Fast Food Friday - For Professional Photographers

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by Skip Cohen 

Well, it finally happened. I ran out of things to write about and missed the last few Fridays. However, I'm back. Thanks to many of you, I'm loaded with more ideas to help you create a stronger business model and thrive, not just survive!

Remember, I started this series in much the same way a farmer plants his crops...they're seeds of ideas to help you be more effective. It's your choice to nurture the ideas and let them grow into something bigger. So many of you are right-brain creative types, and you're often so involved in the process of capturing and creating the ultimate image, you miss the operational side of the business.

As I've written before, what good is creating the greatest images of your life if nobody knows who you are?

With the seasonality of the fourth quarter about to go into full swing, I was thinking about your websites and blogs. So many of you have them because you were told they were what you needed, but there's no personality showing in either venue.

Too much Internet real estate is just plain flat. I've been on too many websites that are like a can of soda left open overnight. It's got color, flavor but no bubbles - no fizz!

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Is Your Website an Experience or Could it Put a Rock to Sleep?

Click to view Google page on browsers

Remember the old ban deodorant commercial? The tagline was, "You never get a second chance to make a first expression. Never let them see you sweat!"

I've been doing a lot of website reviews lately, and so many of you are missing an opportunity to make a great first expression. A visit to your website needs to be a great experience. Just like shopping at Macy's vs. Nordstroms - you've got a choice to make in the experience you give visitors to your website!

Here are some ideas, most of them easy fixes and things you can do NOW before business hits the holiday peak!

• Load Times: Don't just assume your website is loading the way you intend it. Check it on different browsers. The top four are still the same!
• Navigation: Is your site easy to scroll through, or do you need a team of miners to find the most important components and information?
• Mobile Compatible: Your website has to be accessible and easy to view on a phone as well as a computer. So, is it?
• Great Images: It's all about quality, not quantity! Stop showing images that anybody's Uncle Harry could capture. Every image you share, including your own headshot, should scream "PROFESSIONAL!" Stop filling up your galleries with average photos.
• Policies Don't Belong on Your Website: Too many of you have policies that would scare an IRS auditor. Save the policies on cancellations, refunds, etc. for the contract discussion and stop scaring people away before they fall in love with your work.
• Contact Pages: Give people a way to contact you directly! There's no excuse for not listing your phone number! And make your phone a dedicated line for your business.
• Respond Quickly: Two weeks ago, PhotoTexting.com launched its new website and programs, including an outstanding one for Senior photographers. The key is the speed and diversity of applications their programs give you for quick responses. If you're still wading through traditional contact forms from potential clients, you might as well go back to the "bingo-cards" magazines used twenty years ago.
• Continuity: Now and then, I review a website that looks like it was built by different contractors on a house. The home page has a distinct look, but the pages that follow don't seem to fit in. There's no excuse today for a website that's anything but upbeat and great looking! DIY has its limits, and while some of you, have the skillset, too many of you have been building things as you go along and need help.

While somebody will challenge me on this, you can't be in business today without a website. I also feel a blog is essential. Why? Because your site is about what you sell, and your blog is about what's in your heart. Both work together, much like advertising and publicity. Together a great website and blog can open doors, build trust, and help establish your reputation as a professional photographer.

But just like discussions on Facebook forums about what photographers wear when shooting a wedding, you've got to dress the part. You've got to dress for success! ​ These days, your website is the equivalent of a bricks and mortar store - make a visit, starting with your audience walking through the front door, that's memorable and a fun place to "shop."

Photo Credits: © bnenin , © dima_sidelnikov

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