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Monthly Archives: February 2010
It was the day Apple announced the iPad. First, I laughed at the name. And then I realized that if Apple keeps refusing to work with Adobe Flash, it has to go. This means yet another website build, yet another chunk of change being yielded to a team of pros, and yet another iteration of my brand.
Of course, you can argue that Flash is still relevant, but HTML is simpler. I’m all about simpler. So I set about creating a framework to display my images that could convey my brand without overwhelming the work. The questions I asked myself, that I challenge you to ask about your website…
Is the website easy to navigate? Are all the buttons easily located?
The buttons on the new website are visible at all times, remain stationary through page changes, and have boring names. Those boring button names like ‘FAQ’ and ‘Info’ and ‘Contact’ mean that website visitors will know what each one does. ‘Blow it up!’ and ’411′ and ‘Buzz me!’ are cute, but not necessarily effective.
Does the website look the same on every computer?
The website will never look exactly the same for every viewer, but the elimination of image and website scaling (common in Flash templates) makes uniform user experience a distinct possibility.
Is all the website text relevant?
No fluff, just enough of your features and benefits being highlighted to distinguish your brand from others. Potential clients know just enough to know if they want to know more. (Need brushing up on features and benefits? Marketing School is for you.)
Who needs a splash page?
I know the major industry web template providers have splash pages, but I don’t get the point. Stuffing keywords on an HTML page because the rest of the Flash website is invisible to Google just isn’t a sound SEO strategy.
Have you hired a professional?
This is the most expensive website I’ve ever purchased, but it looks the least flashy. Fabulous coding with search engine optimization hints provided by Naomi Dunford’s SEO School are hidden from view while my images take center stage.
Want your own HTML website?
Take a look at the super-sleep Kimtown HTML sites, or consider modifying your WordPress blog to be a blog-site using the Prophoto 3 theme. Save $10 with code BNDCMP717 — if it doesn’t work immediately, just email customer support at Prophoto.
What about the website?
Oh yah. View the new, super-simple site for Essential Imagery.
So, I’ve had to do more shoveling in the past few weeks than in the rest of my life, combined. Forty-five inches of snowfall in less than 10 days will do that to you. And while I was huffing and puffing away, digging my car out of drifts taller than the car’s windows…I thought about how easy shoveling is.
I mean, when you shovel, you see results immediately. Shovel, shovel, shovel…I see pavement! Shovel, shovel, shovel…I see my car! It’s a gratifying task because x leads to y, which leads to hot cocoa the minute you step inside your nice cozy home.
De-icing, on the other hand…you just have to throw some salt on the sidewalk and wait. And wait, and wait. Did you buy the right salt? Should you have purchased the premium salt? Did you use enough? How long does this stuff take to work? Should I just go out there with a shovel and try to chip the ice away instead of waiting?
Marketing your business is a lot like the shoveling and de-icing process.
When you’re first starting out…you get to do branding, yay! Hire peeps to make a logo, get a website, compile a portfolio, make major decisions for your business and shape a brand that’s awesome. It’s all shoveling snow, baby! Immediate results are awesome, aren’t they?
A year or two later, you’re sprinkling the sidewalks with salt. Sure, your blog hits are growing, your clients are great, and you’ve distributed postcards to the tri-county area…but are they the right postcards? Is it the right message you’re sending? What if you could have better clients? Or more, even-awesomer-than-awesome clients? What if you’re tired of photographing newborns and want to give weddings a try, or vice versa?
By year three, you’ve probably tired of your website, your logo, and your marketing techniques. You’re quite possibly a bit bored. You’re ready to go out there with a shovel and just chip the hell out of the ice in the hopes that this whole deal will turn into shoveling again.
Truth be told, starting is the easy part. Sitting with your own doubts, then overcoming them to sustain and grow your business is exponentially more difficult.
How are you working to overcome your own doubts? How can you keep pushing, keep growing, keep guiding your business without being able to see obvious progress? (I’ve had clients hold to my business card for two years before calling. Two years is a long time to wait for ice to melt!)
This post doesn’t have any answers…I would love to hear your thoughts on tough business bits, working on your patience, or how you balance your business processes with grace.
No matter what you’re putting into the world as an artist and/or product developer, there’s always going to be a hater.
One of the most common hater arguments: I can get _________ a lot cheaper/for free at ___________.
It’s easy to wring your hands and respond in an ugly way, since this is a hater hitting you in the wallet. Remember, however, that this statement is true. It’s no reflection on you for a cheapass to point out that wedding photography on Craigslist is only $40, or that there are thousands of free _____ products in the world.
You get what you pay for, and haters always want it cheaper. If you get this e-mail, at least you know your work is close to being priced appropriately.
Another hater argument, common among photographers: oh, _______’s work is so totally overpriced. MY work is so much better.
Let’s remember that when a photographer brings in $20,000 for shooting a few hours of wedding photography and delivering a fabulous album, the industry as a whole is valued, appreciated, and monetarily viable. Whether you like the work of x or not, those photographers who are commanding a great deal of money for their work are the rising tide that’s raising all ships.
My guess is that jealousy is speaking, right at that point where you devalue someone else. Instead of pointing fingers, why not work on your own pricing strategy, lovely?
The ultimate hater argument, even more common among photographers: ___________ totally sucks, I don’t know why anyone pays attention to ___________ and why ___________’s blog has had x million hits.
Again, that’s jealousy talking. If someone walked into your studio and told you that you’d be receiving x million hits to your blog in the next year, you wouldn’t turn it down. You would be ecstatic. Your self-esteem would probably go through the roof, your business would benefit monetarily, and my guess is that you would soon be launching a product or workshop aimed at sharing your knowledge.
Don’t let the big green monster make you a hater — remember to blog regularly. To add that x factor of humanity, blog about yourself once for every three times you blog about photography.
Finally, the most common hater argument, from clients and photographers: I CAN TOTALLY DO THAT.
Maybe you can, maybe you can’t, but it’s insulting to say it. I’ve handed my camera to clients who commented about how awesome my camera was, asking them to go ahead and make magic happen. (Want to see a middle-aged, very-smug man shut up in a nanosecond? Try it sometime…)
If we won’t accept that behavior from our clients, don’t go saying it about others in the industry. Maybe you can light a couple with three strobes in the dark in front of an abandoned factory during a wedding time crunch and land on the cover of PDN, but you didn’t.
Minimizing other’s achievements, integrity, and creativity only demeans the photographic industry. Don’t go there, honeybun.
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Phoenix area photographers: there are two spots left for my trip to Arizona from March 29 to April 1.
Click for details.
The Totally Rad Lightroom presets have finally launched, so I can give you a look at the behind-the-scenes goodness that made the product happen…and what you can learn from Doug Boutwell‘s approach to bringing a product into the world.
Wait until the product is glorious before release.
Totally Rad peeps have been harassing the Doug for YEARS to get onto Lightroom Presets. But he’s taken his time, watched what the competition offered, tweaked it to his (totally rad) tastes, and ultimately attempted to one-up himself. A profitable product is great, but a truly remarkable product that’s also profitable is the goal.
In the wedding & portrait world: yes, you can throw together a dog portfolio or add an ‘available for commercial work’ tag to your website. But taking the time to hone your skills, craft a killer collection of images, and/or learn more about the commercial process will probably be better for you. And for your clients.
Take time to listen to your users.
When Doug sent his goodies off to peeps for review, he didn’t want to hear ‘Yay! Awesome!’ He was looking for honest feedback that would lead to a better user experience. I suggested a tall, grande, venti-type of breakdown to control the power of the preset effects. Other suggested adding basic Lightroom tweaks to the process to correct exposure, recapture highlights, etc…all tweaks that were not part of the initial plan. He may be a master of the technical stuff, but his greatest entrepreneurial strength lies in his ability to capture what the market wants at any given time.
If you’re a portrait photographer and 90% of your clients ask for digital files, make them available. Don’t sell yourself short, by any means! (I recommend pricing from $1500+ for portraits. Pricing strategy here.) But don’t be stupid enough to think you can change what the market wants. Those clients who really want digital files will find someone who offers them.
Reward your users for their awesomeness.
When I ask Doug to sponsor a workshop, hold a contest, offer a promo code for reader-created blog articles, or reward a fan for an exceptional recipe, the answer is always “Yes.” Without hesitation.
If you have clients who consistently refer you to others, reward them. Flowers, chocolates, go-cart rides, a trip to the spa, a portrait session, one-on-one camera lessons, or a handmade gift. A phone call. An hour of babysitting. A latte and some girl talk. Whatever it is, make it unique to them.
And of course, go buy the Totally Rad Adobe Lightroom presets. The images in this post feature the Purple Nurple preset!
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