Effective Personal Brand, Personal brand, personal branding, elements of a personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita headshot, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita business video

The Most Underrated Element Of An Effective Personal Brand

Kirsten QuinnHeadshots, Professional Portrait, Video, Visual Marketing

When it comes to marketing, we want to do all the things all the time. But the most underrated element of an effective personal brand is the ONE THING you need first. 

Effective Personal Brand, Personal brand, personal branding, elements of a personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita headshot, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita business video

There’s nothing more frustrating than purchasing a product or service only to realize the brand lacks the follow-through to fulfill on its promises. 

You order a product online, for example, and purchase expedited shipping – only to see the package arrive one day too late. 

You let a salesperson get your hopes up that their service will solve your problems – only to fall into yet another sales trap with undelivered results. 

It could even be as simple as checking a store’s hours online – only to discover the store owner closed up early without so much as a notice on Facebook. 

There’s nothing that upsets a customer more than a lack of follow-through. And if you’ve ever been a disappointed customer, then you know how easy it is to burn a lead and lose a forever client with one single mistake. 

Now, none of us is perfect. All business owners make mistakes, and you can’t beat yourself up about an occasional lost customer or a one-time mistake in the system. 

The problem comes when there’s a break in the system that’s affecting multiple customers or leads. 

That’s why, today, we’re talking about one of the most underrated elements of an effective personal brand for small businesses: follow-through. 

The Most Important Aspect Of An Effective Personal Brand: Follow-through

Effective Personal Brand, Personal brand, personal branding, elements of a personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita headshot, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita business videoFollow-through: It’s one of the hardest things to manage when you’re juggling 15 balls in the air and you feel like it’s all about to come crashing down on your head at any second. It’s all you can do to make sure the train keeps moving – there’s no time to circle back and make sure the things you already set in motion are still going along as planned.
But here’s the thing: You have to

In business, follow-through is just another word for reputation – and reputation is your most important commodity as a brand. 

So what’s the solution? For us, it’s automation, along with a healthy system of checks and balances. We design streamlined workflows for each phase of business: lead generation, response to inquiries, onboarding, production, delivery of the final product and nurturing to create repeat customers. 

That’s why we wanted to share a few of our favorite tips for creating an effective personal brand.

And guess what … NOW is the perfect time to set these processes in place, especially if you have some downtime or business is slow. So let’s dive in.

4 Common Trouble Spots & Solutions To Help You Follow Through

Here are some of the most common ways small businesses struggle with follow-through – plus solutions to help you stay on track – so you can create an effective personal brand. 

1. Missing Out On Leads → Quick, Streamlined Lead Follow-up 

Today, there are so many ways for potential clients to make contact – social media, email, phone calls, networking groups, messaging apps, word of mouth, etc. – that keeping up with leads can be a challenge even when business is slow. One solution is to make the response process as quick and easy as possible, so you have the time to check all communication channels without leaving anyone out. 

For example, we’ve had clients create a series of sales videos that can easily be sent to potential clients on any platform. We suggest creating a video for each phase of the sales process: 

  • Brand Identity: What are your core values? What does your business stand for? 
  • Brand Awareness: Why you? What makes your brand a better choice than the competition? 
  • Sales: What are the benefits of using your products or services? How can they help solve your clients’ problems? 
  • Client Education: What’s it like to work with you? How can people get started with you?

2. Random Social Media Posting → Consistent, Branded Presence 

Effective Personal Brand, Personal brand, personal branding, elements of a personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita headshot, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita business videoSocial media is one of those tasks that feels never-ending yet never enough. Even when we do keep up with posting on a regular schedule, we often post just to post – sending out meaningless content that dilutes the brand just for the sake of “keeping up.” Yet it’s a vital piece of an effective personal brand. 

The fix is easy enough, but it does require some follow-through. In order to feel good about what we’re posting, we have to love the social media content we have on hand. That means great photographs and graphics that make us feel good, paired with messages that feel important to us. We recommend a professional photo shoot that’s custom designed to meet your social media needs. That way, when it comes time to post content on social media, you’re excited and inspired by the beautiful images you can share with your community. 

At SchlickArt, there are plenty of options to find exactly what you need. For a more casual, approachable brand, try an in-studio lifestyle shoot, which captures you doing you. For a local brand, opt for an outdoor shoot with popular Santa Clarita destinations as your backdrop, or we can shoot at your business location. Want it all? Choose a combination shoot that starts outdoors and finishes in the studio to create the most variety for your feed. 

3. Outdated Website → Fresh, Engaging Digital Storefront 

There’s always more to be done when it comes to updating your website – yet it’s one of those projects that feels larger than life and way too overwhelming. So we put it off as long as we can, all the while allowing our digital storefronts to lose their luster, as well as the opportunity to attract new clients. It’s yet another missed opportunity that’s always on our list to correct. 

So what’s the solution? The first thing you need before starting a website rebrand is content to give your web designer. That means fresh professional images, video and written copy. At SchlickArt, we can help you get all the visuals done in one easy session. Come to the studio, dressed in your best, for a Professional Portraits session, and once you’re finished step in front of the camera for a quick shoot. We’ll ask you all the right questions to create foundational videos, including: 

  • Our Story: The story of your business
  • Our Why: The reason why you love what you do 
  • Our Services: An overview of your products/services 
  • Meet the Team: An introduction to the people who make your company go round
  • Community Involvement: How you give back to the community you serve 

And if you need a good web designer, we recommend the brilliant minds behind SchlickArt.com: Stark Social Media Agency.  

4. Letting Past Customers Drop Off → Easily Nurture Clients Over Time

Effective Personal Brand, Personal brand, personal branding, elements of a personal brand, Santa Clarita photographer, Santa Clarita photography, Santa Clarita headshot, Santa Clarita video, Santa Clarita videographer, Santa Clarita business videoWhen it comes to keeping someone’s business, one of the things that can really make a difference is the little things. Even the smallest gesture can make a current client feel special, and that’s enough to inspire loyalty and build a relationship that lasts. The problem is: How do you personally reach out to each client without taking time away from all the other super important tasks on your list? 

One of our clients, the Elite Title Team of Chicago Title, came into the studio to shoot a series of videos that capture personal messages for their clients. For example, they shot videos that said happy birthday, happy Thanksgiving, happy holidays and more. Then, when a special occasion comes up, they can send a personalized email with one the video messages attached. The whole process can even be automated by a good CRM or email delivery system. Just like that, you’ve created an automatic way to stay personally engaged with each of your clients.

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 you create an effective personal brand. 

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. That’s what we can an effective personal brand! 

About Lindsay’s Photography for Women

With the mind of a businesswoman and the heart of an adventurer, Lindsay began to conceive of a different kind of Santa Clarita photography business. In her vision, stepping in front of the camera could be an empowering experience that gave her clients more than just a photograph — it would give people a new way of seeing themselves. With an eye for seeing the beauty in life and in others, Lindsay could use the camera to spread beauty.

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.