Having a website is no longer optional. It’s something that you absolutely need to have for 2021 and moving forward. Many businesses went to online marketing, because of the pandemic and that’s exactly what you need to be doing too. Today, I have my amazing friend Elizabeth MccCravy coming on the show, and we are talking all about how to infuse personality into your website and make it functional, so that you can stand out from the competition and get clients to book with you. Elizabeth believes that smart strategy combined with plenty of personality leads to a thriving business. She shares all about business strategy tips and tricks on her show The Breakthrough Brand Podcast. I’m so excited to welcome her back to the blog!
Brooke: Let’s start with the importance of having a website? Is it optional? What role does the website really play in our photography businesses?
Elizabeth: Thinking about photographers, specifically, I would say having a website is not optional. Social media is a great connection point in building relationships and the like, know, trust factor, but when it comes to making the sale, people want a place where they can go get all the information. They want a list of services, info on what it’s like working with you, etc. and that’s going to be on your website, not in an Instagram caption. It’s just going to create a such a better relationship with the customer.
Brooke: Yeah, so many good points. For years now, we’ve been moving towards everything going online. I think the way that we make buying decisions is changing too. We do more research and Google to find people, so you need something that helps you stand out. Soon, I’ll be teaching a marketing funnel for photographers that shows how social media is the very top of your funnel.
Now that we know having a website really isn’t optional anymore, let’s dive into some of the ways that we can have our websites be functional while showcasing our personality to help us stand out from other photographers.
Elizabeth: The first major tip I want to give is to write like you talk when it comes to your copywriting. There are some industries where really formal copywriting makes a lot of sense. Photography, even fine art wedding photography, is not one of those groups. You should really write like you talk, which means to keep it conversational. Imagine that you’re at a party and someone asks “Hey, what do you do for a living?” How would you respond?
Brooke: I love that! I definitely resonate more with the websites that talk like they speak. When I go to their website, listen to their podcast, or hear them on a video, it seems to really relate. Alright, what is another way that we can infuse personality into our website?
Elizabeth: Your website’s a great place to make that one to one connection. It’s a very intimate job being a photographer, so people want to resonate and feel comfortable with you. Your ‘about page’ is a great place to do that. You want to write all your copy from the perspective of how you can serve them while pulling in things about yourself that they might be able to connect with.
For example, if you’re at a party and don’t really know anyone, when you meet someone who went to the same college as you, really likes that same movie or whatever, all of a sudden you have a connection point and something to talk about. You feel instantly close to them, even though you just met. The same thing can happen on your website.
Brooke: That’s great! Anything else can we do?
Elizabeth: The next thing is to show yourself in addition to your work to add personality. You need to show up on your Instagram stories with your face. Let people see who the person is behind all that beautiful images you’re sharing. Your website should be the same way. Ideally some pictures will include you smiling at the camera looking into it. I love to do one on the homepage that makes that direct eye contact, because even through a screen you can feel warmth and connection that way. I would also figure out a way to exchange with another photographer where they’re using your own camera settings, so you’re not having to credit them on your website. It’s important that your photos of yourself align with your overall style.
Brooke: Okay, I love this point. I think we definitely need to be showing ourselves on our news feeds and websites too. Now here’s a couple tips I have for that is one: I have hired other photographers to do all the pictures you see of me. Now there’s a challenge that comes with that. I have gladly paid full price for both of my photographers. we didn’t do an exchange, although I think that’s fantastic. The two people that I hired have been absolutely wonderful, helped pose me and helped break the ice, so it wasn’t awkward.
The second option, like you said, is to find somebody with a similar style and exchange a branding photoshoot. It’s a great way to meet people and network and also get some branding photos for your website. The last option is self portrait using your own camera, tripod, a timer or whatever you need. I’m intrigued by all of the photographers I see do it and think it’s incredible. So there’s some tips and tricks for how to involve yourself throughout your website and really show up online. Alright, I know you’ve got some good stuff still to go. Let’s go ahead and dive into the next one.
Elizabeth: Yes! The next tip is to use colors and typography that express your brand personality. When I say typography, that literally means like the fonts on your website. When I say colors that means the colors that are used throughout your website, social media, all of it. I’m a fan of color, but that does not mean that not having color is bad. That could be what makes more sense for your brand. The colors and typography are saying something just without the literal nature of saying something.
For example, we think of yellow as meaning happiness and optimism., and green is growth and nature. Think about the colors you are using. What do they portray? Fonts are a little less cut and dry. If you don’t like your website, you can just go in there change it all in a few clicks, which is really awesome. Then, of course, you want to utilize those colors and fonts throughout your entire brand: on your website, Instagram story graphics, on your feed, marketing materials, all of it.
Brooke: Yeah, branding is super fun, but it can also be really overwhelming. If you’re sitting there like I don’t even know where to start. I have you covered inside the Blueprint. There are multiple trainings over this, so you don’t have to worry we’ve got you covered. We show you how to do it yourself.
Remember, if it looks like you took maybe 30 seconds to throw up a website it can cheapen you when I know that your capable of amazing work. Colors and fonts and all of the branding elements together play a vital role. You could ignore it if you want to, but it’s only going to enhance your business and allow you to have more conversions, which is what you want. 100% your fonts and your colors do matter. People go look at your websites! What other tips do you have for personality on our websites?
Elizabeth: The last tip I have is this one, make sure you have a clear and captivating brand statement. Your brand statement is the first thing people read when they land on your homepage besides your logo. Make sure it’s clear very quickly, who your service is for, what it is and what makes it unique. The statement goes on your website’s homepage, so it’s the first thing someone reads and you want to be clear, not cute. It should include three things: who you serve, what you provide and why it’s unique.
Some questions you can ask to help you kind of sum up your statement are: Who do I serve? Who is my ideal client? and What makes what I do unique from competitors? Remember, you don’t need to welcome people to your website. Just jumping straight into helping them know you and your brand. You don’t want to make potential clients hunt for that information, so put it right there.
Brooke: Oh, my goodness…So good! Building websites and having one doesn’t have to be complicated. I think everything is an investment. A website is a wise investment, because you will get a return. I highly recommend if you are looking to find your forever home on the web, go shop Elizabeth’s templates and find you one that works for you. Oh, and tell us about that fun quiz that you have.
Elizabeth: Thank you for all those kind words seriously broke, there’s You’re so sweet. Yeah, I have a quiz where it matches you with a template. You answer different questions relating what you do in your business, your brand’s personality, your preferences, etc. Then it gives you a results showing the template that makes the most sense for you. Plus, some other suggestions as well. Definitely check that out!
Brooke: Awesome. It’s so fun to see kind of what website you should get and what your personality is kind of drawn to. I remember looking at your templates couldn’t really decide for sure. You had just launched that quiz to quiz, so I took it and got the exact template that I was gonna buy anyway, so it was great. It was good confirmation.
Well, thank you for all of these golden tips. You’ve shared a lot about websites here and I can’t wait for you to dive in super deep inside of the blueprint soon. I truly think that having a functional personality infused website truly is what helps us stand out against competition online.
Want to hear more insider tips on how to create an amazing website? Just head over to the Book More Clients podcast. You can also find the podcast on iTunes and Spotify.
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