Today’s guest helps small business owners create a new level of influence to help land their dream opportunities. This week, we’re chatting with Marlana Semenza, international photographer and visual strategist. She’s worked with athletes, celebrities, WWE Superstars and public figures including Miss North Carolina. She’s going to break down just how we can teach people how to view us.
It’s important to realize when you’re creating a brand and producing images, it isn’t just a pretty picture–it’s a conversation. You have to understand who you’re speaking to and what you’re telling them. It should show them “why you.” What you would be like to be around, be friends with, work with. It’s for you to use to communicate that. Your brand is your business. When people come to work with you, they are coming to you, not your business. You carry that influence with you everywhere you go.
When a business is ready to build a brand and start making connections, it’s crucial that you’re clear about who you’re speaking to. Speak to the “one”–your ideal client. The conversations you have with different people will have different needs, priorities, and goals. Make sure you’re communicating effectively what it is you do and who you serve.
You have to show up on purpose. That means have a strategy and intention for what you’re creating. Don’t just post to post–speak to who you’re speaking to and connect with purpose.
Identify what makes you unique! Consider how you tell your story–you’re more than a photo of you at a computer. What makes you ‘you?’ These images play a huge role in creating your entire brand. By deciding what you want to represent and show up you teach people who to think of you. Steer the conversation.
Marlana’s process starts with an extensive questionnaire that gives her an idea of who you are, what you’re about, and what your social media circumstances are now. From there, a conversation is had that goes beyond the surface-level information the questionnaire offers. That is the jumping-off point. From there, of course, there are in-person photos happen, but also FaceTime photos allow Marlana to take high-quality photos of anybody, anywhere. All with the same process. Expect instead of Marlana Semenza taking the photo, she coaches her clients in positioning, lighting, location, and posing. All that adjustment happens via FaceTime.
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