1. Contact Form: Make sure it is working!!! SO often I read online that such and such photographer didn't realize that their form wasn't working for xx amount of days (usually a large number) until someone called about the issue. If you aren't getting inquiries that's the first place to start!
2. Traffic: Pay attention to your traffic! Are people GETTING to your site? How long are they staying? Where did they come from? Are they in your market area? Knowing and understanding your traffic is a vital part to figuring out where you need to work to get more visibility to clients. Sign up for free site analytics (Google, Stat Counter etc.) and keep an eye on how people are coming to your site. See what is working and what isn't.
3. Pricing: To each their own when it comes to how much or what you list, but I can tell you from a past bride's point of view that if you don't list some sort of number there, the client is highly likely to keep on looking rather than taking the time to call. Many clients are looking for photographers online - and often during working hours - and often want to make sure they are spending their time on vendors that are going to be in their budget. You don't have to list the entire offerings on your site but trust me when I tell you that a starting number will help the inquiries rise up!
4. Portfolio: We are all guilty of this but how up-to-date is your portfolio online? I'm not talking about blogs - your gallery on your website. Often the galleries only get revamped when changing websites or at most once a year during your slow time. How often do you look at your gallery and gasp at how much you've grown since you used those images? Get those suckers out of there and keep it fresh! Try to make sure to add and delete things as you grow at least once every couple months.
5. Engaging: Are clients going to get emotionally attached to your photos? The first images a client sees of your work should be a a positive image, something that's going to make future clients want that feeling that's being emoted in the scene. Laughing, smiling, adoration. Save the stoic and serious images for after you capture the clients heart.
Corey Ann is a wedding & lifestyle photographer from North Canton, OH. She is a mix of everything - fashionista (runs Clothes for Pros, clothing suggestions for photographers), travel guru, deal hound and geek rolled into one. She's had a website online since 1997 and a blog since 1999. When not plotting world domination or her next trip, she can be found reading one of the 100+ books she reads a year. Follow her on Twitter.
*I've found that a HUGE part of booking is talking to them via phone (if not in person) an following up frequently (and giving them a heads up I'll be calling in 2 days to check in, but feel free to call or email with questions). I've found that when I only have one 20 minute conversation over the phone, and then give them pricing-- even if my email communication is friendly, my booking rate is not nearly as high-- so I've found it's so important to show interest and be in constant communication-- so I can not only address questions and concerns more immediately (so that means, I don't wait 2 weeks before calling), but it also gives them more opportunity to talk with me-- which leads to them feeling more comfortable with me. Which is what I'm all about--having them both get to know me, have open communication with me, and be comfortable with me (which makes photographing them that much more fun, too).
ReplyDelete*About the Portfolio point -- definitely. I've found that updating my facebook albums more frequently and tagging the people in them draws more attention and leads to more inquiries.
-Ginger*Murray :)