Original subtitles

Okay, so you're either an established professional and

have a website, well I hope you do,

or you're new to the industry and don't

know where to start.

Don't worry we're going to be covering it

all in this video, but even if you

already have a website there will be some

really important tips on design and functionality for

you to take away from this episode.

We're going to explore the key elements of

a website and the design process, along with

looking at common mistakes I see within the

industry.

Before we start I just want to outline

two key features of a brand.

The first one is visual, so logo and

website, typography, colour palette, image selection and layout.

The second is non-visual, so customer service,

tone of voice, personality, how you make someone

feel, namely the consumer.

In this episode we'll be focusing on the

visual components of your brand and before you

start to create those visual components it is

essential that you have spent some time identifying

who your target client or clients are.

You may not always attract your target client,

there will always be those couples who slip

through the net and make you question, you

want a heart-shaped group photo, like why

did you book me?

It happens, but if you really want to

attract that dream client you need to target

them.

In order to do that you need to

identify them first and whenever I make any

decision on branding, what to show or share

on social media or what images to use

in my portfolio, I always refer to my

target client and ask would this appeal to

them.

I mentioned this in a previous episode but

it's worthy of another mention, if you don't

have any clear direction or thought to who

it is you're trying to target you just

become another generic wedding photographer.

And who wants to be generic?

A few ideas for you to think about

from my target client, they're 25 to 40,

they want relaxed and non-traditional, they're creative

industry professionals who like to travel and appreciate

fashion, art or design, they like a good

party and they value photography.

Now you might think some or most of

those are all pretty obvious, but if an

image I take doesn't appeal to those ideas

or falls outside of those boundaries for one

reason or another, it doesn't get used for

marketing.

Before we address the website brief and design,

I have two questions I want to ask

you and these are important reminders that you

should always refer back to when you're designing

or creating your website.

One, who is it for?

And two, what's the aim?

First one, who is it for?

New clients, not your previous couples, not your

mum, not to show your mates or your

neighbours, it is for the target client you

are trying to attract, always, period.

And the aim, it's to convert them, nothing

else.

It's to make sure that when they land

on your site you get your message and

brand across quickly and efficiently.

You don't dilute everything or confuse them with

countless pages and options or unnecessary blurb and

you make it as streamlined and as simple

for them to get in touch with you.

More on that in a bit.

Let's talk about inspiration for a second.

This is such a common mistake, so much

so we are all guilty of it, looking

at other wedding photographers for inspiration.

I've done it, I am 100% sure

you will have too.

Instead, when you start this process, I want

you to look outside of our industry.

A great start point for me is a

site called Designspiration, a sexy design-focused version

of Pinterest.

And look at brands that your target client

use or connect with.

Look at this site from the Hoxton Hotel

in London, or Aesop who produce premium skincare

products, or Soccolo Popolaire, a stunning Italian restaurant

in Soho.

Mmm, pizza.

Just three very quick examples, but on all

of them, pay attention to font choices, colours,

layouts and how the images interact with copy.

You can take inspiration from all of those.

Inspiration doesn't just have to come from your

industry.

And whether you opt to go down the

agency route or do it yourself, it's important

to have a design brief before you begin.

It's vital to have some focus and direction,

otherwise it will end in a visual car

crash.

Showcase examples of sites, cutouts from magazines, but

any examples or mood boards should have a

consistent look and feel flowing through them.

With regards options for you to produce a

site on your own, there are some excellent

out-of-the-box solutions available now.

None of these are ads or affiliated with

me, these are just the ones I've had

experience with and can recommend.

The first is FlowThemes, a hugely popular WordPress

plugin that I've used before for my commercial

work.

From a design point of view, these templates

are always on trend, with sexy, clean and

minimal vibes.

They also offer custom support and design installation

services if you want to take some of

the workload away.

Next up is Profoto, another WordPress plugin that's

hugely versatile, and it's the software I used

when I first started my business.

It's advanced hugely over the past few years

though, and offers much more in the way

of customisable design.

But you can also purchase pre-made templates

should you see one you like.

Finally, ShowIt, a piece of software I've never

used, but one of my mentees gave me

a demo recently and I was hugely impressed

with how flexible it was as a design

tool.

It sells itself as being a drag-and

-drop designer, so it has a huge range

of possibilities, definitely worth exploring in my opinion.

They're all great options, but a few downsides

you should be aware of.

If you're buying a template, so can anyone

else.

So don't expect exclusivity with a design template.

There's also a learning curve if you've never

used a designer such as these before, and

they will take a considerable amount of time

investing on your part to develop and build

the pages.

The final issue for me is reliability and

flexibility.

At some point in the design there will

be a limitation, and you will have to

accept and compromise along the way.

The only solution to those issues is to

outsource the design to an agency, but naturally

that comes with an added cost, so isn't

something I'd consider until your business is established

and you can justify the investment.

You are paying for a bespoke design after

all, but if you want something that is

more customisable to your brand and with more

functionality, it's worth exploring.

Just remember to have a clear brief so

the agency know the look and feel you're

trying to achieve, and do your homework on

the agency.

Look at their portfolio.

Does it match your requirements?

Right then, mistakes.

I'm not here to find faults in your

site.

I just want to explore and discuss some

common branding mistakes I see when I review

other photographers websites.

The idea here is that you become aware

of the mistakes, you learn from them, and

in turn you're more likely to avoid them.

Number one, consistency or lack of.

So in order to understand why consistency is

important, we need to recognise why inconsistency is

damaging.

This is the big one, and one of

my personal bugbears, and it can manifest itself

anywhere within business, from editing to fonts to

page designs, layouts and colours.

And it's important to remind you when a

consumer isn't sure what they're going to receive,

i.e. the images you show are hugely

inconsistent, the consumer loses confidence because you can't

guarantee the final product they'll be getting.

By showing inconsistent work or edits, you become

a risk purchase, not a confident justifying one.

Two, a complex journey.

Too many photographers overcomplicate the journey.

And journey in web design is referred to

as UX, user experience.

And in summary, it's the way a consumer

navigates and engages with your site.

It goes without saying it should be clear

and easy to follow.

Try and visualise your site as a network,

a network that has a flow to it.

The aim is that the flow takes you

to the contact form within a few page

clicks.

So does your site look clean or really

busy?

Do you have clear signposts or calls to

action?

Do you have 15 navigation options or four?

Three, too much copy.

Let me take you back to the section

where we talked about Apple and how minimal

their sites are, and most major brands for

that matter.

Consumers don't read copy.

Try and keep any copy you do use

to a few sentences at a max.

If you can see text that runs from

the top to the bottom of the browser

without break, use images to section it out.

Four, showing everything you shoot.

This is all about selective showing and reminding

yourself to target the right audience.

Do potential wedding clients want to see a

commercial shoot you did for a local council

office or images of baby's feet or a

impact?

How long do you have to get someone's

attention hooked when they land on your site?

There have been varying studies carried out on

this one, but they vary from half a

second to a second and a half.

Whichever it is, it's pretty damn quick before

a visitor has decided whether they like your

site or not.

And if they don't, what do they hit?

You guessed it, back.

So is that opening image the first couple

of seconds of your site loading?

Is that the very best of your work?

Does it really sell you?

Do you back up the first image with

an amazing second image?

Six, lack of personality.

I know we're all photographers for a reason.

We're slight introverts.

But guess what?

Weddings are super personal.

And if a couple are going to have

you spend a day with them, you need

to come across as a decent human being.

Pleasant and welcoming.

Do you have an about me page that

shows you, not you hiding behind the camera?

Show them your face, smile.

If you don't, network with other photographers in

your area and just arrange a portrait swap

or over coffee.

Does your personality come across?

It needs to.

My good friend, Igor Denber describes this as

your vibe attracts your tribe.

You aren't trying to appeal to everyone here.

Just the people you want to connect with.

Okay, that's a wrap for developing your website.

Hopefully it's given you some ideas to work

on and should keep you busy for a

few weeks, maybe a couple of years.

It's always ongoing.

It never ends.

Sorry about that one.