Top tips for Branding

To make your brand stand out and connect with your audience, keep these tips in mind:

• Be consistent: Make sure all your branding elements—visuals, messaging, and tone—are consistent across every platform. This builds recognition and trust.
• Know your customers: Be aware of who they are, what they care about, and how they interact with your brand. Tailor your branding to align with their expectations.
• Engage with your community: Branding isn't just about your online presence. Get involved in your local community by attending events and supporting local initiatives.
• Stay authentic: Make sure your brand reflects your actual core values and mission. Authenticity resonates with customers and helps build lasting connections.

Pro tip: Readdress and periodically update your branding and messaging to match your audience's changing needs and tastes. Being flexible helps your brand stay relevant and connected to your customers over time.

2. Photography 

Types of high-quality brand photography for auto restoration, performance, racing, and restyling shops

• Product and build photography: Highlight your auto performance parts or services with detailed, high-resolution images. For example, close-ups or before-and-after shots of a high-performance engine upgrade or restoration can showcase its quality and craftsmanship.
• Behind-the-scenes content: Share what happens behind closed doors. Photos of your staff at work or your shop's daily work add a personal touch and show how much effort you put into your services.
• Progress pictures: Everybody loves a good story, and what better way to tell a story than by showing off the progress pictures of your latest or past projects with an image gallery full of build progress and completion? Not only do your clients get excited about seeing their cars on display, but your audience will be blown away by the transformations you make to vehicles every year. 
• Lifestyle photography: Show your team in action or happy customers enjoying your work. These images help potential customers picture themselves partnering with your shop.

Things to consider to take great photos:



• Lighting: Use natural or good studio light to make your photos bright and clear. Avoid dim light or harsh shadows. The more professional your photos look, the less your audience can look away.
• Composition: Frame your shots and use the rule of thirds to create balanced images.
• Background: Keep it simple. A clean background keeps the focus on your subject. For example, if you’re taking a picture of a finished project, try taking it with an uncluttered background. Progress shots look great in the shop, but when she’s all cleaned up, you wanna make sure the only thing the audience sees is the beautiful work you’ve completed. 
• Focus: Make sure your main subject is sharp. Blurry photos look unprofessional and won’t keep anybody’s attention for very long.

WARNING: We would be doing a disservice here if we didn’t warn you about using images you find with a Google search or grabbing pics from paid stock photo sites without paying for and licensing them. NEVER do this! You won’t believe how many clients send us photos they’ve found on the internet. 

Most images on the internet are copyrighted, so using them could result in a lawsuit or fines from stock photo companies. There is no problem using a limited number of licensed photos or even free royalty-free images on your site or social media, as there is a place for them, but we always recommend using your own images.

Pro tip: Keep the style and quality of your photos consistent across all your branding materials and - when appropriate - include your logo and brand colors on your images, especially for social media posts. This consistency helps create a polished and professional image for your shop’s brand.

Part 1  |  Part 2