Is it Time to Update Your About Page?

by Skip Cohen

​This certainly isn't a new topic, but lately, I've visited some websites where the artists go on and on about everything except what their target audience needs to hear! The first tab you want to "hook" your clients with is your galleries - then comes your About page. Your About page should focus on building trust with your potential clients.

I've written so much about this over the years, but many of you still don't get it! This is a short post today, but hopefully, well worth your time.

• Stop talking about your gear! Most clients don't care what you shoot with. 
• Stop talking about your awards! Unless you won a Pulitzer, talking about print competition awards especially will have little or no impact. Most consumers don't know what PPA, WPPI, and many other associations are!
• Nobody cares how you got started! It seems harsh, but the average consumer doesn't care who gave you your first camera.

Remember, women make 98% of the purchase decisions to hire most of you. That means "Mom" and brides are the ones looking at your work. So remember your target audience when you write about your background for your About page. Here's what they want to hear:

• Talk about why you love being a photographer.
• Share your passion for people and capturing memories.
• Be sappy - this is an opportunity to show your love for the craft.
• Describe how clients trust you to capture images that tug at their heartstrings. Remember, you're not just their eyes at an event, but their hearts as well!
• Write about your dedication to exceeding client expectations and building relationships.

The biggest question new clients have is whether or not you can be trusted to capture the images they want. Will you be able to meet their mindset?

Last but not least - write it all in the first person and include a signature. (With security issues these days, a facsimile of your signature is fine.) Write your About section as more of an artist's statement and stay relevant to what your target audience needs to hear. 

Every visit to your website is a potential opportunity to start a new relationship or expand an old one. Exceed consumer expectations right out of the block with extraordinary images in your galleries, followed by a strong About section! 

And, if you're doing a marketing video for your About page, follow the same rules and let your personality shine through. But keep it short - my suggestion is 1-3 minutes and use the time to accompany your narrative with your very best images, along with a short clip or two of you working with a client.

​Technically, we're still in the "slow season," so take the time to review your About page - is it saying everything you need it to?