Critique Please

<p>Hi Photo .Netters!</p>

<p>Right then here's my story: I started out doing weddings as a second shooter last year. I'm enjoying it and want to progress to doing it on my own. I've built a website myself and had it online for a few months. So far i've not had any success in getting a booking :-(<br>

So paranoia has kicked in and i'm doubting myself. The questions I need an answer to are:</p>

<p>1. Is my website giving the right information for potential clients?<br>

2. Is the photography good enough?<br>

3. Is my package structure too complicated?<br>

4. Is the layout of the site practical/easy to find information?</p>

<p>Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated as my wife is threatening me to get a 'proper' job!</p>

<p><a href="http://www.specialanddifferent.co.uk">www.specialanddifferent.co.uk</a> is the place to go!</p>

<p>Many thanks<br>

David</p>

<p>Your website and information, photography and all of that look fine. But it sounds like you are waiting for people to find you, and the biggest mistake you can make is waiting. You have to drive traffic to your site HOWEVER you can. Get a Google business listing, and post your info on all the free wedding sites you can. Do some free portrait sessions for other wedding vendors, and NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK. I don't recommend a lot of the paid advertisements like Google Adwords, but I suppose that would depend on your location (I'm in California). Also, just a tiny note... I don't know what the going rate for photography is in the UK, but even with the dollar to pound conversion, your prices seem a bit low... sometimes that can turn people off to hiring you. I'm still building my business, and I know how you feel. Don't start doubting yourself now, this is the hardest part. If you really want to make your business work, never give up, and ALWAYS keep pushing forward even when things are not going well. Good luck! :)<br>

Erin</p>

<p>Exactly what Erin said. There is a temptation when one is starting out to set lowish prices, perhaps because your confidence isn't yet fully developed and you're tentatively feeling your way into the business. Instead, try to set your prices according to the level of service you provide and the quality of your product. I like your style, I like what I read on your site, so please don't undersell yourself. I use no paid advertising and my work comes mostly through my ability to network effectively. By that I don't mean confining yourself to vendors, but by associating with local businesses, clubs and societies which represent the sort of client you're after. </p>

<p>If you don't market your work only one thing will happen - nothing.</p>

Sorry. I should have mentioned that I am doing some marketing. Just on regional wedding websites at the moment, trying

to get people to my site. My concern was that the people who saw my site didn't like what they saw.

 

How else do you guys target brides directly?

 

Many thanks for your comments, they're really useful to someone like me who's a better photographer than marketeer!

 

David

<p>Hi David<br>

I have looked at your site and think it's great, no problems there, prices are tantalising so the come and buy me appeal for your standard of work is a bargain. I have to agree with everyones comments on marketing you really have to put yourself about and network network network try a wedding fayre the organisers usually have some great contacts and you can meet other photogs, they are not your competition far from it you may even pick up some sub contract work or second shooter gigs to keep you going. Lastly i would like to address your company title i did read your bio and think it's a lovely concept about how you arrived at your company name however, head over heart, it's business. special and different says nothing to anyone about what you are and what your company does. imo for what it's worth you really need to tell your market place you are a WEDDING photographer think of how many hits your NOT getting, all clients search for WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER first then narrow their options to locality so you might think of your county in the search criteria as well but definately squeeze in the word WEDDING and see if the hits start coming faster best wishes</p>

 

<p>Yeah I agree with Welshie.</p>

<p>I think the website layout and design is very good. You've got many nice images on the site. However, many of the images in your gallery have some lighting problems. Even some of the portraits in a controlled studio setting have some blown highlights. Take a look at the wedding party shot, 3rd image in your wedding gallery page, the subjects looked as if they've been lined-up and posed for the shot but, you've got a bunch of people in the background, the groom is looking somewhere else, one of the bridesmaids is almost completely blocked by another bridesmaid with a toothy-looking smile, and what is the groomsman holding in his left hand?</p>

<p>The key to marketing is in developing good solid relationships with other vendors such as DJs, Videographers, Venues, etc... Also, don't underestimate the value of networking with local photographers. A website is a good platform to display your work and provide info about services but don't expect it to drive referrals to your studio.</p>

<p>ok, if you want to know my HONEST opinion here it is-<br>

1) You charge way too little(as previously stated), your work is very good! Please raise your price!<br>

2) I'm not in love with your business name. I would never usually say this because I know it makes people upset hearing that, but I think you have really great talent and I think the name you chose and the logo will keep you at a certain level when you should be at a completely different level. Just something to think about...</p>

<p>I can't read the writting against the busy, none wedding related background. In my browser(Fire Fox) your logo gets chopped and I can't read it. And your slideshow goes to fast, and won't let me stop it to see the image longer. Also I HATE music on a website.</p>

<p>On the slash page, it's not very eye caching. I would like to see something that really makes me want to see more.</p>

<p>I didn't really understand your pricing. A little confusing for me, and can be for potential clients as well. Keep it simple. :)</p>

<p>I think the site would do better with more pictures and less talking, especially under Weddings and Portraits.</p>

<p>A reason you may not be getting alot of clients right now is because most brides have already picked out there photographer for there wedding this year. You should have better luck next year.</p>

<p>GL!</p>

 

<p>Wow guys! This is really good stuff. Many thanks again.<br>

I shall give the business name a lot of thought. I want to keep it unique so I don't become just another 'Joe Bloggs Photography' - no offence to those of you who use that style!- but I need to think about if 'Special and Different' is just too abstract.</p>

<p>Heather-what resolution is your screen at? I've tried looking at my site on various systems and have never seen the logo cut off. I agree with the splash page, a new one will be up shortly. I knew someone would mention the music at some point!!<br>

Thanks again!!</p>

<p>Not sure how to find out what my screen resolution is. I think it's a 15" screen? It's my laptop...<br>

Here's a screen shot of how it looks to me. Notice the Logo.<br>

<img src="http://heatherrenestudios.smugmug.com/photos/612821024_EZ4GL-L.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>There's nothing wrong with 'Special and Different' as a business name if it suits your product. I imagine it can work very well.</p>

<p>The problem is that it immediately promotes an expectation that you have to deliver on. And, to be horribly blunt (though hopefully usefully constructive as well), I'm not sure there's anything that's special or different about your work. It's competent, certainly affordable and I'm sure pleasantly packaged. But then the same is true of almost everyone else's, too. Special is pretty subjective, and without knowing how you work with people I couldn't possibly pass comment on how they find you. But looking at your price list makes me fairly confident your packages contain the same things as your competitors' packages, and judging by your portfolio your work is similar in style to that of most other UK event photographers. I'm not seeing 'different'.</p>

<p>If you have a unique proposition then you're right to market it, but you have to be sure it's evident and communicated in your product concept and your marketing materials. If you get it right then your name and your business concept will become coherent and easily understood. Otherwise, I'm afraid the net effect is that it will work against you.</p>

<p>What is the market you're targeting? At the moment your prices and your website position you very firmly at the lower-end of the market. Which is excellent if that is the market you want to attract, but also means you will struggle to market yourself to anyone else.</p>

<p>Irrespective of all the above, you will get far more leads from almost every form of marketing other than your website. The website is really a vehicle to send your leads to after you've made preliminary contact. You shouldn't expect many people to get there by themselves, at least not until you've been in business long enough to build a reputation and chain of referrals.</p>

<p>BTW - take a closer look at your pricelist pdf. It contains spelling and grammar mistakes that you may want to remove. Attention to detail is important in a photographer :-)</p>

<p>The site loads fine, looks fine and acts fine once you are in.</p>

<p>There are some gramatical errers!! Check the syntax and punctuation too.</p>

<p>I see a logo that suggests we are about to be presented with .... something different, then I see more of the same thing that I see everywhere else. Not to be discouraging about it, but perhaps the name should be more related to the fun I see in your images.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>I find the cutesy, over-friendly approach a bit cloying and as a customer I would move right on (I'm grumpy, what can I say?)<br>

The site is ok, it looks professional but I seem to have seen that style of template a lot lately.<br>

Another thing I noticed is that you're quite adamant about not providing a disc of high res images. That's fairly unusual these days and I can imagine that would put potential customers off. The trick is to charge enough in the first place so that you're not worried about making money through aftersales of prints<br>

Best of luck though!</p>

<p ><em><strong>"The questions I need an answer to are:</strong></em></p>

<p ><em><strong>1. Is my website giving the right information for potential clients?</strong></em><br /><em><strong>2. Is the photography good enough?</strong></em><br /><em><strong>3. Is my package structure too complicated?</strong></em><br /><em><strong>4. Is the layout of the site practical/easy to find information?"</strong></em></p>

<p > </p>

<p >I did not look at your website.</p>

<p > </p>

<p ><em><strong>"Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated as my wife is threatening me to get a 'proper' job!"</strong></em></p>

<p > </p>

<p >Begin marketing yourself. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I suspect you are TIME rich and CAPITAL poor: if so then leverage the time you have to get face to face toe to toe with people that will: make decisions; recommend you; have similar businesses to you; have weddings upcoming; have Daughters who will be getting married; do charity gigs; offer free Engagement Portrait gigs; . . . knock on doors . . .</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Stripped down to bare facts and a comparison: your question indicates you have made a website - and you are waiting for bookings and you have none.</p>

<p >So, just one little (gratis) marketing proposal you might consider:</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Instead of waiting for the phone to ring or the flag to go up on the email inbox . . . I'll get 1000 business cards made, hire a stand in a large mall, for one week, 8 hours a day where the demographic is useful and suits my target market, make a few prints from the best images you have and offer a once only Complementary 20 minute Portrait sitting for two . . . and I’ll bet London to a brick on, I will book at least three Weddings. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >(Now I will also sell the prints or cd's from the portrait sitting too, but that's another story).</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Search the past threads - the fine detail of the Free Portrait Sitting, I have mentioned before - yep some reckon I am mad – and they continue to spend hours on their website I guess.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Websites are good fun - websites do bring in customers, but IMO if you wait for just your website to bring in customers, when you are staring up your business, you will starve.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >WW </p>

<p > </p>

<p >PS Another freebee - you might research and consider my ideas about business cards, too.</p>

<p > </p>

<p>A website is just the start. You still have to do the rest.<br>

Steps to take. You still have to do the selling and marketing:<br>

1. Get your website google optimised...you have to pay for this, as your website can take up to 6 months to show up in searches if you don't.<br>

2. Get some really high quality brochures done, and give them at all the wedding dress shops in your area. You have to take them in and show them your work personally to get recommended.<br>

3. Set up a small showcase in your local mall with some A3 prints of your work. Man the booth and hand out brochures.<br>

4. Get google adwords on your website.<br>

5. Think about a banner ad on the website for a business thats very successful in your area.<br>

6. Advertise in your local paper at least every second week.<br>

7. Make sure you are listed in your regions white and yellow pages directories.<br>

8. Think about sponsoring a local fashion show...you know..the ones that book out the open area in a mall on saturdays.</p>

<p>Neil Ambrose- What makes you say that the website is aiming at the lower end of the market? I'm not beng confrontational! Just trying to understand your point of view.<br>

I'm quite pleased to hear that £600 for my cheapest package is 'low end' I will happily put my prices up as I am aiming for 'mid range' customers. I guess I put my prices low to try and encourage people to snap up a bargain. Do people generally think you get what you pay for?<br>

William W - I'm time poor and capital poorer i'm afraid. The reason i'm putting so much emphasis on the website is that it can sell for me 24/7. I had made the assumption (wrongly?) that the generation of brides getting married now would be internet savvy and that would be the first port of call when they start researching.<br>

I have done some networking in the local area with florists, bridal shops etc. Just not enough to be yielding good results yet. I will hit the streets again asap.</p>

 

<p ><strong><em>"I'm time poor and capital poorer i'm afraid." </em></strong></p>

<p > </p>

<p >Not a problem as I see it - you still have more time than money, so time is still your leverage.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >But I would ask you, how would you handle four Weddings: one next Saturday & Sunday week and then another 2 the following weekend?</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Without boxing you into a corner – if you can do those 4 Weddings you can do 16 hours selling, a week – and if you don’t have time to do those 4 Weddings . . .?</p>

<p > </p>

<p >*** </p>

<p > </p>

<p ><strong><em>"The reason i'm putting so much emphasis on the website is that it can sell for me 24/7."</em></strong></p>

<p > </p>

<p >IMO websites sell nothing. I have built three studios, two shop fronts, the first was at my home - the way I see it is the website is the "virtual shop front" - I learnt that you get between 1 and 3 seconds of a passers by time to glance at the shop front and register interest, or not.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >They then might come through the door, many don't. Of the ones which do come through the door, the moment they do, is when the selling begins - selling is an interactive game with two participants. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Visiting a website is an interactive game with only one participant - who just happens to be in total control. :) </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Others disagree with my point of view. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Please note I am NOT saying that you should kill your website </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I did later, have a look at the front page. As a Prospect I would say you are a Portfolio / Fashion Photographer who dabbles in Weddings: that opinion was formed from the two "visual" options I am given at your store front. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I asked an opinion of my PA (Female) and she said as much also - your Wedding image is quite boring, by comparison. (And the Gown is blown)</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Also as I understand the trawling and capturing of the web, you really need "hits" and there is a technique to get those by embedding stuff like key words and all sorts of ones and zeros. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Business is all in the numbers. Mathematics - actually quite simple Arithmetic - is what it is all about - you gotta get the numbers walking past the shop front to get the few to come through the door, to get the very few you convert. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >And the shop front is only one conduit . . . it is just in the numbers . . . if you are shooting 10 x 20 minute free Portrait sittings each Saturday, that could be one of many other conduits you could be using . . . its just numbers. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >Also, the font used at the bottom left of the page is quite "old hat" IMO. </p>

<p > </p>

<p >WW</p>

 

<p>Oh Crikey I almost forgot . . . another question - do you have a business card?<br>

If so, how many of them are on your person <strong><em>right now</em></strong>?<br>

And how many are in your wife's purse, <strong><em>right now</em></strong>?</p>

<p>WW</p>

<p>William - Many thanks for the reply and your thoughts. Having gone back and looked at the splash page, I can see what you mean. One of my intentions for the future is to separate out the wedding/portrait and fashion sites into two or three completely different sites. <br>

My business is home based so I do not have the advantage of a shop window. That's why I was trying to use the internet instead. I just need to be a better shop window myself and get out and meet as many people as possible! It's a really good point you made about making the time to sell. I'd drop everything to go and shoot a wedding, but don't make quite the same effort to do selling/promoting. Even as I type I realise how naive that sounds....lessons learnt.<br>

To answer your question on business cards, 10 and 1!</p>

<p>David, as the others have said, a website is a tiny part of the marketing mix. Your website is the downstream bit when you have made the appropriate efforts to garner interest in your business. Your site then determines whether those prospects eventually pick up the phone. Marketing ourselves is a vast part of our job - and often requires creativity. I can think of lower end photographers who gain a great deal of business from advertising alone - these are one hit clients though. Higher end photographers network network network and build lasting relationships and a strong referral chain. Think about how you want to grow your business - you said you're time poor so I'm assuming you have a day job. If that is to continue then you won't have time to service many mid to large weddings which require meticulous post production, album designs etc - you may be better off taking on a greater number of smaller lower-priced events and providing a DVD of images instead, keeping your overheads and time investment to a manageable level. </p>

<p>A shop front is not, in my opinion, in any way an advantage, especially in the UK.</p>

<p>Personally, I don't like music and slide shows as the initial introduction. I prefer to look at images on their own merit in my own time - if I want the show, then I think an option to go that route should be available as a second choice. I know this way of presenting wedding shots and such is pretty common but I don't like it, and I know there are plenty of folks who aren't enamored with this style either but that is just my opinion. I liked what I saw but bailed out before the shows were complete.</p>

<p>I like the name of the business - it shows creativity. And you want to attract the people that want you to do the kind of photography you like to perform - it's symmetry and synchronisity and that's what we all strive for.</p>

<p>David, the comments below are meant to help you get to a more effective site, they sound negative but they are just areas that in my opinion you could improve .</p>

<p>If you want honest comments then here are my impressions of your site.<br>

The title is not clear enough about what you are delivering and many brides want to know that there photography will give them great results on the day. The "different" part of your name doesn't really promise that and in fact could turn them off.</p>

<p>The wedding picture on the opening page is poor, not inviting and not different. Also brides want wedding photographers not a photographer who happens to do weddings.</p>

<p>The music to me is a bit load and very repetitive, also not very wedding related. I find it annoying.</p>

<p>The text part of the site is written in a folksy manner and does not give me confidence in your professionalism. Read some other sites from some of the top guys and compared your writing. It makes me immediately think beginner.</p>

<p>The overall work on the site itself is not bad and you have many good shots. But after looking through the site, your portraits stayed in my memory more that your wedding shots. Maybe the wedding shots need to be set out on the site for more impact.</p>

<p>With all the advice from everyone on the site you can decide on improving it, but the most important advice is to get out there. If you want a business then the work is 70% marketing and only 30% or so photography, particularly in startup.</p>

<p>Bill</p>

<p ><em><strong >"My business is home based so I do not have the advantage of a shop window. That's why I was trying to use the internet instead."</strong></em><strong ></strong></p>

<p > </p>

<p >I believe you have misinterpreted my meaning. (Thank you Lindsay for also drawing my attention to this point)</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I was NOT suggesting having a shop front was any advantage (or not). </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I was just making a comparison that your web page is your "shop front" - and like a shop front, you only get 1 to 3 seconds to grab the passer by and haul them through the front door . . . and then I was making a contrast and saying the web page is unlike a shop because once inside the "virtual shop" no "selling" can be done because there is no "salesman" . . . </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I understand how my wording has caused a misunderstanding - sorry for that.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >To be clear - I am in no way suggesting you rent or buy a shop - that would be quite illogical and totally a waste of money and de-leveraging your position substantially, (from the thumbnail sketch I have in my head.)</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Even if you had a lazy 300,000 quid in your kick I would be having long and strong thoughts about a shop front, and still most likely advise against it...</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Yes, I think keep your web page - but I think you should be clear about what you expect from it, more importantly you should adequately assess what it is capable of providing you, especially during this setting up and birth period of your business.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >*** </p>

<p > </p>

<p ><strong ><em >“One of my intentions for the future is to separate out the wedding/portrait and fashion sites into two or three completely different sites.”</em></strong></p>

<p > </p>

<p >How much time will that take you to do? . . . I shall have a look, this time next week.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Three issues you might consider about an home based business are: discipline, time management and task allocation.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >*** </p>

<p > </p>

<p ><strong ><em >To answer your question on business cards, 10 and 1!</em></strong></p>

<p > </p>

<p >How many people did each of you converse with today? </p>

<p > </p>

<p >If you expect to interact with more than ten and one persons in a day, then you each are underprepared in this one particular regard, to give birth to a business.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >*** </p>

<p > </p>

<p ><strong ><em >“Even as I type I</em></strong><strong ><em > realise</em></strong><strong ><em > how naive that sounds....lessons learnt.”</em></strong><strong ><em ></em></strong></p>

<p > </p>

<p ><strong >No! Absolutely not!</strong></p>

<p > </p>

<p >I do not read what you wrote as a trait of naivety.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I read honesty and strength. Brave enough to take an objective stance and critique yourself, in public, your signature on it.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >***</p>

<p > </p>

<p >I think from this thread there are several light bulbs shining: I am happy for you – run with them and put your own brand on them. Good luck to you both, with your venture.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >Your reciprocal conversation and input has been much appreciated, as are your thanks. . . but I do suggest you re-read and pick apart the whole thread. Sometimes it is easy for one to be distracted by a particular strong flavour in a curry, or an overly bright colour in a dress, or a particularly strong voice in a choir, and one misses the gems of other voices . . . </p>

<p > </p>

<p >I think that about finishes my thoughts, goodnight.</p>

<p > </p>

<p >WW</p>

<p > </p>