As a model (especially if you’re an independent) maintaining good control of your brand is an important key to your success.
Models are their own brand – your image is your “product” and the activity of modeling is your service. You’re effectively your own company. From that perspective, any company, takes very seriously how their brand is represented. Virtually all companies in existence today have a “brand guide” these are guidelines for how their company name, products, logo, colors etc are to be represented in the marketplace.
Maintaining consistency in your brand leads to its value over time. Take iconic brands like Apple, Nike, Coca Cola for example – you can see their logo without their company name next to it and immediately know what company that graphic belongs to. That’s a result of brand control.
As a model you should exercise similar care and consideration to your image. Especially since images are your primary product. Below are some of the things we focus on as we help models control and manage their brand:
- Consistency in name: Your name is an equally important component to your brand. Your name should be consistent across all your social media and online properties and in all appearances of your work.
- Professionalism: All your online properties, print and other means you use to market and promote yourself should only include portfolio images or tearsheets of your modeling work. Avoid personal pictures hanging out with family or friends, that picture from last weekend at the lake or the family reunion you just came home from. Definitely avoid any pictures of you participating in less-than-professional activities.
- Assume prospective employers will review your sites: In most cases it’s how they’ll find you to begin with. Ensure all your work is of consistently high quality and always portrays you in the best possible light.
- Consistency in content: A little variability in the actual images between sites/social media is ok – but the general theme of them all should be consistent. All genres of your work should be represented on all your accounts. Avoid confusion or potentially being type-cast because each of your social media accounts seem to market you completely different. Cross-posting content automatically is always a bonus – keeps things consistent and reduces the amount of time needed to maintain all your accounts and keep them up to date.
Jaze Modeling provides brand management assistance to its clients. If you could use help maintaining or managing your brand contact us today.