Personal branding for small businesses, Santa Clarita, personal branding, Personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita headshots, local marketing, marketing for small businesses, video marketing in Santa Clarita

5 Benefits Of Personal Branding For Small Businesses In Santa Clarita

Kirsten QuinnHeadshots, Professional Portrait, Video, Visual Marketing

So you’ve heard about personal branding for small businesses, but you’re not totally convinced. Then check out the benefits for your Santa Clarita business. 

Personal branding for small businesses, Santa Clarita, personal branding, Personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita headshots, local marketing, marketing for small businesses, video marketing in Santa Clarita

So you’ve heard of personal branding for small businesses, but you’re not buying into it. Maybe you do business based on word-of-mouth, and that works for you.  

Well, that’s great. But will it always work for you? Is it working well enough

The world is changing, and what works now may not be what works a year from now. 

That’s why today, we’re discussing the impact of a strong personal brand. 

The 5 Benefits Of Personal Branding For Small Businesses in Santa Clarita 

Recently on the blog, we talked about personal branding: What is it, and how do you create it with intention? Today, let’s look at the proven benefits personal branding for small businesses in Santa Clarita. 

Personal branding for small businesses, Santa Clarita, personal branding, Personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita headshots, local marketing, marketing for small businesses, video marketing in Santa Clarita

1. Gives You Control Of Your Reputation

Personal branding for small businesses, Santa Clarita, personal branding, Personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita headshots, local marketing, marketing for small businesses, video marketing in Santa ClaritaWhether we like it or not, reputation can have a big impact on our ability to do business, especially in such a tight-knit community as Santa Clarita. No matter how hard we try to run a business with integrity, kindness and consideration, you can’t please everyone, and part of doing business is knowing that there will be fires to put out. That’s why it’s so important to handle them correctly — instead of letting them handle you. 

Personal branding for small businesses is both your shield against reputation attacks, as well as your best weapon once you’ve heard a complaint. Take Yelp, for instance. One negative review is nothing against an entire online “portfolio” of positive blogs, videos, social posts, reviews and other digital collateral. There’s way more positive information out there, and the negative review clearly looks like the outlier. If you have virtually no online presence, however, then one negative review speaks for itself. 

2. Builds Awareness & Audience With Intention

Personal branding for small businesses, Santa Clarita, personal branding, Personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita headshots, local marketing, marketing for small businesses, video marketing in Santa ClaritaIf you’re trying to increase awareness about your business and build an online audience, one of the best things you can do is develop a personal brand — and hire employees with strong personal brands, too.

Personal branding is the first step of building an online audience. For example, you wouldn’t launch a huge print mailer campaign without first getting your brand down, right? Even to create a single flyer, you need a logo, headshot, brand colors, brand fonts and other images. Otherwise you can’t even create the flyer in the first place. Online personal branding is the same way. If you want to launch a social media campaign to attract followers, then you need to have the personal brand in place, first. 

From a company standpoint, you want your target audience to be able to find and follow you online if you’re hoping to get leads or prospects. Well, on average, employees have 10 times more followers than their company’s social media accounts, and when brand messages are shared by employees on social media, they get 561% more reach than the same messages shared by the small business’ company social media channels. Additionally, leads developed through employees’ social media activities convert 7 times more frequently than other leads.

3. Increases Trust, Credibility & Authority

Personal branding for small businesses, Santa Clarita, personal branding, Personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita headshots, local marketing, marketing for small businesses, video marketing in Santa ClaritaStatistics show that most people consider a basic online search to be the most trusted source of information about a company, and that applies to individuals, as well. I’m sure you’ve Googled a person before, just to see if they walk the walk. Searching someone online to determine their trust and authority is already a habit that’s made its way into our lives. Don’t you want to control the results of that search by establishing a personal brand with intention? 

Imagine someone Googles “best Realtor in Santa Clarita” and your perfectly polished headshot pops up next to a blog that features your recent market update. In the video section, a bright, glowing video captures you explaining common misconceptions about the home buying process. Every word, image and link is perfectly branded to communicate your expertise, professionalism and mission. That is how you create an online personal brand that commands trust, credibility and authority. 

4. Attracts Powerful New Online Connections

In addition to protecting your reputation online, personal branding for small businesses can help you build a name for yourself in your community — and even build important partnerships. For example, 53% percent of decision makers have eliminated a vendor from consideration based on information they did or did not find about an employee online. Whether you’re a B2B business, looking to form strong partnerships, or applying for a job, you won’t get very far without an online presence these days. 

5. Creates A New Sense Of Confidence With Differentiation 

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Lastly, building your personal brand helps you see yourself in a new light, as well. By presenting your most professional, competent self, you begin to step into the brand you’re creating in a more powerful way than ever before. You’re investing in yourself, and that has a big effect on your commitment to your business. It gives you a new sense of confidence. 

In addition to a hop in your step, personal branding also gives you the opportunity to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Right off the bat, having a presence in the first place puts you ahead of all the others who don’t. But it also separates you from those who do exist online. If your competitor sells based on a speedy delivery, for example, then you have the opportunity to become the local expert in your market who delivers quality. It allows you to carve out your corner of the market, so you can hone in on the clients who like the way you do business.

About SchlickArt Photography and Video

SchlickArt, a boutique photo and video studio in Santa Clarita, started in March 2012 with the simple idea that empowerment creates a kind of beauty and authenticity that shines through every camera lens. Built on a philosophy — rather than a product, service or person — SchlickArt has rapidly evolved, meeting professional portraiture, business photo and business video needs as diverse as the community we capture. It’s the desire to take care of you, the client, that drives us at SchlickArt.

About Our Quality Video Marketing in Santa Clarita 

With years of professional experience, Brian not only has an eye for crisp visuals and engaging shots — but also an ear for powerful storytelling. In his vision, marketing video should communicate the why behind your business and present it to the world in the most compelling visual format possible. With a camera in his hand, Brian can turn a vision into reality and business-as-usual marketing videos into an opportunity to connect. 

Visual Marketing In Santa Clarita 

At SchlickArt, we offer more than photography and video services to the Santa Clarita area and beyond. We do our best to provide our clients with marketing expertise and direction every chance we get. We know you need your images and video to help grow your business — that’s why you invest in them, and that’s why do, too. Please take a minute to search through our blogs to find the visual marketing information that will help your business, or give us a call. We’re happy to help!