Business Brand vs. Personal Brand

Are you growing a business brand or a personal brand? If you are scratching your head right now- I know the feeling. I was asked this same question years ago when I was a few years into my photography business. My initial thought was, “which is better?” That answer can vary depending on your business, but in order to make an informed decision, it’s important to educate yourself on the benefits of both.

Business brands are great for companies where multiple people are running the business. Business brands also allow you to sell your business at any time since there is no face associated with the business.

With a business brand, your marketing should share your products and services. As a photographer, I could have a business brand and share images from my sessions but also educate my clients on aspects of photography like “how to book the right photographer” or “what to wear to your engagement or brand session.”

To summarize, the benefits of a business brand:
*You don’t have to show your face to your audience
*You can educate and show off your products and services
*Multiple people can help with the company
*You can sell it at any time

Examples of Business Brands:
*Apple
*Nike
*Bubbly Water
*Most brick and mortars

There are some great pieces to a business brand; however, there are also some downfalls. One of my favorite quotes comes from Seth Godin: “People do not buy goods & services. They buy relations, stories & magic.” When there is no face to the business, people don’t trust it as much.

I was listening to a podcast where Dave Ramsey said something very similar. He argued that bigger companies, even Apple, need a face to the name so customers can have a guide that can transform them. That way, the customer is the hero of the story, and the product or service becomes something they seek to transform. Or in other words, the customer will want your product or service because it will help them.

This is why personal brands are so powerful! When you are the face of your product or service, you become someone your customer can trust, love, and relate to.

Benefits of a personal brand:
*allows you to have multiple services and offerings
*you can pivot your business at any point
*grow a real connection and following
*you can share who you are and build your own audience
*audience becomes your referral partners- they will recommend you to everyone!

Examples of personal brands:
*Celebrities (Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, etc.)
*Bloggers
*People with more than one business (the Sharks from Shark Tank)
*Coaches (life and health)
*Online educators (people with online courses)
*Authors of self-help books/courses
*Influencers for wellness, outdoors, fashion
*Solopreneurs

The hardest part of a personal brand is putting yourself out there. Another important thing to note about a personal brand is that if you ever want to sell your current business, there is a transition that needs to happen as well so as you step away from being the face of your business, customers won’t drop off.

I offer both business branding and personal branding sessions because every business is different. Before I do any session, I always present my clients with this information to see what fits their needs best as they grow and develop. If you want more information on growing a business brand or a personal brand, feel free to reach out to me by commenting on the post where you saw the link to my blog.

Here are a few other blogs that might help as well!
https://angeladivinephotography.com/personal-brand-photography/
https://angeladivinephotography.com/head-shot-vs-brand-photography/

Thanks for reading, friends!