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Has this ever happened to you?

You have the perfect outfit on and you ready to take those website photos you’ve spent days envisioning. But then the photographer holds that darn camera up and you freeze.

Every pose feels awkward, which causes you to worry that all these images are going to look terrible…and that only makes things worse.

How did this happen? Because you didn’t hear this advice I am going to share with you right now.

It’s photoshoot advice I learned in this interview with the highly rated photographer Kamron Kahn.

“Have a conversation”

When you have conversations with your photographer both before and during the photoshoot you will have the best experience and the best looking photos you can imagine.

Watch this episode of BrandTV to see how this works, plus:

• Get behind the scenes footage of an actual photoshoot
• How to be natural getting your photos taken
• What is the place to get your photos taken
• The number #1 thing you should know before a photoshoot

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Hope that you are feeling the love today, and it does not have to be for another person it could also just be for yourself.

I was racking my brain last weekend about today’s episode of BrandTV. I was going to talk about running a business while being in a relationship, but it didn’t feel right.

So I spent hours on the web just thinking of topic ideas and then I stumbled upon some pretty amazing websites by female entrepreneurs, and it was like love at first site!

your website should be something that you and your audience love so what better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day then to talk about creating a lovable website.

In this episode of BrandTV, I teach you the 5 features that must be on your homepage to make sure it resonates with your audience and generates leads. A few entrepreneurs, also, were gracious enough to let me feature their website, so I also show you some example websites. And to spice things up a bit I may or may not have done a music video to sing about my love of websites 

5 Features

1. Deliver a clear message
2. Make an emotional connection
3. Present your brand
4. Call people to action
5. Designed for the user experience

Don’t forget to share your website in the comments section and let me know which feature you are going to improve on your website!

Do you know your Brand Style? Take the Brand Style Quiz to find out!

So I went to Sephora interested in trying on some new beauty products because I am a total NOOB when it comes to all things beauty, and needed guidance on beauty product purchases. Well you know when you go in a store and all the sales associates are asking you if they can help you or “is there anything you are looking for in particular today?” Well this not only makes me feel sold to but also overwhelmed. I politely thanked them, said I was not interested, browsed a little, and then walked out.

I knew I wanted to buy some new products but there were so many sales associates in the store so I did not know who I wanted to turn to for help.

COACH LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
So after walking around the mall and eating horrible food court food I went back into Sephora. The process happened all over again – a ton of sales associates approached me and I politely declined assistance. For about 5 minutes, I walked around the store and glanced at different products, then like a Hollywood love story a sales associate caught my eye.

3 WAYS MY COACH ATTRACTED ME AS A CLIENT
She was wearing the same uniform as everyone else but there were a few things about her I was drawn to. The first was the way she did her makeup it truly reflected her outer beauty because it was not over the top and had a hint of her style also her shoes they were a cool looking pair of flats with bold colors and patterns. I started to lurk around her like a stalker because she was helping another customer. This is when I identified the third characteristic, the way she helped her customer. I observed that unlike the other sales associates that were just showing people products she was having a conversation with her customer and asking them what they want to look and feel like with a certain beauty product. It was like she was holding a coaching session. And that was when I saw the fourth thing that drew me to her – her personality. Her personality was in the way she carried herself, her clothes, her hair, and even how she talked. All these things were branding but she did not know she was doing it.

I patiently waited 15 minutes until she finished with her other customer. As soon as they parted, dove between her and a pack of teenage girls dressed like Miley Cyrus to make sure I was next. I was victorious. Working with Britany was worth the wait, she taught me so much about how to evaluate makeup for my skin type. Not only did I purchase a good amount of product that day but she is now my go to person anytime I go to buy beauty products.

THE BRANDING TIPS BREAKDOWN

So lets review again how she gained my trust and my business:
1. Judge a Book By its Cover: We as humans are visually oriented, which means that before we commit to anything, be it time or money, we look at the presentation and how appealing it is to us. Let’s face it your brand will be judged on appearance because in this digital age that is the first thing people encounter. So to ensure that people do not discount you because your appearance looks janky work on creating a clean cohesive brand identity that reflects your awesomeness.

2. Personality: Even though Brittany was wearing the same uniform as everyone else and selling the same type of products as the other associates her personality made her stand out as welcoming and nurturing. It is so important that you be yourself and let your personality shine across all your points of interaction with your audience.

3. Approach/Promise: Once I went past the superficial and actually got to witness and experience the way Brittany helped people I trusted her and knew that she would fulfill her promise in whatever she offered. The value of your brand is really measured by how well you fulfill your promise because it shows your audience how trustworthy you are and if they can consistently depend on you to solve their needs and desires.

So as you go through re-branding your business remember these tips so that you can stand out from the sea of other coaches in your field.

If you ever prepped for a photo shoot/branded video shoot or have one coming up the first question asked is “What should I wear?”

Even on social media I frequently see the question: I have a photo shoot coming up but I do not know what to wear…HELP!

This is a great and important question because the clothing you wear in a photo-shoot or a promo video says a lot about you and you want to make sure you are showing your true self.

For this episode of BrandTV I had this whole intro planned to Beyonce’s Freakcum Dress but after watching the raw videos my voice was way too froggy. So sadly this episode does not have my usual intro’s but don’t worry I have something planned for next week 

To help you prep for your next shoot I am joined by online personal stylist Daniela Guido owner of SilverLining (silverliningstylist.com) someone that I absolutely adore.

Growing up in Brazil, Daniela’s favorite thing to do was to help her grandmother design and tailor beautiful clothes for her family. As a result, she developed a loving and healthy relationship with fashion. And now, she works with clients from all over the world to dress their best and have fun with their style.

Watch the episode here

Happy Early New Year Brand Star

I hope that as this year comes to a close, you are able to get all the things you wanted to get accomplished this year completed so you can start fresh next year.

I have so many stories to share with you all involving lessons that have helped me in my business and my life, and I know they can help you too.

Many business owners struggle with sharing in their business, and while they can easily promote their business to their audience, they do not know how to project their personality through their message.

Have you ever had this issue when writing a blog/newsletter, a social media post, or putting together a video?

When you only promote in your business, it can be a turn off to people. They no longer feel like they are connecting with an individual, but rather to a corporate machine – and you are definitely not that.

In today’s episode of BrandTV, I provide you with a strategy to help you choose stories from your personal life that you can share to promote your business.

How has your new year been so far? What wins have you already scored?

The new year is the time to set goals and aspire through your resolutions. I myself have set a ton of goals for this year and have the “challenge accepted” attitude to get them done.

But as you know, it is so easy to fall short on your New Year goals because life happens.

You probably set some awesome goals for your business and your brand that is going to propel your business even further.

So to ensure that you accomplish those goals I share the three common branding goals people set in the new year and provide some strategies to achieve those goals.

Do you think of yourself as Mediocre? As an entrepreneur you are already a step up from the average population but when you look around the entrepreneur pool do you feel unexceptional or ordinary?

When I started my branding business I realized there are a ton of people in this industry and a lot of us have similar offerings BUT what sets us apart is the why behind what we do, the how behind what we do, and who we are.

What hurts business owners in any field is being mediocre. It is not enough to just offer something to the world because there are probably thousands of other people offering it making it easy to get lost in the sea of mediocrity.

More than ever as an online business owner it is so important that as Madonna said you Express Yourself that you be real and be you in your business.

In this episode of BrandTV I reveal why Lady Gaga is Forbes Richest Women in the Music Industry and it is not because she can sing because there are a lot equally talented female artist out there. So whether you are a fan of Lady Gaga (aka a little monster) or not there is a lesson you can learn from her success.

Do you ever wake up feeling crappy about yourself and your situation?

Let me be frank, do you feel like you just suck and you have zero confidence in anything you do?

Well I felt like that for a solid month! When I took the leap and really started to pursue my interest, which led me to entrepreneurship, I had so much doubt. I questioned everything I did, and when I put something out there I would throw Pity Parties about all the mistakes I made. It is so easy to fall into uncertainty and skepticism as an entrepreneur because everything comes from you so it is not just business – it’s personal. The thing you have to remember  is that you are doing something you love and you are daring to be extraordinary, which means you are already winning at life. When I lacked trust in myself I would need a serious boost of confidence to get me back in the game, so in this episode of BrandTV I share with you the 3 lessons Beyonce taught me about confidence.

Remember these 3 Lessons

1. Have an Affirmation Mantra

2. Hone your Skills

3. Let Go of Green Pearls

Bonus way to boost your confidence is to plan ahead and that is why I created a 2015 Digital Day Planner to help you succeed in your business.

Did you know I was in the hair industry?

Yep I owned a business called Curly Hair School where I taught women how to grow healthy curly hair. This was back when I had a huge afro (see picture here)

Did you also know that before launching that business I spent two months just trying to come up with the name?

Two friggin months (I too look back and question my sanity).

The first month I was coming up with all kinds of quirky names like The Hair Plan and spending a good amount of money on domain names (PS be ware of buying domains names like candy – it’s addictive).

The last week of the second month I actually did something effective. I researched the keywords people were searching for when they googled anything on hair care, and sure enough Curly Hair was one of the top results, which is how the name Curly Hair School was selected.

When I was coming up with the name for my branding business I nearly made the same mistake of loosing time trying to come up with a clever name for my business. I ended up with Kimika Hudson and learned that is was the smartest decision I ever made.

It is very easy to get stuck on what I call the Name Game (naming your business or naming your product) because you want the perfect name that represents you. But taking a lot of time trying to find that unique or clever name may not be the best idea.In this episode of BrandTV, I am joined by Susie Romans, online business coach and marketing consultant, who provides some strategies and tips for naming your next program, product, or service.

We also share a few business names and product names to give you examples on how to come up with your business name.

Susie Romans is ruling her digital empire as an online business coach and marketing consultant. With a personal blog that has reached 4.6 Million web visitors, with no advertising, she is redefining what’s possible as a work at home mom and CEO of a thriving business.