I’m Rebranding, and You Should Too

“Delaney you’re rebranding? Are you CRAZY?!” Nope, just looking to get better! For the past SEVEN years (wow, I cannot believe I have been doing wedding and elopement photography for this long!), I have had the privilege of being the lead photographer for and essentially running For Always Photos. My beautiful mother, Cyndi Durham, founded that company originally as the in-house photography team for our family-owned parent company, Small Wedding Experts. As I grew in age and experience I gained a larger role and really got to master my craft.

But… to be honest, recently I felt like something was missing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely busy between my own photography business and my family elopement business. On top of that, I LOVE all of my currently booked brides. Those are blessings I am so thankful for! I just felt like I kind of hit a plateau in my work and my bookings. I always want to improve, I want my photos to look better, and I want to see new places! So what do ya do in this situation? You reflect, you go back to the drawing board, and you get back to work!

So What Made Me Realize I Needed To Rebrand?

My first step of action in taking this more seriously was packing my bags and taking a trip out west with about 25 of my best friends at The Heart University! While in California, I learned more than I could have imagined. I brought back with me new poses, new techniques, new edit ideas, and also new BUSINESS IDEAS. The time I spent out there and the experience was crazy, it was so much fun, and let me tell you it was EMOTIONAL. But it was a huge wake-up call for me that the answer to my issues was something I’d been considering for a long time… I talked to my girls about rebranding. They were ALL IN on the idea!

I’m at a point in my life and in my work where I’m ready to grow. And in order for me to grow, I need to take full ownership here and I need to put my name behind my work. Let’s be real here, too: we are in a world dominated by technology and marketing is all about pleasing the “algorithm” gods. Whether it be Youtube for an influencer, Facebook ads for a store, or Google for a vendor like me, change is a good thing, and it is crucial to stay on top of trends and to CONSTANTLY update your platforms with new content. I had hit this plateau because I had no ownership in my work and I wasn’t putting enough effort in to get it out to the masses! Rebranding would also give me a new jolt of energy, and revive my passion for company growth.

Where Do I Even Start With This?

Sure, there is a LOT that goes into rebranding. It can be a daunting, overwhelming task; but I can tell you the end result is so worth it. You’ll never get anywhere unless you start somewhere, so a name change was a great start for me! While I loved “For Always Photos,” having a photography company in my name was always the dream goal. When you share those beautiful photos, I want the world to know it was me girl!

From there, I got with my tech-friendly husband and we got to work on this BEAUTIFUL new website. While he quickly learned a new site-building software and handled a lot of the back-end things, I got to work on designing new logos and gathering some of my favorite recent galleries for the website. Once the website was beautiful and complete, it was time for the business side of things. I added, removed, and adjusted all of my packages; and then updated everything in my client portal, workflow and automations, all the stuff you don’t want to hear me talk about. Actually, let me know if you’d like to learn more about handling workflows and automations in the comments! Anyways, it was time to go live…

What Does Rebranding Change For Your Business?

To my clients, not much at all! Those who are already booked will just receive my communication from a new name. Prospective brides, couples and families will have new packages to choose from. And there are plenty of new photos to be seen that are a much more accurate representation of my work!

To me, and to you as a business owner should you decide to take the leap, EVERYTHING has changed and I am so excited! I’m really turning up the content game, sharing all of my excitement for my new photos with you all. I have this amazing blog where I can finally talk everybody’s ear off! Changing site design platforms has been such a breath of fresh air as I’m able to be a lot more creative in my website now. And to match the site, I’ve got all new pricing guides, wedding guides, and so much more info to share. All of these changes are already leading to new inquiries and a higher conversion rate! YAY, its working!

So… Was Rebranding Worth It?

Yes. A million times yes over and over again. I cannot explain the joy and the refreshed feeling I have right now. If you feel like you’ve reached the top of where you are; if you feel like you’re ready for growth but it just isn’t happening; if you feel like you’re stuck or you don’t know how to force yourself outside of the box, I ask two things of you.

One: go travel the world. See a new place, meet some new people, gain new perspectives. Find peers who share your interests. Talk to them, pick their brain, ask questions. You might find that your peers are less “competition” and more looking for a mutual who wants to both give and receive help. Reach out to me if you’d like! Anyone, anywhere is a start.

Two: seriously, consider rebranding. You may not have to change company names, or tear down and rebuild a website. But if there’s something you love doing and that isn’t at the center of what you do, make it the center. Be bold, invest in yourself, and share that journey with us. You just might find that a rebrand is just what you’re looking for – taking your confidence, your happiness, and of course your business to the next level.

Thanks for reading, now enjoy some favorite new photos of mine and comment what you’d like to see next!