Marketing your photographic business through your website
The Internet is now one of the most powerful marketing tools there is, but there are a few golden rules that your website should stick to
The majority of photographers do now have a website of some description and there are some stunning sites on the web. However, too many sites fail by not grabbing a viewer’s attention or, worse, having them leave after a few seconds due to slow downloads or irrelevant animations. Getting your images looking great on a site that works fast is vital. After all the aim of a photographer’s website is to quickly tell a potential customer why they should hire you, not someone else.
Branding is important and should be an extension of the identity on your stationery and business cards to give a consistent and professional image. Also think about the image you are portraying with the text on your site. A paragraph starting “I got my first camera when I was ten” may be fine for a camera club, but not for a site to find new clients. A short mission statement that conveys what you are about and how you really feel about photography is best. If you love doing weddings then say you do. And say why.
I receive a lot of calls saying, “I have a website but I am not really happy with it.” If this is how you feel about your site then it is time to do something about it. This doesn’t have to be a major overhaul, as even minor changes can make a real difference. Use the minimum amount of text needed and break down information into sections. The same goes for images: your best pictures should be viewable with one or two mouse clicks. Don’t force visitors to view a slide show they don’t want to.
A good excercise is to stand behind someone viewing a website and watch their mouse activity. What and where they click; it probably won’t be a structured, methodical approach, and is more likely to be quite random. Many effective sites use good thumbnail images that are clever crops of a larger image that encourages the viewer to pop up a preview image to see more.
Have others look at your site and give you their impressions. It can be hard to weed out the best shots from hundreds that you are proud of as their creator. Other people’s opinions will give you interesting insights on what to change right there.
For a photographer, a website is no longer a “nice to have”, it’s a must-have, an essential part of your promotional line up.
To see Contact details go to the Directory
