“Be GREAT not Grey!” – Guest Blog by Photographer Matthew Vasilescu

The many ‘Faces’ and the power of ‘Image’. You only need to tweak a few elements to get across a totally different vibe and feeling! Enjoy the Guest Blog by Matthew Vasilescu.

Hello Awesome People!

I shall not forget the night I met this one Awesome Photographer. It was a night combined with Massive Highs & Lows that marked the beginning of new Great Times in my life, at the “Australian Commercial + Media Photographers” (ACMP) Association. I was lucky for the Opportunity to speak in front of a room full of photographers on Sales & Marketing Strategies.

There was this Critical guy sitting in the back asking all these Challenging Questions (where at Times I thought he was trying to Test my Knowledge in front of everyone). He kept making Great Comments on what I was saying and his Participation totally Enriched my Presentation.

It was a Wonderful night, we Stayed in Touch and as I got to know him and see his Quality works, I found the critical “Matthew Vasilescu” to be a Great Colleague who I feel I can build lots of Trust on. As a “Commercial Photographer” and man of Integrity, I had to invite him to Guest Blog on the Edward Files. He wrote this Great Article “Be GREAT not Grey!” talking about Image in Marketing. I loved it and I trust you shall too!

“Be GREAT not Grey!” – Guest Blog by Matthew Vasilescu:

How do you want to Look and are you Achieving it all the time? Are you Consistent with your Brand when it comes to its Image and what you post as Content for your Marketing messages?

How You Look is the first thing that people See and it’s what you are judged on Regardless of whether you think it happens or not. Of the Five Senses, our Sight is the most Developed and thus we view and judge with it Everyday. From buying bread, to milk to food for the table we buy with our Eyes first.

Hold on! “What do you mean my bread, I just walk in and pick up the one that I liked and kept going?”

Yep sure you do but the one you like has also been Carefully Selected for you by your Subconscious and your conscious self. You may like that Brand because you’ve tried it before, and it had  alway been Fresh (well yes sure it’s fresh but you still check it, right?)

You pick a few Different loafs to check which one Feels softer/fresher. You are also attracted to the Brand for the way it looks and what it’s Selling to you. You like the Colour of the Packaging, the Typeface and how you feel about Buying it.

The days of bread and milk without Brand are long gone. I mean how would you Select your 2% fat, real flavour, “Good for you milk” if it wasn’t a brand you would like?

How does Image come into Branding? This leads to the “What You Look Like”.

Are you a Fantastic Furniture type? This Concept started as a cheap and cheerful for those that just moved out of home and need everything for their first place. It has kept that over time but also come to be the place where you can get the Popular styles at Cheaper Prices (such as the Trendy pressed metal stools, etc).

Do you Remember when JB HiFi opened its first shop? They came into the Market as the Budget place to get Cheap stereo and HiFi Products and CD’s (when we used to buy a physical item). Over time they have become a Premium Retailer with Big Brands where you can still get a Deal on the entry level Products but also buy Apple, Sony, Samsung and LG (formally Goldstar, another cheap cheap brand re-invented).

Your Brand and Image are everything – it Communicates who you are as a Business. It Conveys what type of customers you attract and what type of Customers You Want to Attract. If your Brand Image is Inconsistent you will end up Confusing your customers and Pollute your own Visual Message. Brands change and they Change all the time because they continually want to Attract new customers and new Demographics.

How do you get there if you are still a little guy in the Market? It all starts with your Image and Look.

Every Brand has a Perceived Value in the way it looks and feels. Posting quick fire stuff from your phone or mobile devices to the Social Media beast that is Photographed Badly and Lit Poorly can be a Big Mistake. Your Brand is not about one Person. It’s about the Whole Visual Ecosystem coming together in a Compelling way.

Over my Career as a photographer (25 years up to now), I have helped many Companies Develop Brand Images. I have worked with St John Ambulance NSW for almost 15 years, working Solely on Brand and Marketing Images.

For over a Decade I worked with SHFA on all their Outdoor Festivals, shooting Brand and Marketing Images that Shaped how they Looked. Recently I shot through 2 Skinny Men for CBA Delivering a less Corporate look for the Bank. I come from a photojournalistic background, having worked in Local Papers and all three Major metro News Ltd papers before Starting my own Business, which now Specializes in Brand and Content Imagery.

Your Brand is UNIQUE, what you do is Unique, why you do it is Unique. Therefore Purchasing “Off the Shelf Cookie Cutter” Stock Images to Depict your Brand goes Against why you started your Business in the first place.

If you want to Talk to me about your Visual Branding, how to Improve it and keep it looking Consistent, please call me on 0419 922 992 or e – hello@mattvas.com.au

Edward’s Post Blog Commentary:

I really like Matthew’s Point of view and it Reaffirmed me as to the “Image” of what we Really are. It forced me to Consider how I “look to the Mass Market” and to really make sure that I Look the Part, and I Feel that I am well Positioned for where I am going.

My Advice? If you know you don’t quite Look the Part? – check out Matthew’s website & Quality of work. You may just Like it and be Suited to your Needs nicely.

Trust this has been another Helpful Topic. For more savvy tips and to keep up to date with New Ideas to Market your Business, please sign up to the “The Awesome Marketing Vault“

Love your work, and thank You for the read, enjoy the thoughts, Edward Zia sign out – Stay Awesome!!

Edward Zia is a Marketing Mentor and Business Leader who have worked for a very long time in Marketing and loves helping Awesome Small Business Owners get more clients.