think that’s my friends and family.
00:14:16 [Kristin]
Well, okay.
00:14:16 [Kristin]
Yes.
00:14:17 [Kristin]
No.

00:14:17 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:14:18 [Alison]
No.
00:14:18 [Alison]
They’re they’re searching.
00:14:19 [Alison]
They’re they’re looking for Yeah.

00:14:20 [Kristin]
They’re they’re searching.
00:14:20 [Kristin]
They’re they’re looking for Yeah.
00:14:21 [Kristin]
They’re they’re searching.
00:14:21 [Kristin]
They’re they’re searching.
00:14:21 [Kristin]
They’re they’re searching.

00:14:21 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:14:21 [Kristin]
They’re they’re searching.

00:14:21 [Speaker 4]
Problem.
00:14:22 [Speaker 4]
Think this can be something that photographers struggle with because I know I struggled with the whole, like, okay.
00:14:26 [Speaker 4]
What is the what is the wall?
00:14:29 [Speaker 4]
Like, that they’re you know, what is the pain point that photography is solved?
00:14:32 [Speaker 4]
And I think sometimes we get, like, really hung up on that, and you have to step back and think it could be as simple as mom needs cards for photos for Christmas cards this year.

00:14:40 [Speaker 4]
That’s the wall that

00:14:40 [Kristin]
or she’s You have a frame like, I have someone my sister-in-law.
00:14:44 [Kristin]
She has a frame on her wall that it’s been there with the frame picture it came in for three years.
00:14:52 [Kristin]
You know what I’m saying?
00:14:52 [Kristin]
It’s like, oh, I’m gonna put the only photo there.
00:14:54 [Kristin]
But, like, there’s people out there that still has just the frame, and they don’t have a photo on it yet.

00:14:58 [Kristin]
And they’re tired of and they’re gonna have company.
00:15:00 [Kristin]
Maybe they’re the wall is they’re gonna have company over 30, and shoot.
00:15:05 [Kristin]
They have no picture to put in that thing.
00:15:06 [Kristin]
You know?
00:15:07 [Kristin]
Like, it’s gotta be something.

00:15:08 [Kristin]
So you I always say, think of the triggers.
00:15:10 [Kristin]
Like, what are the triggers for that pain point?
00:15:12 [Kristin]
You know?
00:15:13 [Kristin]
You have, like, these pain point categories.
00:15:15 [Kristin]
Hey.

00:15:15 [Kristin]
What’s, like, these triggers

00:15:17 [Alison]
for that pinpoint?
00:15:18 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:15:18 [Alison]
I just came up with a few of them.
00:15:19 [Alison]
Like, y’all were saying, like, a birthday’s coming up, like, a one year old birthday.
00:15:23 [Alison]
The pre pregnancy and newborn, that’s gonna be a ball that’s coming up.

00:15:26 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:15:26 [Alison]
But, like, hosting, like, what you said, Christmas is a big one for Christmas cards.

00:15:30 [Speaker 4]
Yeah.
00:15:30 [Speaker 4]
Even just your kids getting older, senior you know, high school senior

00:15:34 [Melissa]
is getting ready to graduate.

00:15:35 [Kristin]
They’re doing, like, the baby book and they’re going into kindergarten and, you know, it says, like, put your photo here for three months, six months.
00:15:40 [Kristin]
Oh my god.
00:15:40 [Kristin]
I have to take the photo in six months, and now I’ve totally skipped the you know, like

00:15:45 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:15:45 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:15:46 [Alison]
For me, it’s destination.
00:15:47 [Alison]
Like, people are coming through Hawaii.
00:15:48 [Alison]
They’ve got dates.

00:15:49 [Alison]
They’re coming.
00:15:49 [Alison]
They’ve already got everybody together.
00:15:51 [Alison]
They wanna do photos while they’re here.
00:15:52 [Alison]
But I get a lot of these people that come out here, their destination, but it’s been three, five, ten years sometimes since they’ve done a family photo or the trip they’re doing it because the kids are about to graduate and things are gonna change.
00:16:05 [Alison]
They don’t know when or how my family is gonna be this tight nuclear thing.

00:16:08 [Speaker 4]
I think the point of, like, not having photos done in a while, like, can you remember the last time you had your family photos taken?
00:16:15 [Speaker 4]
That can be a big pain point to hit people on another note.

00:16:17 [Kristin]
Would be like a death in the family.
00:16:19 [Kristin]
Like, oh my gosh.
00:16:19 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:16:20 [Kristin]
Like, we know so and so.
00:16:21 [Kristin]
We know so and so that just passed away, and you look at their photos.

00:16:24 [Kristin]
Like, they hadn’t had photos in forever.
00:16:26 [Kristin]
So you go to the funeral and you’re like, oh my gosh.

00:16:28 [Alison]
Like, we haven’t had.
00:16:29 [Alison]
A problem.
00:16:29 [Alison]
So, like Yeah.
00:16:31 [Alison]
That hits hard because, one, we experienced that personally last spring, but also I’ve had since last spring, I’ve gone from zero to maybe five.
00:16:38 [Alison]
Like, this is dad’s last trip.

00:16:40 [Alison]
This is the term we we’re coming with a terminal diagnosis.
00:16:43 [Alison]
Or so, like, it’s been very, humbling that people are hiring me to do photos for the funeral.
00:16:49 [Alison]
That’s what they’ve asked for.

00:16:50 [Speaker 4]
And I don’t Mhmm.

00:16:52 [Alison]
Like, it’s it’s morbid and it’s hard to think about, but I’m so glad and I tell them this.
00:16:57 [Alison]
I’m so glad they’re thinking about it.
00:16:59 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:16:59 [Alison]
And not because it’s something like that though for people to make the purchase.
00:17:03 [Alison]
So Yep.

00:17:04 [Alison]
It’s totally a wall.
00:17:05 [Alison]
Absolutely.
00:17:06 [Alison]
For me, like, I know my boys I’ve I’ve been saying six months, but the teen the twin teen years, the growth that’s happening right now with my boys is rivaling the toddler years, and we haven’t had photos.
00:17:18 [Alison]
Like, I I made sure we did a family session a mini session this fall because my kids have grown so much in the last eighteen months, and we had no photos since we had moved here in 2023.
00:17:27 [Alison]
I’ve got a friend that she’s got her own boys.

00:17:30 [Alison]
She’s incredibly gifted creative photographer.
00:17:33 [Alison]
I’m hiring her.
00:17:34 [Alison]
I actually reached out to her yesterday.
00:17:36 [Alison]
I’m paying her today to do our photos before she leaves the summer because she is who I I know she’s getting her own.
00:17:42 [Alison]
Wall that she’s leaving.

00:17:43 [Alison]
She’s leaving.
00:17:44 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:17:45 [Alison]
But I know she can handle it because she’s got her own boys.
00:17:47 [Alison]
Right?
00:17:48 [Alison]
Like, she can handle my crew.

00:17:49 [Alison]
And that’s what’s really important to me.
00:17:51 [Alison]
And and I want her creative juices.
00:17:52 [Alison]
I don’t want just a family photo.
00:17:54 [Alison]
Like, while I want that, like, I want I want what she can offer.
00:17:57 [Alison]
Yeah.

00:17:57 [Melissa]
But you

00:17:57 [Speaker 4]
just hit on another UVP of, like, having a big if you have, like, a lot of kids that can be your UVP where you’re like, hey.
00:18:03 [Speaker 4]
I like Allison, she’s got four boys.
00:18:04 [Speaker 4]
She can handle your kids.
00:18:05 [Speaker 4]
Like, that’s another one that can save you a heart.

00:18:08 [Alison]
Bring me your crazy.
00:18:09 [Alison]
Bring Yeah.

00:18:09 [Kristin]
And that’s why when you tell your story and they see they see these on Instagram stories or wherever you do, like, your everyday type of, like, raw stuff, like, you become relatable.
00:18:18 [Kristin]
Right?
00:18:18 [Kristin]
Like

00:18:19 [Speaker 4]
Yeah.
00:18:20 [Speaker 4]
Hey there, photographers.
00:18:21 [Speaker 4]
Struggling with what to blog about?
00:18:23 [Speaker 4]
Tired of staring at that blinky cursor, waiting for inspiration to strike?
00:18:26 [Speaker 4]
Yeah.

00:18:27 [Speaker 4]
We’ve all been there.
00:18:28 [Speaker 4]
That is why I created the blogging club.
00:18:30 [Speaker 4]
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00:18:31 [Speaker 4]
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00:18:34 [Speaker 4]
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00:18:36 [Speaker 4]
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00:18:48 [Speaker 4]
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00:18:51 [Speaker 4]
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00:18:55 [Speaker 4]
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00:19:04 [Alison]
How does all of this affect our messaging?
00:19:06 [Alison]
What does the UVP matter?
00:19:08 [Alison]
Where do we use this?
00:19:09 [Alison]
What do we repeat?

00:19:10 [Kristin]
So first of all, branding, it’s going to be increase your brain recognition, right?
00:19:14 [Kristin]
So they’re going to read things.
00:19:16 [Kristin]
They’re gonna remember your colors.
00:19:17 [Kristin]
Like, the eye people all the time go like, this looks like your brand.
00:19:21 [Kristin]
Did you do this?

00:19:22 [Kristin]
You know?
00:19:22 [Kristin]
Because they just pick up on that.
00:19:23 [Kristin]
Right?
00:19:24 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:19:24 [Kristin]
The second thing it’s gonna do, it’s gonna build customer loyalty because, you know, Allison, I’ve done touched her brand so many different times.

00:19:32 [Kristin]
Everyone these 90 people I’ve worked with in the last five years, like, multiple times they’ve hired me.
00:19:37 [Kristin]
Right?
00:19:37 [Kristin]
So Right.
00:19:38 [Kristin]
Because I’m honest, you know, like, we give each other grace.
00:19:42 [Kristin]
Like, you know the clients that you want, So that customer loyalty also will increase their lifetime to you.

00:19:47 [Kristin]
Right?
00:19:48 [Kristin]
Credibility.
00:19:49 [Kristin]
Because if you look mismatched in your, you know, your voice, like, when you have you writing, it’s all different.
00:19:54 [Kristin]
People are like, I don’t know if AI wrote that.
00:19:56 [Kristin]
Or, like, what’s going on?

00:19:57 [Kristin]
And Yeah.
00:19:58 [Kristin]
You know?
00:19:58 [Kristin]
So, like, you just have to have a common voice in how you speak.
00:20:02 [Kristin]
So that would be just credibility because the faster you can grow that trust, the faster you can get clients.
00:20:07 [Kristin]
Again, the UVP is gonna differentiate your business because that’s a big one.

00:20:12 [Kristin]
And my favorite thing is you can charge a premium.
00:20:15 [Kristin]
So if you sound good, you they trust you, you know, you have the look.
00:20:21 [Kristin]
It doesn’t have to be, like, this luxurious brand, but, like Mhmm.
00:20:24 [Kristin]
It’s minimal and it is not crowded your site and they can easily offers, like, you can charge more because they know you worked hard and your credibility just went, you know, like, way up.
00:20:37 [Kristin]
I think that’s one of my favorite things in branding is, like, people are so nervous about starting a business or moving a business.

00:20:44 [Kristin]
Get behind your brand.
00:20:46 [Kristin]
Stand tall.
00:20:47 [Kristin]
Repeat that UVP on social media.
00:20:49 [Kristin]
Hey.
00:20:50 [Kristin]
I am saying every day, one piece of that UVP needs to be on social media every day in some form or fashion, and people are gonna start they’ll start remembering it.

00:20:59 [Kristin]
Right?
00:21:00 [Kristin]
Use it.
00:21:01 [Kristin]
Gotta use it.
00:21:02 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:21:02 [Kristin]
On a website and forget about it.

00:21:04 [Alison]
Exactly.
00:21:04 [Alison]
So repeating it, we’re talking website, social media captions, blogging, email marketing, client emails, any client interaction.
00:21:13 [Alison]
I mean, some of the things I’ve said now actually say on the phone to all my discovery calls.
00:21:18 [Alison]
Like, I tell I open every conversation with, I think I mentioned it before, I’m a mom of four.
00:21:23 [Alison]
They’ve informed my entire approach to photography, which is fast, fun, done.

00:21:27 [Kristin]
And that means

00:21:28 [Alison]
and then I go into my whole process of what how I have served them and how I but, yeah, speaking to the premium price, yes.
00:21:35 [Alison]
I am charging more now.
00:21:37 [Alison]
I’ve I’ve increased my prices for 2025.
00:21:39 [Alison]
I’ve been a virtual IPS photographer for two, three years now.
00:21:43 [Alison]
I can’t even remember.

00:21:44 [Alison]
And I just keep increasing my prices because it’s all coming together.
00:21:48 [Alison]
And here’s the deal.
00:21:49 [Alison]
I don’t have a luxury brand.
00:21:51 [Alison]
I am not a studio photographer, you know, a lot of motherhoods or it’s like a client closet and hair and makeup’s included, and you’re selling artwork all over the place.
00:21:59 [Alison]
I don’t sell that much wall art.

00:22:01 [Alison]
I sell prints in the form of albums and, but I am charging a premium for a service.
00:22:07 [Alison]
That’s not a luxury brand and I’m making 4 figures, multiple 4 figures per session.
00:22:11 [Alison]
So yeah, it’s working.
00:22:12 [Alison]
And my clients aren’t fussy.
00:22:14 [Alison]
I get to work with people who are like, oh, I don’t care.

00:22:16 [Alison]
We just, we trust you.
00:22:17 [Alison]
I don’t care.
00:22:18 [Alison]
Like, whatever you think.
00:22:19 [Alison]
I’m like, okay.
00:22:20 [Alison]
You’ve got 20 people coming.

00:22:21 [Alison]
You don’t have a shot list, honey.
00:22:23 [Alison]
Right.
00:22:23 [Alison]
Let me start let me write one for you.
00:22:24 [Alison]
You know?
00:22:24 [Alison]
I’m like, yeah.

00:22:25 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:22:25 [Alison]
We trust you.
00:22:26 [Alison]
Oh, yeah.
00:22:26 [Alison]
That would be good.
00:22:26 [Alison]
That’d be good.

00:22:27 [Alison]
You know?
00:22:27 [Alison]
Cool.
00:22:27 [Alison]
Cool.
00:22:27 [Alison]
Cool.
00:22:28 [Alison]
And it’s so much fun because they’re one of

00:22:30 [Kristin]
the best I do clients.
00:22:31 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:22:32 [Kristin]
No.
00:22:32 [Kristin]
Tell me what I need.
00:22:34 [Kristin]
How much do is it don’t let you care about how much it costs.

00:22:36 [Kristin]
They’re just like, here’s my card.
00:22:37 [Kristin]
Just tell me, you know, like, that’s when you when you get those clients, you’re like, okay.

00:22:42 [Speaker 4]
This is

00:22:42 [Kristin]
how it’s supposed to work.
00:22:43 [Kristin]
You know?

00:22:43 [Alison]
It’s fantastic.
00:22:44 [Alison]
And they’re out And that’s

00:22:45 [Kristin]
why it’s okay to not get you get when you get the to that point, then you’re like, when you don’t get clients, like, this person says no, you’re like, that’s good because that’s probably wasn’t gonna be a good one for me anyway.
00:22:56 [Kristin]
Like Yeah.
00:22:57 [Kristin]
So You see yeah.

00:22:59 [Alison]
I’ve I’ve gotten much better at identifying those red flags and kind of, answering questions for not moving forward.
00:23:06 [Alison]
It gets bad.

00:23:07 [Kristin]
That’s not really good form intake.
00:23:09 [Kristin]
Like, so you can really ask the right questions so you’ll know the answer that you wanna work with them or not, you know?

00:23:15 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:23:15 [Alison]
So okay.
00:23:16 [Alison]
So what is one actionable item our listeners can do right now to help them jump start this process?

00:23:22 [Kristin]
I can get your UVP.
00:23:23 [Kristin]
So, well, I’m, like, two to three brand colors.
00:23:26 [Kristin]
Stick with it.
00:23:26 [Kristin]
Don’t go be like, you can have five, but I’m talking five with a white and a dark, you know, but, like, three colors that you use.
00:23:33 [Kristin]
Right?

00:23:34 [Kristin]
So my I live in my brand colors too.
00:23:35 [Kristin]
So, like, hot pink, this is one of my brand colors.
00:23:37 [Kristin]
Right?
00:23:38 [Kristin]
So but, anyway, the, so my closet and all that is it’s for my

00:23:42 [Alison]
Okay.
00:23:43 [Alison]
There’s a

00:23:44 [Kristin]
Yeah.
00:23:44 [Kristin]
So I’m really being into that whole thing too, the seasonal color analysis.
00:23:47 [Kristin]
So Yeah.
00:23:48 [Kristin]
But, anyway, do get your colors right and use them the same everywhere you are, wear them.
00:23:53 [Kristin]
Because when you take a selfie, you’re in your colors, you post on Instagram, you’re you know, it’s all cohesive.

00:23:59 [Kristin]
Right?
00:24:00 [Kristin]
Yep.
00:24:00 [Kristin]
Okay.
00:24:01 [Kristin]
Do that.
00:24:02 [Kristin]
Then I would say do no.

00:24:04 [Kristin]
Get your UVP set.
00:24:05 [Kristin]
First of all, know your likes and what you dislike about your business and how it runs.
00:24:09 [Kristin]
Right?
00:24:09 [Kristin]
Like Right.
00:24:09 [Kristin]
So you’re doing your shoots or whatever.

00:24:12 [Kristin]
What do you do differently?
00:24:13 [Kristin]
And I would say on your site, you can kinda do, like, a feature, like, a three section feature, and it does, like, why we’re different and put them in there.
00:24:24 [Kristin]
Like, right after the scroll where you have, like, who we are or how we help you, the next section on your website, the next scroll section should be, like, your three features of, like and then it’s calls out your three UVPs.
00:24:35 [Kristin]
Then you have your call to action right there, like, book a call, fill out this form, whatever it is.
00:24:40 [Kristin]
But I you have to be like, it’s not

00:24:42 [Alison]
a book.
00:24:43 [Alison]
Yeah.
00:24:43 [Alison]
And getting started, getting that, those three UVP points started.
00:24:48 [Alison]
It really is more like branding is really more of a journey.
00:24:51 [Alison]
It really is.

00:24:52 [Alison]
It’s going to change.
00:24:53 [Alison]
Like it’s a journey to figure out what you like and what you like is going to morph with your life stage too.
00:24:58 [Alison]
I used to love the tiny, teeny tiny kids and I do like them.
00:25:02 [Alison]
But as my kids have gotten older, I have grown to appreciate all ages of kids.
00:25:07 [Alison]
Like I really do enjoy the toddlers, but there are a lot that I have less of now, but I still enjoy them.

00:25:14 [Alison]
You know?
00:25:15 [Alison]
I enjoy the teenagers more.
00:25:16 [Alison]
I’m not weirded out by teenagers anymore because I have some.

00:25:19 [Speaker 4]
Yeah.
00:25:20 [Speaker 4]
Well,

00:25:20 [Alison]
awesome.
00:25:21 [Alison]
Well, thank you so much, Kristen.
00:25:22 [Alison]
We’re gonna put all the relevant links.
00:25:24 [Alison]
You can reach out to Kristen in the show notes, so make sure you check that out.
00:25:27 [Alison]
Thanks for being here, guys.

00:25:28 [Melissa]
I appreciate it.
00:25:29 [Melissa]
Thank you.
00:25:31 [Melissa]
Thank you so much for listening.
00:25:32 [Melissa]
If you’re enjoying the show, would you do two things for us?
00:25:35 [Melissa]
First, leave a review.

00:25:36 [Melissa]
Just stars would be awesome.
00:25:38 [Melissa]
And two, forward this episode to a biz bestie, nil spouse, or anyone facing moving their business.
00:25:43 [Melissa]
We’d love it if you shared this episode with even just one person.
00:25:46 [Melissa]
If you have questions, you can reach out to Allison on Instagram at Allison Belle Photog, or you can find me, Melissa, in my Facebook group, Picture Perfect.
00:25:55 [Melissa]
Check the show notes for links, and we’re so excited to have you guys here.