 This week the local library was crazy enough to let me borrow “Book Yourself Solid”, by Michael Port.
It came highly recommended by a fellow photographer/entrepreneur, Andrew Funderburg, who created one of the speediest, most convenient album design programs in existence.
Only a few chapters in I had what Oprah likes to call an “Ah-ha” moment. I usually refer to them as my “holy crap, why didn’t I think of this before” moments. (when I finally start publishing “N” magazine, maybe I’ll get people to adopt this term, but for now, I’ll use Oprah’s). While discussing self branding in Chapter 3, Port walks you through two questions you should ask yourself to help you communicate to the world: What do you do and why you do it?
Before I go any further, let it be known that I’ve been annoyed by the term “self branding” lately. Its over used and over hyped - which I secretly blame twitter for - but, Port’s perspective felt sincere. Its not about being flashy, instead its about finding the words to simply describe what you do, effectively, and most importantly – WHY you do it.
Most of your competitors will share a similar answer to WHAT you do, for example “I’m a wedding photographer”, but no one will have the same answer for WHY you do it. That’s what stirred up the HCWDITOTB moment! This statement alone can make potential clients fall in love with you without you even knowing it.
If you’ve ever felt discouraged by competition, confused about how to “market” yourself/company or frustrated by all the fluff statements you find floating on the internet, I encourage you to spend time thinking about your WHY. Its empowering knowing that your reason is uniqe and true to you.
You can check out our Michael Port inspired About Us page here.
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