December 2, 2025 • 30 mins
Welcome to Episode 74 of the Wed.Co Podcast. Today, Toga sits down with Shani Timms for a chat about her Brand in a Day offering and the art of simplifying this process for exceptional results.
In this conversation, Shani discusses the challenges of traditional branding processes and how they have streamlined the experience to deliver results in just one day. Shani emphasizes the importance of understanding client visions and transforming them into tangible brands, highlighting their extensive experience in the field.
If you want to hear more from Shani you can get more info at Shani Timms and on Instagram at @Shani_Timms
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Join us for our next episode on the Wed.Co Podcast, where we continue to explore the
mesmerising and ever-changing landscape of weddings.
Toga
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Welcome to the Wedco podcast, your ultimate guide to the wedding world.
Whether you're a bride, groom or wedding vendor, this is the place to be.
Join us as we dive into real stories, expert advice and behind the scenes insights to helpyou plan the perfect day.
So grab a seat and let's celebrate love, connection and creativity together.
Before we get into this episode, I'd love to ask you a super quick and easy favor.
(00:24):
If you're enjoying the Wedco podcast, please hit that follow button on Apple, Spotify orYouTube.
It might seem small, but it makes a huge difference in helping the podcast grow and meansI can keep bringing on amazing vendors to share their insights with you.
Thank you so much for your support.
truly means the world.
Hello and welcome to the web co podcast.
I'm Toga and today we got Shani Timms on the couch on the seat with us.
(00:45):
Thank you very much for coming in.
Thank you for having me Toga, it's good to be here.
This is another one for the vendors out there.
We've kind of done what 60 episodes now for brides and grooms.
And I've been having so many messages coming to my inbox, know, people not booking out andhaving trouble with actually making bookings this year.
So we decided to kind of put through a mini season for the vendors.
(01:06):
And so I thought the best starting point would be have like where I'm the weakest, whichis branding.
Definitely.
um
Usually we'll kind of start with like a little backstory of who you are and what you doand yeah, everything like that.
Okay, um I never know where to start with this.
I'm like, do I talk about my upbringing?
But no, I'll keep it business related.
(01:27):
um So yeah, funny thing about me, I have done everything under the sun when it comes to mycareer.
I've had a catering business, I've had an econ business, I've been a business coach andwebsite designer and the backbone of everything that I've always done and my fallback has
always been graphic design.
So I studied that in uni.
um It was always my, shit, what am I gonna do in life?
(01:47):
How am I gonna make money?
I'll do some branding and graphic design.
how life works.
have circled back and have been doing
what I like, I call myself the brand creator.
So I do something called brand in a day.
And I've been doing that for the past probably three years now, which is crazy.
So um I've kind of taken all the shitty parts out of the branding process.
(02:07):
So as you probably have experienced before lengthy revision times, back and forth emails,know, months for a brand only to then get it back and be like, fuck, they didn't, I don't
know if I'll let us.
Okay.
You know, they didn't understand them.
brief and um and I think a lot of people have been really burnt and really frustrated andlost a lot of money through branding processes like that.
(02:28):
So I've shortened everything into a day.
um Clients literally say, Can you do it?
Are you sure you can do it in a day?
And I'm like, I have done over 200 of these.
Yes, I can.
um And it's literally my favorite thing to do is to help people like
just bring to life their vision.
And I find a lot of clients go, holy shit, you've taken what's in my brain and you've madeit real.
(02:49):
And like, that's my favorite thing to do.
Take what's in your brain and turn it into a brand.
Well, every review I see on Instagram is like, feels like every single week, like, mygosh, honey, my gosh, honey.
And you see it.
I'm like, but also they're not cookie cutter.
Like everything I see coming out is like so different and feels so relevant to the peoplethat you're working with as well.
Like, I feel like that takes a lot of work.
(03:10):
Like I would definitely be your worst client because you'd be like, what do you like?
I'm like, I don't know.
It's like, yeah, exactly.
Like go into a hairdresser and they're like, what do you want?
you're like, you find you have to like almost like
coach out of people what they like or how does that process go?
Do you know what the brand in a day offer?
It really attracts people who are like, I know what I want.
(03:31):
I'm here to get you done.
Let's do it.
So I sometimes say to clients if they're really not sure what they want, they'd they'renot spent enough time looking or it's not the right time to brand.
you know, it's like when you go, oh, I want to design a house and you're like, oh, but Ilove all these colors and I love all these things.
You either haven't like found the vision yet or it's not really the right time to do todive into that process.
(03:53):
But you're so right.
Like everyone is so different.
because in the end, I don't design for me.
Like I have designed brands that low key I hate, but the client frosts it.
like, Yes, literally.
And I was like, you sure all these colors together?
It's like very, you know, conflicting, but they're like, I love it.
And that's all I want.
I'm like, I don't design for me, I design for you.
(04:14):
And I literally like don't get off the call until you're obsessed with the brand.
yeah, it's kind of like a foolproof branding strategy for me and for you.
Definitely.
How much homework?
Obviously people should have a pretty good understanding of what they look like want forthe brand.
How would I go about kind of trying to do some research so that I feel like I'm coming toyou with enough of an educated response to questions you might have?
(04:37):
Yeah.
So I think it's, it's simpler than people think.
I think they've got to, you know, maybe they think they've got to have the brand fullyfleshed out or whatever it might be.
Um, but I pretty much send a little pre-work that takes about five minutes to fill out.
I'd say put a link to your Pinterest board for your branding.
Um, and I know if anyone has designed a Pinterest board before they've probably got 10different iterations of like brand 2.0, 3.0, 4.0.
(05:02):
but from that Pinterest board, I usually can start to find threads.
So like it is quite intuitive.
process because I'm sharing my screen with you, we're going through the Pinterest boardtogether and I'm saying, okay, what do you like about this image?
you know, because for you, it might be I love the font.
Yes.
But for me, I'm looking at the background color or the background image.
So we kind of like almost I say, put it through a sieve and we go, okay, what's the what'sthe best mood images or reference images that are going to represent the brand?
(05:30):
Yeah.
And so it's it's actually not
not that much work is needed, you know, to start to get us going as long as you've got aPinterest board with some images you like on there.
Yeah, that's kind of all I need.
I feel like, yeah, I've done branding before in the past and I definitely, I've half-assedit, so I definitely blame myself for the results that I get.
But it's same thing, like I will think that I'm giving a really good explanation of what Iwant and then same thing, like two weeks go by and you get back what you, you you get back
(05:58):
from the designer and you're like, oh, this is nowhere near what I wanted.
And you're so excited by that stage to just re-brand because I just want to do this.
And it's like the shininess of it almost wears out.
by the time you're finished with the branding process.
That is a killer.
It's so bad.
And like I burnt myself out doing those branding projects because it was like, you woulddo all these creative ideas and then I'd send it to you and then not you specifically, but
(06:25):
I'd send it to you and then, you know, you might take a week to respond.
And then so it's like, for me, creative energy is like, as you would find on your shoots,it's like you're following that energy.
It's almost like this, like breadcrumbs that you're following.
But if that process drags out too long, start the breadcrumbs are fewer and furtherbetween.
So you actually like lose
the flow of the project.
(06:45):
Whereas if it's in the day, like that two weeks is two minutes on a call.
You could be like, I actually thought I wanted that color, but no, I want this color.
And I thought I wanted that logo, but no, I want this.
So we're actually real time testing designs on the screen together.
So I'm designing live for you, which some people would find that absolutely terrifying,but I always preface.
like, I don't really care if I'm a shit designer, you know, and trying shit options.
(07:09):
like, I'm a good listener and I can make things work on the screen.
And then we
always end up with an outcome that you love because you're actually calling the shots.
It's not me being like, hey, here's something I prepared earlier.
It's like I'm designing live and you know, we're creating the colors and the fonts and thelogos and we're literally it's almost like real time revisions.
Yeah.
then I guess with your expertise as well, like, okay, I might say, I want to reallyattract a higher end bride.
(07:33):
I'm ready to kind of hit that market.
And then I have all these ideas, but I'm assuming because of how many you've done and justyour natural eye, you might be like, okay, this red and black together maybe isn't really
signaling high end bride.
So even like those little bits of guidance along the way, I feel like would be yeah, justinvaluable too.
you
Totally.
And like I know when to bite my tongue.
Yeah.
Because you know, some people get really stubborn.
(07:55):
They're like, I want the green and I want the blue together.
And I'm like, okay, whatever.
Yeah.
But then I also, I'm always throwing in little tidbits and being like, oh, this font's abit overdone or like maybe let's try this color.
Or, you know, I think, you know, based on your target audience that you're trying to aimfor, I think we should go down this path or like that's, that's, know, after doing 200
plus of these, that's the stuff that I learn along the way.
(08:16):
Yeah.
But also like, I'm a big believer, like my clients aren't dumb.
know the industry so well like you know they they know their audience so well so I reallylike I try and pull out those little tidbits of information out of them as well and and
and like who am I to know what's what's best for their you know industry and audience so Ikind of bring my design expertise they bring their expertise and then we really co-create
(08:39):
the brand together.
I love that.
And then like I've seen lately a few different in actually in the wedding industry brandsthat you've worked with.
I think I saw Austin Villa.
Do I Dan?
Was that the second?
I Dave.
Yeah.
I Dave, sorry.
Which is like iconic name.
it is.
As soon as I saw that, I'm like, like, how many people are going to book him just becauseof that alone?
Where were, like, maybe I do, Dave, where was he with his branding and with his over afeel of his business before he came and worked with you?
(09:07):
Such a good question, because I feel like a lot of people relate to this.
There was no clear branding or direction.
A lot of time was spent on Canva, you know, pulling stuff together and being like, maybeit's this, maybe it's that.
So there wasn't a clear identity when it came to socials or it was very kind of likehaphazard, but also like hats off, they were giving it a crack, you know?
Yeah.
(09:28):
So that's kind of the starting point.
And so we worked together.
He was amazing.
Him and his partner, Ash, they'd just had a little baby and I'd just had my baby Frankie.
And so we worked together.
my first project back.
And so they had a really clear brief.
They were like, we want like kind of this vintage retro, you know, um like almost likemagazine sort of vintage magazine style, like cool cars and all that stuff.
(09:49):
So really fun brief.
And so we did all of his social templates, we did his logo, um all of it, the whole brandguidelines and stuff.
And so within
I messaged them, God, it would have been maybe a couple months ago.
And they were like, we've had so many more inquiries since doing the rebrand.
Exactly.
And, you know, as you know, the wedding industry is such a saturated market.
(10:11):
There's so many vendors and all incredible, incredible, you know, very gifted humans outthere doing work in this space.
But it's like, if you don't have something that's going to stand out, like
people are on your page, your Instagram page for probably what, five to 10 seconds beforethey're like, yes or no.
So in that five to 10 seconds, what have you got to convey?
Your message, your brand, your like authenticity, that's your branding.
(10:34):
So it's literally like, how can we, even things down to like your little highlight icons,like they can convey a message and they can convey what you do really quickly to your
audience.
And same with like your brand, your colors, your profile picture.
Like there's so many little things that we can do to kind of win that client over withinthe first five to 10 seconds of them landing on your profile.
(10:55):
And I feel like that branding piece is so much.
How did you feel?
So my biggest issue with rebranding is I want to rebrand again.
that's, like I said, that's the biggest part where I suck at.
We're getting lots of, we're getting lots of like work, which I love.
But we are looking kind of up that level of like, you know, brides and grooms want to paymore for our services and appreciate that.
(11:16):
I'm just really worried that I will go and rebrand, but then
I don't believe in the new brands.
And so then it kind of just comes back to where I was prior.
Um, and I think that is just because of the past, I've done a website and then I've doneInstagram separately and I've done this separately and everything looks so just mismatched
that, know, you're not happy.
(11:39):
do you feel anyone else has those issues or like, I know you're not in psychology.
People have lots of issues.
Okay, so what I think that the trap is that you're talking to is like you're designing forthe current version of you, not the version of you that you're working towards, right?
And this is what a lot of people do is like they design for a brand that they love andfits their version of them right now.
(12:02):
But they're not thinking, okay, who am I actually becoming?
And like, what's the vision I'm creating for?
Because like,
For example, to create a brand for you and your current clients, you're going to beplaying smaller, you know, but then to create a brand that holds vision for the next, you
know, five years in your business, we have to think so much bigger.
sometimes that's really scary.
It's like you're going into the hairdresser and be like, I'm going red and I'm getting aperm and like all this sort of stuff.
(12:28):
And yeah, not a brand.
But it's like, yes, it's going to be edgy and stretchy and it may not feel 100 % you inthat moment, but it's going to hold the vision of you, you know, for
years, three years, years, five years time.
And that can be really scary.
And I have a lot of clients who come to the call and be like, I'm really nervous.
And I'm like, I get it.
Like, it's literally like we're changing your identity.
(12:49):
I feel like feel very vulnerable because this is the new version of me and this is whatI'm going to put out into the world.
And you just have to like almost be comfortable and like, no, this is who I want to, youknow, pervade everyone.
This is who I am.
Yeah.
And it's a bit, um, a bit confronting.
100%.
Yeah, so it's a good process because it's like, we all want to grow in business, we want,you know, more clients, more sales, we want to reach more people.
(13:13):
And it's like, our current branding is only going to get us so far.
But to kind of stretch to that next level, we're going to need a new vehicle, we're goingto need a new identity.
Yeah.
Do people come to you with, okay, so are they creating a whole new brand?
Like are they coming and we're talking about brand names or is it like we've already gotour brand name and we're just kind of creating new assets and new logos for this brand
(13:35):
that you already have?
Yeah, more the second point there.
um I, although I love coming up with names for people's brands, I love when they're justlike, this is the brand name, like my strength and my genius definitely comes down to like
the visuals and the visual identity for the business.
So yeah, I kind of need like your brand name set.
um you know, I think for you, were creating a new program.
(13:55):
So the name is pending.
So as soon as that lands and it's like, yeah, cool.
We've got all the pieces of the puzzle.
Yep.
Okay.
And then, okay, so what would, okay, I come to you and we do branding in a day.
What would I walk away from, like walk away with at the end of that day?
Yeah, okay, cool.
So, to kind of talk you through the process.
So we start with an hour and a half to two hour design workshop call.
(14:18):
So that's the one that I said before that I'm like designing live for you.
So we build out mood board based on your Pinterest board, and then I'll add in moreimagery.
We choose colors together, we choose your brand fonts, we actually design your logo livefor you.
When I say we, me and say you, you're my client.
And then we kind of like just, you know, get
(14:39):
on the same page about the aesthetic of your brand.
pretty much after that hour and a half, two hour, they're kind of getting like shorter andshorter now because they're just pummeling now.
You know exactly what the brand looks like.
So there's no surprises when it kind of goes to the next level and we're doing all yoursocial media templates and your reel covers and your story templates and your highlight
icons for Instagram.
(14:59):
There's no surprises.
We've got the pieces of the puzzle and most of the time...
Touchwood.
Most of the time, there's not really any revisions of feedback after that, becauseeverything is just like so clear.
Exactly.
So I set up a WhatsApp channel for us for the day.
So I will just be like, Toga, what do you think of this?
Do you like this?
We don't really need much more sign off, but it's more just getting your eyes overeverything throughout the day.
(15:23):
Yeah, perfect.
It's quite a fun process because you're kind of watching your brand unfold throughout theday and you're starting with just a seed of an idea.
And then at the end, it's a fully fledged brand.
And we also do brand guidelines.
So that's, don't do like 40 page doc.
You can only use this much spacing around the text.
Cause like, who's got time for that.
So it's like really simple.
(15:44):
It's like, this is your fonts.
This is your colors.
You know, I do some mockups and prototypes of like how the brand could be applied.
And then I just send everything in a, in a drop box end of the day.
And it's just like, it's all your logos.
We do a social brand swatch with all your colors.
So it's, there's a lot that happens in a day.
yeah, I can imagine.
But even like you said, like you just be out in the world and then like, yeah, just likelittle bits like getting drip fed to you.
(16:09):
Yeah.
And like, this is what it's going to eventuate at the end of the day.
Rather than like you said, like by the end of that first two hours, you already kind ofknow what it is.
You're not kind of sending that off two weeks later getting something like, Oh, no, that'snot what we wanted.
It's the worst feeling.
It's the worst.
And I've been...
the design, for sure.
Yeah.
And there's been, there's been times where I have spent hours and hours and hours oncoming up with the full concepts and I show the client and they're like, whoa, that wasn't
(16:33):
the brief at all.
Yeah.
So I'm like, I had to, you know, eat shit for a lot of times.
Yeah.
In the design process, which is why I developed this.
And um I think in the end, like if I ever felt stuck, I would just go to the client and belike...
Okay, I'm stuck on this, you know, where like, can you give me a bit more feedback so Iknow where to go?
(16:53):
And in the end, I ended up just designing live for the client on those calls.
And I was like, why don't I just do it with them from the beginning?
And so it kind of got shorter and shorter and shorter.
And then I was like, let's just do it in a day, you know?
So it's really fun.
That is, and I mean, it must now doesn't seem like it, but that must be pretty vulnerablefor yourself too.
Cause you know, like someone's watching you edit a photo or a wedding film and you'relike, know.
(17:16):
Literally, literally.
Well, I had a writer who's brand in a day's today and she was like, my God, I couldn'timagine writing while my client was watching.
And in the end, I'm like, I just take my ego out of it.
And like, I often say, I'm like, I'm not the best designer, but I'm the best listener.
And I can listen to what you want and I can bring that to life.
And that's really all that matters.
(17:37):
And same with you being a photographer.
It's like, in the end, it's like, we just got to listen to our clients.
What are they actually telling us?
We can't, yes, you've got a certain aesthetic and what I've
but like we do really need the client's desires to kind of outweigh our set aesthetic.
Yeah, I know you mean like just having that service mentality because there is so manytimes when for a photo you like I want to go over here and do this and they're like it
does not suit the couple at all and you're like
(18:00):
I wanna do a boomerang top
another photo over here with the uncle perfect.
Let's do that.
But in the end, if they're happy, like that's all that matters.
As I said, I've designed lots of brands that I really don't love, but I'm like, the clientloves it.
Yes.
Exactly.
Would you have like a timeframe of how often do you think we should be rebranding to kindof stay relevant in an industry?
(18:24):
Okay.
think that's so specific.
Like say for example, in the wedding industry, like trends are changing, things arechanging.
It's quite a fast paced industry, which I would imagine.
Yeah, for sure.
I would say you probably have to do it a little bit more frequently.
I think, it's time.
But then also like it doesn't mean you have to reinvent the wheel every time.
(18:44):
Like you can have a brand that evolves as you evolve.
So, you know, if you scroll back through my Instagram, I think the past two years Ihaven't actually changed my brand, but I've
upleveled it and I've tweaked it and I've like, refreshed it, you know?
So I think there's definitely elements that people could do to refresh and keep up withthe trends without having to like, redo their logo all the time.
(19:05):
So yeah, I would say that in an industry fast pace.
you probably, you know, don't want to be sitting on something for nine years.
You might want to refresh it.
But with that said, there are industries that actually would be really beneficial to stickto one logo for one brand identity for a longer period of time.
Yeah, someone like me, for example, who, know, like people are looking to me for designideas as well.
(19:27):
So it's like I kind of my brands just evolved as I've evolved.
Yes, it wouldn't really make sense for me to stick with the same branding for five yearsbecause people are uh boring.
Yeah, like you definitely almost need to be at the forefront because and like whatever'strending, you almost need to be designing for yourself to show that you are paying
attention to what is happening in the industry.
m
to speak to trends, like I think um I'm like a big believer that I get people to designfor them, not what's what's trendy.
(19:53):
Yeah.
Because I think people can get really trapped into like, but the it's a black and white,you know, Vogue style branding that's on that's on trend at the moment.
Yeah.
But really like when I hit you hit your page, I'm like, there's a disconnect.
There's like, it's like they're two different frequencies.
So you really want to design for you.
And yes, you can look at what's trending, but then like
(20:14):
Also, I don't want to go onto everyone's wedding page and it's all this black and white,invoke sort of vibe.
Like bring your authenticity, like bring things that are uniquely you, like weave that in.
That's why I think iDave, iDo's branding is so beautiful because it's like, what?
This looks like it's out of a magazine and it's vintage.
like, I think that's really setting him apart in his field, you know?
(20:37):
And there's so many like...
brands that I've done that it's like, it feels very edgy for that niche, but it worksbecause it's like, it's almost like a little pattern interrupt.
Yeah, that's almost one of the difficult parts as well is like, um like someone who isauthentic to their brand, they really do stand out.
And it just feels like they've got such a good understanding of who they are.
(20:57):
And it just shows through obviously they've hired someone to create that brand concept.
um But it is also hard to be like, I'm in this field, but I don't like like, who am I?
you know, like that's, that's almost a bit of a hard question as well to kind of reallypinpoint the branding when you're a part of the industry, you love it, but you, yeah, you
just, I just take photos and video and you so I think that the guidance that you are ableto give along the way would be like a massive benefit to people because I'm just like,
(21:26):
yep, it sounds great.
But I think in the end, like nobody just takes a photo, nobody just takes a video.
Like, you know, I'm sure you make your clients feel so seen, like they feel so relaxed infront of the camera.
m And you know, know everyone listening, like they would bring their own flair to whateverthey do.
So I would really encourage people to sit with like, what's my, you know, special sourcethat I bring and like, how can I bring that through my branding?
(21:50):
I think it's so done the days of like the vanilla branding and like, it's like, you've gotto be really professional.
And yes, there's an element of that.
But also I'm like, cool, we're sitting here.
barefoot recording.
I love I love that.
And I think in the world of AI, where everything is so clean, professional, and, you know,refined people looking for those little things that make them look twice and be like, what
(22:11):
the hell?
that that excites me about, you know, especially brands where it just makes you look twiceand think, Oh, I didn't didn't expect to see that.
But I love that.
Yeah, well, everything isn't as polished.
Everything, you know, it used to be you have to get like the prettiest photos on yourInstagram feed and everything and everything has to look really polished.
And now the ones that stand out are people like the BTS of the person doing their job andthe person with a bit of personality that couples can kind of can relate to.
(22:36):
like now I want to speak to that person about their work.
Yeah.
You know, so it is a big mix.
I feel like you do really need to kind of put yourself out there more and show who youare.
black branding is such a big part of that.
Yeah.
And it's interesting, like, say you have a business name.
Yeah.
Like, I think some people like, I can't put myself in there because it's it's, you know,standing behind a business name.
(22:57):
Yeah.
But like, people, people aren't going to remember the business name, but they're going toremember you.
Yes.
So I would really encourage you if you can weave more of your story in there, if you canweave more of like your personality, your quirks, your different traits, like I think.
um
I don't know personally, but you know, when I'm looking for wedding vendors, that's whatI'm looking for.
Like, you know, Blake and I are getting married next year.
And I'm like, cool.
(23:17):
I don't want to just book, you know, blah, blah name.
I want to a person who's got a mission and who has a story, you know?
Okay, that would probably be a good thing.
Okay, because you would you would look at branding straight away and you'd be like, Nope,nope, nope, nope, What attracted you to say like, like a vendor or or even say the venue,
like obviously the venue stands out, it looks beautiful.
(23:38):
But what kind of would attract you to a wedding vendor when you're searching?
Okay, so I want to look through.
So the wedding photographer, you guys, we went with my bestie, my bestie, Rach.
Yeah.
And she, I just, she's done all my brand shoots.
So I'm like, obviously I'm going to pick her.
I still love you guys.
And then it's funny, like I feel um our wedding celebrant, as soon as I saw her face, sonot a logo, a face, I was like, done.
(24:07):
Done.
I didn't even need to see anything more.
was like, that's because
When people can see you, like I can connect with your eyes.
I can connect with your energy.
That's, that's obviously how I sort of pick things.
um I'm trying to think who else?
I don't know.
Some of the other ones I'm like music.
I don't really care.
You know, like obviously do care, but I'm not really looking for like, you know, the brandas such.
(24:30):
don't know that really answers your question.
I feel like for me, it's been a very like just energetic, intuitive process to be like,yep, hell yes.
Don't need to say anything more.
When like when you knew you knew, but like you are like saying thing you're picking peopleand then also things for your wedding will be more important than other things.
You know, like the photos are very important, like the celebrant, but to other people thatband might be super important and then they're going to go do like a really big deep dive
(24:53):
into what they want.
So yeah, I guess it just comes back to what's super important on your day.
Yeah, the values and like some people might be like, oh photographer, whatever.
And some people may like, no, need to, I need to pick the exact photo, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm sure you guys have lots of very particular clients.
Let's maybe join a talk about what are some branding no-nos that you're seeing from,especially novices like myself that you look at and you're like, what are you doing?
(25:21):
Okay.
I would say like not having this so many, like almost like changing their templates, likethey're changing their underwear, like it's you go on and it's like a dog's breakfast of,
you know, different fonts, different templates.
There's no brand consistency.
There's no color consistency that straight away.
um It's just given to Sheveld.
(25:41):
And then also I would say like heavy use of AI.
It's just a pet hate.
As soon as I see something really AI, I'm like, oh,
It's I scroll past it straight away.
So I, I would just like err on the side of like use AI for the things you don't need toactually brain full like, you know, but then when it comes to post, like people want to
(26:02):
feel you, they want to feel that you've written it.
So that's more of a marketing thing is just like, maybe don't go heavy on the AI.
And then like using photos of you as well, like I want to see like, who's behind thecamera, who's taking the photos, like, so many times I go onto a photographer's page and
I'm like,
I don't even know who you are.
Like I can't connect with you.
having, you know, I like to do the three pinned posts at the top of your Instagram.
(26:26):
So about you as a photographer, as a wedding vendor, what's your story?
Like, why do you do what you do?
Services, like make it easy for people.
People want to give you money.
They want to buy your services.
They want to book you in.
They have to go 30 posts deep to find like one thing.
So make it easy.
Pin it at the top of your page.
um And that's a breakdown of like, okay, like what are your packages?
(26:50):
Also don't be afraid to put pricing on there.
Like I think people get really worried.
I can't put pricing on there, blah, blah, blah.
Like it's so good having pricing on there.
So many people have said to me, I love that you've just got it there.
It's clear.
There's no like DM me to get the pricing.
Like I'm not hiding anything.
it's the price is the price.
So if you can do that as a as wedding vendor, I know it obviously changes depending on thepackage, but you could say from.
(27:15):
exactly.
And then you know, the third one could be so I like to I put my podcast there, but itcould be like a current offer you had, or it could be a lookbook of all your, you know,
favorite shoots from 2025.
Yeah, beautiful.
like really um user friendly and kind of giving them all the info that they need straightaway.
Yeah, because I feel like with, you know, with the Instagram, your socials and everything,like people have almost made the decision before they even hit your website anymore.
(27:41):
And so like having all that information for them, there's a lot of times where I'll go tobuy something and I just want to know the prices.
And then you have to like go through, okay, cool.
I'm going to send an email and then you're going to call me back, which I hate.
know?
Yeah.
And like, just, just tell me what I want to know.
And probably if I hadn't known the price, I would have been like, cool, let's move ahead.
But now because you have to go through that process, it's like, puts you off even more.
(28:02):
They're just like, I don't really want to.
And a good exercise for people to do is like go on your page as someone who has never beenon the Instagram page.
Do they know within the first 10 seconds who you are, what you do, how you can help them?
um Because the more hoops, more chance someone's gonna drop off.
If they have to click on your link, then they go to your website, they gotta fill out aform, they've gotta wait for a call back, like they're gone.
(28:25):
Make it really easy for people.
People love ease.
Yes, for sure.
All right.
Well, I love that.
That's, um, man, I'm feeling inspired.
Not overwhelmed, not overwhelmed, like excited for sure.
Yeah.
Um, definitely excited to work together in the new year for sure.
Um, yeah.
So you're going to be coming on and running a modular as well, cause I'm not aprofessional in branding.
(28:48):
So, um, I'm very, very excited about that.
and yeah, so I've, I've said this, I've been running this for the last two years, thispodcast and branding is definitely my weakest part.
So I'm really excited to kind of work with you for that first, you know, for that firsteight weeks and really work out and get comfortable with like, here's my new brand.
We're going to stick to it.
We're going to evolve into the person that we're creating the brand for who I'm going tobecome, which I've never actually thought about it that way before.
(29:14):
ah So yeah, no, just really excited to kind of see where things can go on that front.
Yeah, it's gonna be good.
And I've kind of got some ideas after the chat as well.
think helping people really like pimp their Instagram.
As you said, it's like, they made the decision before they even hit the website.
So how can we make your Instagram your website, like have everything that they need attheir fingertips.
(29:34):
So you guys can get more bookings and more clients.
love it.
Awesome.
So Shani, thank you so much for coming on.
I really appreciate it.
And uh yeah, can't wait to hear from you again soon.
All right,
Thanks for tuning in to the Wedco podcast.
If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, follow and share it with yourfriends.
We'd to hear your thoughts, so leave a review or connect with us on social media.
(29:55):
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Until then, happy planning and we'll see you soon.
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(00:24):
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truly means the world.
Hello and welcome to the web co podcast.
I'm Toga and today we got Shani Timms on the couch on the seat with us.
(00:45):
Thank you very much for coming in.
Thank you for having me Toga, it's good to be here.
This is another one for the vendors out there.
We've kind of done what 60 episodes now for brides and grooms.
And I've been having so many messages coming to my inbox, know, people not booking out andhaving trouble with actually making bookings this year.
So we decided to kind of put through a mini season for the vendors.
(01:06):
And so I thought the best starting point would be have like where I'm the weakest, whichis branding.
Definitely.
um
Usually we'll kind of start with like a little backstory of who you are and what you doand yeah, everything like that.
Okay, um I never know where to start with this.
I'm like, do I talk about my upbringing?
But no, I'll keep it business related.
(01:27):
um So yeah, funny thing about me, I have done everything under the sun when it comes to mycareer.
I've had a catering business, I've had an econ business, I've been a business coach andwebsite designer and the backbone of everything that I've always done and my fallback has
always been graphic design.
So I studied that in uni.
um It was always my, shit, what am I gonna do in life?
(01:47):
How am I gonna make money?
I'll do some branding and graphic design.
how life works.
have circled back and have been doing
what I like, I call myself the brand creator.
So I do something called brand in a day.
And I've been doing that for the past probably three years now, which is crazy.
So um I've kind of taken all the shitty parts out of the branding process.
(02:07):
So as you probably have experienced before lengthy revision times, back and forth emails,know, months for a brand only to then get it back and be like, fuck, they didn't, I don't
know if I'll let us.
Okay.
You know, they didn't understand them.
brief and um and I think a lot of people have been really burnt and really frustrated andlost a lot of money through branding processes like that.
(02:28):
So I've shortened everything into a day.
um Clients literally say, Can you do it?
Are you sure you can do it in a day?
And I'm like, I have done over 200 of these.
Yes, I can.
um And it's literally my favorite thing to do is to help people like
just bring to life their vision.
And I find a lot of clients go, holy shit, you've taken what's in my brain and you've madeit real.
(02:49):
And like, that's my favorite thing to do.
Take what's in your brain and turn it into a brand.
Well, every review I see on Instagram is like, feels like every single week, like, mygosh, honey, my gosh, honey.
And you see it.
I'm like, but also they're not cookie cutter.
Like everything I see coming out is like so different and feels so relevant to the peoplethat you're working with as well.
Like, I feel like that takes a lot of work.
(03:10):
Like I would definitely be your worst client because you'd be like, what do you like?
I'm like, I don't know.
It's like, yeah, exactly.
Like go into a hairdresser and they're like, what do you want?
you're like, you find you have to like almost like
coach out of people what they like or how does that process go?
Do you know what the brand in a day offer?
It really attracts people who are like, I know what I want.
(03:31):
I'm here to get you done.
Let's do it.
So I sometimes say to clients if they're really not sure what they want, they'd they'renot spent enough time looking or it's not the right time to brand.
you know, it's like when you go, oh, I want to design a house and you're like, oh, but Ilove all these colors and I love all these things.
You either haven't like found the vision yet or it's not really the right time to do todive into that process.
(03:53):
But you're so right.
Like everyone is so different.
because in the end, I don't design for me.
Like I have designed brands that low key I hate, but the client frosts it.
like, Yes, literally.
And I was like, you sure all these colors together?
It's like very, you know, conflicting, but they're like, I love it.
And that's all I want.
I'm like, I don't design for me, I design for you.
(04:14):
And I literally like don't get off the call until you're obsessed with the brand.
yeah, it's kind of like a foolproof branding strategy for me and for you.
Definitely.
How much homework?
Obviously people should have a pretty good understanding of what they look like want forthe brand.
How would I go about kind of trying to do some research so that I feel like I'm coming toyou with enough of an educated response to questions you might have?
(04:37):
Yeah.
So I think it's, it's simpler than people think.
I think they've got to, you know, maybe they think they've got to have the brand fullyfleshed out or whatever it might be.
Um, but I pretty much send a little pre-work that takes about five minutes to fill out.
I'd say put a link to your Pinterest board for your branding.
Um, and I know if anyone has designed a Pinterest board before they've probably got 10different iterations of like brand 2.0, 3.0, 4.0.
(05:02):
but from that Pinterest board, I usually can start to find threads.
So like it is quite intuitive.
process because I'm sharing my screen with you, we're going through the Pinterest boardtogether and I'm saying, okay, what do you like about this image?
you know, because for you, it might be I love the font.
Yes.
But for me, I'm looking at the background color or the background image.
So we kind of like almost I say, put it through a sieve and we go, okay, what's the what'sthe best mood images or reference images that are going to represent the brand?
(05:30):
Yeah.
And so it's it's actually not
not that much work is needed, you know, to start to get us going as long as you've got aPinterest board with some images you like on there.
Yeah, that's kind of all I need.
I feel like, yeah, I've done branding before in the past and I definitely, I've half-assedit, so I definitely blame myself for the results that I get.
But it's same thing, like I will think that I'm giving a really good explanation of what Iwant and then same thing, like two weeks go by and you get back what you, you you get back
(05:58):
from the designer and you're like, oh, this is nowhere near what I wanted.
And you're so excited by that stage to just re-brand because I just want to do this.
And it's like the shininess of it almost wears out.
by the time you're finished with the branding process.
That is a killer.
It's so bad.
And like I burnt myself out doing those branding projects because it was like, you woulddo all these creative ideas and then I'd send it to you and then not you specifically, but
(06:25):
I'd send it to you and then, you know, you might take a week to respond.
And then so it's like, for me, creative energy is like, as you would find on your shoots,it's like you're following that energy.
It's almost like this, like breadcrumbs that you're following.
But if that process drags out too long, start the breadcrumbs are fewer and furtherbetween.
So you actually like lose
the flow of the project.
(06:45):
Whereas if it's in the day, like that two weeks is two minutes on a call.
You could be like, I actually thought I wanted that color, but no, I want this color.
And I thought I wanted that logo, but no, I want this.
So we're actually real time testing designs on the screen together.
So I'm designing live for you, which some people would find that absolutely terrifying,but I always preface.
like, I don't really care if I'm a shit designer, you know, and trying shit options.
(07:09):
like, I'm a good listener and I can make things work on the screen.
And then we
always end up with an outcome that you love because you're actually calling the shots.
It's not me being like, hey, here's something I prepared earlier.
It's like I'm designing live and you know, we're creating the colors and the fonts and thelogos and we're literally it's almost like real time revisions.
Yeah.
then I guess with your expertise as well, like, okay, I might say, I want to reallyattract a higher end bride.
(07:33):
I'm ready to kind of hit that market.
And then I have all these ideas, but I'm assuming because of how many you've done and justyour natural eye, you might be like, okay, this red and black together maybe isn't really
signaling high end bride.
So even like those little bits of guidance along the way, I feel like would be yeah, justinvaluable too.
you
Totally.
And like I know when to bite my tongue.
Yeah.
Because you know, some people get really stubborn.
(07:55):
They're like, I want the green and I want the blue together.
And I'm like, okay, whatever.
Yeah.
But then I also, I'm always throwing in little tidbits and being like, oh, this font's abit overdone or like maybe let's try this color.
Or, you know, I think, you know, based on your target audience that you're trying to aimfor, I think we should go down this path or like that's, that's, know, after doing 200
plus of these, that's the stuff that I learn along the way.
(08:16):
Yeah.
But also like, I'm a big believer, like my clients aren't dumb.
know the industry so well like you know they they know their audience so well so I reallylike I try and pull out those little tidbits of information out of them as well and and
and like who am I to know what's what's best for their you know industry and audience so Ikind of bring my design expertise they bring their expertise and then we really co-create
(08:39):
the brand together.
I love that.
And then like I've seen lately a few different in actually in the wedding industry brandsthat you've worked with.
I think I saw Austin Villa.
Do I Dan?
Was that the second?
I Dave.
Yeah.
I Dave, sorry.
Which is like iconic name.
it is.
As soon as I saw that, I'm like, like, how many people are going to book him just becauseof that alone?
Where were, like, maybe I do, Dave, where was he with his branding and with his over afeel of his business before he came and worked with you?
(09:07):
Such a good question, because I feel like a lot of people relate to this.
There was no clear branding or direction.
A lot of time was spent on Canva, you know, pulling stuff together and being like, maybeit's this, maybe it's that.
So there wasn't a clear identity when it came to socials or it was very kind of likehaphazard, but also like hats off, they were giving it a crack, you know?
Yeah.
(09:28):
So that's kind of the starting point.
And so we worked together.
He was amazing.
Him and his partner, Ash, they'd just had a little baby and I'd just had my baby Frankie.
And so we worked together.
my first project back.
And so they had a really clear brief.
They were like, we want like kind of this vintage retro, you know, um like almost likemagazine sort of vintage magazine style, like cool cars and all that stuff.
(09:49):
So really fun brief.
And so we did all of his social templates, we did his logo, um all of it, the whole brandguidelines and stuff.
And so within
I messaged them, God, it would have been maybe a couple months ago.
And they were like, we've had so many more inquiries since doing the rebrand.
Exactly.
And, you know, as you know, the wedding industry is such a saturated market.
(10:11):
There's so many vendors and all incredible, incredible, you know, very gifted humans outthere doing work in this space.
But it's like, if you don't have something that's going to stand out, like
people are on your page, your Instagram page for probably what, five to 10 seconds beforethey're like, yes or no.
So in that five to 10 seconds, what have you got to convey?
Your message, your brand, your like authenticity, that's your branding.
(10:34):
So it's literally like, how can we, even things down to like your little highlight icons,like they can convey a message and they can convey what you do really quickly to your
audience.
And same with like your brand, your colors, your profile picture.
Like there's so many little things that we can do to kind of win that client over withinthe first five to 10 seconds of them landing on your profile.
(10:55):
And I feel like that branding piece is so much.
How did you feel?
So my biggest issue with rebranding is I want to rebrand again.
that's, like I said, that's the biggest part where I suck at.
We're getting lots of, we're getting lots of like work, which I love.
But we are looking kind of up that level of like, you know, brides and grooms want to paymore for our services and appreciate that.
(11:16):
I'm just really worried that I will go and rebrand, but then
I don't believe in the new brands.
And so then it kind of just comes back to where I was prior.
Um, and I think that is just because of the past, I've done a website and then I've doneInstagram separately and I've done this separately and everything looks so just mismatched
that, know, you're not happy.
(11:39):
do you feel anyone else has those issues or like, I know you're not in psychology.
People have lots of issues.
Okay, so what I think that the trap is that you're talking to is like you're designing forthe current version of you, not the version of you that you're working towards, right?
And this is what a lot of people do is like they design for a brand that they love andfits their version of them right now.
(12:02):
But they're not thinking, okay, who am I actually becoming?
And like, what's the vision I'm creating for?
Because like,
For example, to create a brand for you and your current clients, you're going to beplaying smaller, you know, but then to create a brand that holds vision for the next, you
know, five years in your business, we have to think so much bigger.
sometimes that's really scary.
It's like you're going into the hairdresser and be like, I'm going red and I'm getting aperm and like all this sort of stuff.
(12:28):
And yeah, not a brand.
But it's like, yes, it's going to be edgy and stretchy and it may not feel 100 % you inthat moment, but it's going to hold the vision of you, you know, for
years, three years, years, five years time.
And that can be really scary.
And I have a lot of clients who come to the call and be like, I'm really nervous.
And I'm like, I get it.
Like, it's literally like we're changing your identity.
(12:49):
I feel like feel very vulnerable because this is the new version of me and this is whatI'm going to put out into the world.
And you just have to like almost be comfortable and like, no, this is who I want to, youknow, pervade everyone.
This is who I am.
Yeah.
And it's a bit, um, a bit confronting.
100%.
Yeah, so it's a good process because it's like, we all want to grow in business, we want,you know, more clients, more sales, we want to reach more people.
(13:13):
And it's like, our current branding is only going to get us so far.
But to kind of stretch to that next level, we're going to need a new vehicle, we're goingto need a new identity.
Yeah.
Do people come to you with, okay, so are they creating a whole new brand?
Like are they coming and we're talking about brand names or is it like we've already gotour brand name and we're just kind of creating new assets and new logos for this brand
(13:35):
that you already have?
Yeah, more the second point there.
um I, although I love coming up with names for people's brands, I love when they're justlike, this is the brand name, like my strength and my genius definitely comes down to like
the visuals and the visual identity for the business.
So yeah, I kind of need like your brand name set.
um you know, I think for you, were creating a new program.
(13:55):
So the name is pending.
So as soon as that lands and it's like, yeah, cool.
We've got all the pieces of the puzzle.
Yep.
Okay.
And then, okay, so what would, okay, I come to you and we do branding in a day.
What would I walk away from, like walk away with at the end of that day?
Yeah, okay, cool.
So, to kind of talk you through the process.
So we start with an hour and a half to two hour design workshop call.
(14:18):
So that's the one that I said before that I'm like designing live for you.
So we build out mood board based on your Pinterest board, and then I'll add in moreimagery.
We choose colors together, we choose your brand fonts, we actually design your logo livefor you.
When I say we, me and say you, you're my client.
And then we kind of like just, you know, get
(14:39):
on the same page about the aesthetic of your brand.
pretty much after that hour and a half, two hour, they're kind of getting like shorter andshorter now because they're just pummeling now.
You know exactly what the brand looks like.
So there's no surprises when it kind of goes to the next level and we're doing all yoursocial media templates and your reel covers and your story templates and your highlight
icons for Instagram.
(14:59):
There's no surprises.
We've got the pieces of the puzzle and most of the time...
Touchwood.
Most of the time, there's not really any revisions of feedback after that, becauseeverything is just like so clear.
Exactly.
So I set up a WhatsApp channel for us for the day.
So I will just be like, Toga, what do you think of this?
Do you like this?
We don't really need much more sign off, but it's more just getting your eyes overeverything throughout the day.
(15:23):
Yeah, perfect.
It's quite a fun process because you're kind of watching your brand unfold throughout theday and you're starting with just a seed of an idea.
And then at the end, it's a fully fledged brand.
And we also do brand guidelines.
So that's, don't do like 40 page doc.
You can only use this much spacing around the text.
Cause like, who's got time for that.
So it's like really simple.
(15:44):
It's like, this is your fonts.
This is your colors.
You know, I do some mockups and prototypes of like how the brand could be applied.
And then I just send everything in a, in a drop box end of the day.
And it's just like, it's all your logos.
We do a social brand swatch with all your colors.
So it's, there's a lot that happens in a day.
yeah, I can imagine.
But even like you said, like you just be out in the world and then like, yeah, just likelittle bits like getting drip fed to you.
(16:09):
Yeah.
And like, this is what it's going to eventuate at the end of the day.
Rather than like you said, like by the end of that first two hours, you already kind ofknow what it is.
You're not kind of sending that off two weeks later getting something like, Oh, no, that'snot what we wanted.
It's the worst feeling.
It's the worst.
And I've been...
the design, for sure.
Yeah.
And there's been, there's been times where I have spent hours and hours and hours oncoming up with the full concepts and I show the client and they're like, whoa, that wasn't
(16:33):
the brief at all.
Yeah.
So I'm like, I had to, you know, eat shit for a lot of times.
Yeah.
In the design process, which is why I developed this.
And um I think in the end, like if I ever felt stuck, I would just go to the client and belike...
Okay, I'm stuck on this, you know, where like, can you give me a bit more feedback so Iknow where to go?
(16:53):
And in the end, I ended up just designing live for the client on those calls.
And I was like, why don't I just do it with them from the beginning?
And so it kind of got shorter and shorter and shorter.
And then I was like, let's just do it in a day, you know?
So it's really fun.
That is, and I mean, it must now doesn't seem like it, but that must be pretty vulnerablefor yourself too.
Cause you know, like someone's watching you edit a photo or a wedding film and you'relike, know.
(17:16):
Literally, literally.
Well, I had a writer who's brand in a day's today and she was like, my God, I couldn'timagine writing while my client was watching.
And in the end, I'm like, I just take my ego out of it.
And like, I often say, I'm like, I'm not the best designer, but I'm the best listener.
And I can listen to what you want and I can bring that to life.
And that's really all that matters.
(17:37):
And same with you being a photographer.
It's like, in the end, it's like, we just got to listen to our clients.
What are they actually telling us?
We can't, yes, you've got a certain aesthetic and what I've
but like we do really need the client's desires to kind of outweigh our set aesthetic.
Yeah, I know you mean like just having that service mentality because there is so manytimes when for a photo you like I want to go over here and do this and they're like it
does not suit the couple at all and you're like
(18:00):
I wanna do a boomerang top
another photo over here with the uncle perfect.
Let's do that.
But in the end, if they're happy, like that's all that matters.
As I said, I've designed lots of brands that I really don't love, but I'm like, the clientloves it.
Yes.
Exactly.
Would you have like a timeframe of how often do you think we should be rebranding to kindof stay relevant in an industry?
(18:24):
Okay.
think that's so specific.
Like say for example, in the wedding industry, like trends are changing, things arechanging.
It's quite a fast paced industry, which I would imagine.
Yeah, for sure.
I would say you probably have to do it a little bit more frequently.
I think, it's time.
But then also like it doesn't mean you have to reinvent the wheel every time.
(18:44):
Like you can have a brand that evolves as you evolve.
So, you know, if you scroll back through my Instagram, I think the past two years Ihaven't actually changed my brand, but I've
upleveled it and I've tweaked it and I've like, refreshed it, you know?
So I think there's definitely elements that people could do to refresh and keep up withthe trends without having to like, redo their logo all the time.
(19:05):
So yeah, I would say that in an industry fast pace.
you probably, you know, don't want to be sitting on something for nine years.
You might want to refresh it.
But with that said, there are industries that actually would be really beneficial to stickto one logo for one brand identity for a longer period of time.
Yeah, someone like me, for example, who, know, like people are looking to me for designideas as well.
(19:27):
So it's like I kind of my brands just evolved as I've evolved.
Yes, it wouldn't really make sense for me to stick with the same branding for five yearsbecause people are uh boring.
Yeah, like you definitely almost need to be at the forefront because and like whatever'strending, you almost need to be designing for yourself to show that you are paying
attention to what is happening in the industry.
m
to speak to trends, like I think um I'm like a big believer that I get people to designfor them, not what's what's trendy.
(19:53):
Yeah.
Because I think people can get really trapped into like, but the it's a black and white,you know, Vogue style branding that's on that's on trend at the moment.
Yeah.
But really like when I hit you hit your page, I'm like, there's a disconnect.
There's like, it's like they're two different frequencies.
So you really want to design for you.
And yes, you can look at what's trending, but then like
(20:14):
Also, I don't want to go onto everyone's wedding page and it's all this black and white,invoke sort of vibe.
Like bring your authenticity, like bring things that are uniquely you, like weave that in.
That's why I think iDave, iDo's branding is so beautiful because it's like, what?
This looks like it's out of a magazine and it's vintage.
like, I think that's really setting him apart in his field, you know?
(20:37):
And there's so many like...
brands that I've done that it's like, it feels very edgy for that niche, but it worksbecause it's like, it's almost like a little pattern interrupt.
Yeah, that's almost one of the difficult parts as well is like, um like someone who isauthentic to their brand, they really do stand out.
And it just feels like they've got such a good understanding of who they are.
(20:57):
And it just shows through obviously they've hired someone to create that brand concept.
um But it is also hard to be like, I'm in this field, but I don't like like, who am I?
you know, like that's, that's almost a bit of a hard question as well to kind of reallypinpoint the branding when you're a part of the industry, you love it, but you, yeah, you
just, I just take photos and video and you so I think that the guidance that you are ableto give along the way would be like a massive benefit to people because I'm just like,
(21:26):
yep, it sounds great.
But I think in the end, like nobody just takes a photo, nobody just takes a video.
Like, you know, I'm sure you make your clients feel so seen, like they feel so relaxed infront of the camera.
m And you know, know everyone listening, like they would bring their own flair to whateverthey do.
So I would really encourage people to sit with like, what's my, you know, special sourcethat I bring and like, how can I bring that through my branding?
(21:50):
I think it's so done the days of like the vanilla branding and like, it's like, you've gotto be really professional.
And yes, there's an element of that.
But also I'm like, cool, we're sitting here.
barefoot recording.
I love I love that.
And I think in the world of AI, where everything is so clean, professional, and, you know,refined people looking for those little things that make them look twice and be like, what
(22:11):
the hell?
that that excites me about, you know, especially brands where it just makes you look twiceand think, Oh, I didn't didn't expect to see that.
But I love that.
Yeah, well, everything isn't as polished.
Everything, you know, it used to be you have to get like the prettiest photos on yourInstagram feed and everything and everything has to look really polished.
And now the ones that stand out are people like the BTS of the person doing their job andthe person with a bit of personality that couples can kind of can relate to.
(22:36):
like now I want to speak to that person about their work.
Yeah.
You know, so it is a big mix.
I feel like you do really need to kind of put yourself out there more and show who youare.
black branding is such a big part of that.
Yeah.
And it's interesting, like, say you have a business name.
Yeah.
Like, I think some people like, I can't put myself in there because it's it's, you know,standing behind a business name.
(22:57):
Yeah.
But like, people, people aren't going to remember the business name, but they're going toremember you.
Yes.
So I would really encourage you if you can weave more of your story in there, if you canweave more of like your personality, your quirks, your different traits, like I think.
um
I don't know personally, but you know, when I'm looking for wedding vendors, that's whatI'm looking for.
Like, you know, Blake and I are getting married next year.
And I'm like, cool.
(23:17):
I don't want to just book, you know, blah, blah name.
I want to a person who's got a mission and who has a story, you know?
Okay, that would probably be a good thing.
Okay, because you would you would look at branding straight away and you'd be like, Nope,nope, nope, nope, What attracted you to say like, like a vendor or or even say the venue,
like obviously the venue stands out, it looks beautiful.
(23:38):
But what kind of would attract you to a wedding vendor when you're searching?
Okay, so I want to look through.
So the wedding photographer, you guys, we went with my bestie, my bestie, Rach.
Yeah.
And she, I just, she's done all my brand shoots.
So I'm like, obviously I'm going to pick her.
I still love you guys.
And then it's funny, like I feel um our wedding celebrant, as soon as I saw her face, sonot a logo, a face, I was like, done.
(24:07):
Done.
I didn't even need to see anything more.
was like, that's because
When people can see you, like I can connect with your eyes.
I can connect with your energy.
That's, that's obviously how I sort of pick things.
um I'm trying to think who else?
I don't know.
Some of the other ones I'm like music.
I don't really care.
You know, like obviously do care, but I'm not really looking for like, you know, the brandas such.
(24:30):
don't know that really answers your question.
I feel like for me, it's been a very like just energetic, intuitive process to be like,yep, hell yes.
Don't need to say anything more.
When like when you knew you knew, but like you are like saying thing you're picking peopleand then also things for your wedding will be more important than other things.
You know, like the photos are very important, like the celebrant, but to other people thatband might be super important and then they're going to go do like a really big deep dive
(24:53):
into what they want.
So yeah, I guess it just comes back to what's super important on your day.
Yeah, the values and like some people might be like, oh photographer, whatever.
And some people may like, no, need to, I need to pick the exact photo, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
I'm sure you guys have lots of very particular clients.
Let's maybe join a talk about what are some branding no-nos that you're seeing from,especially novices like myself that you look at and you're like, what are you doing?
(25:21):
Okay.
I would say like not having this so many, like almost like changing their templates, likethey're changing their underwear, like it's you go on and it's like a dog's breakfast of,
you know, different fonts, different templates.
There's no brand consistency.
There's no color consistency that straight away.
um It's just given to Sheveld.
(25:41):
And then also I would say like heavy use of AI.
It's just a pet hate.
As soon as I see something really AI, I'm like, oh,
It's I scroll past it straight away.
So I, I would just like err on the side of like use AI for the things you don't need toactually brain full like, you know, but then when it comes to post, like people want to
(26:02):
feel you, they want to feel that you've written it.
So that's more of a marketing thing is just like, maybe don't go heavy on the AI.
And then like using photos of you as well, like I want to see like, who's behind thecamera, who's taking the photos, like, so many times I go onto a photographer's page and
I'm like,
I don't even know who you are.
Like I can't connect with you.
having, you know, I like to do the three pinned posts at the top of your Instagram.
(26:26):
So about you as a photographer, as a wedding vendor, what's your story?
Like, why do you do what you do?
Services, like make it easy for people.
People want to give you money.
They want to buy your services.
They want to book you in.
They have to go 30 posts deep to find like one thing.
So make it easy.
Pin it at the top of your page.
um And that's a breakdown of like, okay, like what are your packages?
(26:50):
Also don't be afraid to put pricing on there.
Like I think people get really worried.
I can't put pricing on there, blah, blah, blah.
Like it's so good having pricing on there.
So many people have said to me, I love that you've just got it there.
It's clear.
There's no like DM me to get the pricing.
Like I'm not hiding anything.
it's the price is the price.
So if you can do that as a as wedding vendor, I know it obviously changes depending on thepackage, but you could say from.
(27:15):
exactly.
And then you know, the third one could be so I like to I put my podcast there, but itcould be like a current offer you had, or it could be a lookbook of all your, you know,
favorite shoots from 2025.
Yeah, beautiful.
like really um user friendly and kind of giving them all the info that they need straightaway.
Yeah, because I feel like with, you know, with the Instagram, your socials and everything,like people have almost made the decision before they even hit your website anymore.
(27:41):
And so like having all that information for them, there's a lot of times where I'll go tobuy something and I just want to know the prices.
And then you have to like go through, okay, cool.
I'm going to send an email and then you're going to call me back, which I hate.
know?
Yeah.
And like, just, just tell me what I want to know.
And probably if I hadn't known the price, I would have been like, cool, let's move ahead.
But now because you have to go through that process, it's like, puts you off even more.
(28:02):
They're just like, I don't really want to.
And a good exercise for people to do is like go on your page as someone who has never beenon the Instagram page.
Do they know within the first 10 seconds who you are, what you do, how you can help them?
um Because the more hoops, more chance someone's gonna drop off.
If they have to click on your link, then they go to your website, they gotta fill out aform, they've gotta wait for a call back, like they're gone.
(28:25):
Make it really easy for people.
People love ease.
Yes, for sure.
All right.
Well, I love that.
That's, um, man, I'm feeling inspired.
Not overwhelmed, not overwhelmed, like excited for sure.
Yeah.
Um, definitely excited to work together in the new year for sure.
Um, yeah.
So you're going to be coming on and running a modular as well, cause I'm not aprofessional in branding.
(28:48):
So, um, I'm very, very excited about that.
and yeah, so I've, I've said this, I've been running this for the last two years, thispodcast and branding is definitely my weakest part.
So I'm really excited to kind of work with you for that first, you know, for that firsteight weeks and really work out and get comfortable with like, here's my new brand.
We're going to stick to it.
We're going to evolve into the person that we're creating the brand for who I'm going tobecome, which I've never actually thought about it that way before.
(29:14):
ah So yeah, no, just really excited to kind of see where things can go on that front.
Yeah, it's gonna be good.
And I've kind of got some ideas after the chat as well.
think helping people really like pimp their Instagram.
As you said, it's like, they made the decision before they even hit the website.
So how can we make your Instagram your website, like have everything that they need attheir fingertips.
(29:34):
So you guys can get more bookings and more clients.
love it.
Awesome.
So Shani, thank you so much for coming on.
I really appreciate it.
And uh yeah, can't wait to hear from you again soon.
All right,
Thanks for tuning in to the Wedco podcast.
If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, follow and share it with yourfriends.
We'd to hear your thoughts, so leave a review or connect with us on social media.
(29:55):
New episodes drop every week, so be sure to join us next time for more weddinginspiration, tips and stories.
Until then, happy planning and we'll see you soon.
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