How To Turn Your Website Into A Strong Marketing Tool

I donʼt know about you, but of the many plates in life and business that I need to juggle, marketing my business is always the biggest hustle and the loudest nagging voice because it feels like there is always so much to be done and that everyone else is doing it better anyway.

Ever heard the phrase ‘comparison is the thief of joyʼ? Sure, itʼs true. But what the hell are we meant to do about that? Ignore everyone else? Go our own sweet way?

Itʼs easy to say that we should only focus on creating our own authentic message, but we still need to make ourselves heard above the noise of social media.

In this post I want to tackle some myths about running a photography business and give you the practical website and marketing tips.

Some of these actions are quick fixes and others require more thought and more effort, but all of them can be done relatively quickly. And if you do all of them, you will be seriously levelling up your marketing game.

I want to bust some common myths, so that weʼre all starting on the same page.

MYTH: If your work is good enough, the bookings will come.

REALITY: Just putting your work out there doesnʼt cut it these days. The competition is fierce and there are a lot of people shouting ‘pick meʼ in the digital world.

You need to be saying ‘this is why you should pick me.ʼ See the difference?

MYTH: You should ignore what everyone else in your market is doing and just do your own sweet thing.

REALITY: You need to know what your competitors are offering, so that you can stand out from the crowd, by being memorable while you tell your clients what you can do for them.

The last part is the secret. Stop being so polite and start being creative with what you are showing and telling people. You need to stand for something.

MYTH: One day, youʼll finish your website and you can sit back and just count the money. REALITY: If that was true, I wouldnʼt be sitting here sharing this valuable information with you. Yes, itʼs a great resource but itʼs part of my overall, ever- evolving, ever-changing marketing strategy.

Does my marketing strategy work? It does. You're here, aren't you?

Sure, I have to keep things fresh by creating new content - no one wants to see the same old marketing messages going round and round - but the system stays the same. And you can do this too.

How To Turn Your Website Into A Strong Marketing Tool

1. MAKE YOUR WEBSITE CONTENT WORK HARDER

Keep an eye on the playing field, note whatʼs going on and take steps to get noticed for doing something different.

2. STOP BEING SO POLITE

Once we have their attention, just putting our work out there isnʼt good enough. You have to tell people why itʼs better, do it with style and be memorable.

3. TAKE THE RELATIONSHIP BEYOND THE CONTACT FORM

We need to create an automated system that does this over and over again (or at least does some of the heavy lifting).

MAKE YOUR WEBSITE CONTENT WORK HARDER ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

Itʼs Monday morning. You should be doing something boring, like emails or editing or filing receipts. But if you work from home and if youʼre anything like me, youʼll probably get distracted ten times a day or more.

If you are an avid social media user during the day, especially Instagram, you'll notice most of their posts will be saying and doing exactly the same thing. I always ask myself, "Why is everyone doing the same thing? How do people expect to get noticed"?

‘Look at my cute dogʼ. ‘Look at my cute kidʼ. ‘Look at my yummy breakfastʼ ‘Look at this cool cake I madeʼ. ‘Look how far I ranʼ. ‘Look at this lovely image I shotʼ. Look, look, look. Look at me. Look at my work.

Go on. Pick your phone up and go have a little look on Instagram. Can you find one person who is trying to be different?

See what I mean. These posts are nice but they are like junk food. They donʼt fill you up with knowledge. T he post might show you something beautiful, but it does not feel like youʼre learning anything of real value or making a meaningful connection. ‘Sit back and admireʼ doesnʼt really inspire anyone to take action.

THE KEY IS SHOWING THE RIGHT MESSAGE TO THE RIGHT PERSON AT THE RIGHT TIME And not just once, but several times. You have to show them that message until it feels like choosing anyone but you is too much of a risk. So let me ask you something.

How did you end up here, reading this, for example? Because you saw something I was offering, that could solve a specific problem you are having. ie. get more business. Youʼre reading this post because you thought you could learn something.

Whatʼs the common thread running through all of this?

WHAT ARE YOU PUTTING OUT THERE THAT PEOPLE REALLY WANT?

My website, packed with useful content, that I direct you to again and again. I donʼt just direct you to my website of course. I direct you to a specific piece of content that will solve a problem for you. And that (hopefully) is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

YOUR BLOG Hereʼs how this relates to your small, creative business. Letʼs say youʼre a wedding photographer, writing a blog post about a lovely wedding youʼve shot. I bet this is how it goes...

“I had the privilege of shooting the (insert dramatic adjective) romantic / to-die-for / enchanting wedding of XXX.

Set in the beautiful grounds of (insert venue name because you think it helps with SEO), the ceremony was filled with love / doves / flowers / tears of joy.

Didnʼt they look lovely?" Obviously Iʼm paraphrasing a bit.

Great news! The couple who star in your blog post are going to love it. Not so great news. Youʼve already got their money, so why on earth are you writing a polite recap of a day thatʼs been and gone?

And writing up blogs about shoots is boring for you too, right? Same old, same old. And if it doesnʼt excite you, it certainly wonʼt excite anyone else. When everyone is shouting ‘look at meʼ, instead you can be saying ‘letʼs take a look at how this relates to you and what you need.ʼ

This is why people buy wedding magazines or read wedding blogs. Because they are looking for information that will help them plan their own wedding.

So hereʼs your challenge.

You need to place yourself in the role of ‘expertʼ and ask yourself: What needs do my ideal clients have? What problems can I solve for them? What are they likely to be most worried about? What expertise can I share with them that they wonʼt already have?

Every blog post you write, even itʼs about a photography shoot or a piece of work youʼve created for someone, needs to be written with your future client in mind. Hereʼs an example. Read both of these and tell me which one youʼd be more likely to click on.

“Head over to the blog to see Sarah & Robʼs beautiful beach wedding. Itʼs gorgeous!”

Not bad, but kind of bland, right? Beyond Sarah and Rob and their immediate family, the appeal is pretty limited.

Now, try this instead: “Are you organising a destination wedding? Find out how Sarah & Rob organised their dream wedding in Hawaii on a shoestring budget and created a beautiful outdoor space for their beach reception with just a few accessories. Sarahʼs top tips will save you money without compromising on style.”

Boom! This is going to appeal to a far wider audience because they can learn something useful while enjoying your beautiful images. Once you start to look at all content creation from this perspective, it stops being a chore and starts getting exciting. Every piece of content creation, from social media to blog posts, becomes an opportunity to solve a problem for a potential client.

1. IDENTIFY YOUR CLIENTʼS PAIN POINTS Make a list of the things your clients are most likely to be worried about. Be as specific as you can.

Make a list of tips that you know due to your experience and expertise. Again, be specific. With the questions above in mind, write two or three blog posts (or could be videos) to answer those questions.

These blog posts will be your cornerstone content and act as lead magnets. ie. mindblowingly good content to kickstart your relationship.

2. GIVE YOUR BEST CONTENT A FACELIFT Find past posts which show off your

most killer work and rewrite them with your future clients in mind.

Ask yourself what was it about that job / thing / photo shoot that other people in the same position would love and learn from? Was it the people you photographed? Great. Give two or three tips about how to relax and enjoy your own wedding.

Was it the venue? Cool. Point out two or three locations where they can get killer shots. Was it the killer sunset? Explain about planning your timeline around golden hour.

Donʼt forget to re-title those blog posts to appeal to your ideal clients and not your past ones.

STOP BEING SO POLITE MISTAKE #1: Ninety percent of websites I see are so polite. And polite = dull. Sorry, but itʼs true.

When youʼre busy trying not to offend anyone, youʼre also not going to attract anyone. Put it this way. Is your dream client polite but distant, all business and reluctant to give away anything too personal about themselves in case they offend you?

Of course not. If you donʼt want that person, donʼt be that person. Itʼs perfectly fine if youʼre not everyoneʼs cup of tea. In fact, itʼs a good thing. Iʼm sure this isnʼt news to you. Y ouʼve probably been told by plenty of other people that you need to ‘attract your ideal clientʼ, to ‘know them inside outʼ.

Itʼs the first branding exercise you always get asked to do. Fine, you know them. Then why arenʼt you speaking their language? So many of my clients are warm, funny, laid-back and are absolutely kickass at doing their job. But you wouldnʼt know it from reading their website.

MISTAKE #2: No brand proposition. You need to reach out to your ideal client, tell them what you can do for them to solve their specific problem. And you need to do it on your home page.

Remember, your home page has only one job to do and thatʼs to get people to click just once and get further into your site.

Donʼt hold back - you might never get another chance.

MISTAKE #3: Not setting your portfolio page up to sell. Remember the ‘right people, right message, right timeʼ concept? Your portfolio pages are where you put this into action on your website. Firstly, letʼs talk about what happens when your name is in the running for a job. Your ideal client sits down with a partner, relative or friend to show them the shortlist.

Youʼre on their list. High five.

But wait. Maybe you donʼt have a ‘best of the bestʼ gallery and your number one fan has to dig through a load of blog posts to find the killer images they saw last time.

Or maybe youʼve got a huge gallery thatʼs not all-killer-no-filler and it goes on and on and on...

They get bored. They click away. Youʼre off the list. Game over. If there was a ruthlessly curated gallery of your bestest ever epic shots, they wouldnʼt get bored. And if youʼre worried that people want to see a full gallery of the same thing, cool.

Suggest some blog posts below that do exactly that. And of course, you already know which blog posts those should be, right?

Yes! Those carefully rewritten posts that target your ideal client, that are useful, that scream, “click me because I can tell you something that you really want to know”.

ACTIONS

1. CRAFT YOUR BRAND STATEMENT AND PUT IT IN FRONT AND CENTER.

I realise this comes to some more easily than others. We canʼt all be writers. If you donʼt know where to start, this simple exercise will lay the foundations for you.

Exercise: Describe your business style or product in 2 words.

• Describe your ideal client in 2 words.

• Add your ‘unique twistʼ.

• Then tell them what you believe.

• Then put it all together.

FORGET THE ME, ME, ME. ITʼS ALL ABOUT THEM.

Go have a look at your home page. Is the first piece of text all about you? Does it go on about you? Does it mention or describe your ideal client anywhere on your home page?

If it doesnʼt, it needs to. Describe them and tell them what youʼre going to do for them. Theyʼll feel right at home.

2. RUTHLESSLY EDIT YOUR PORTFOLIO PAGE You must have a best-of-the-best gallery. Give your potential clients the tools they need to sell you to themselves and other decision makers.

Be ruthless. Every single image in your gallery has to earn its place. No duplication. No filler. Donʼt hold anything back.

Go find those key blog posts that speak to a niche you want to reach and put them right underneath your gallery.

You want to shoot a specific kind of event or client? Show it now. Attract or repel. Do one or the other. Donʼt do nothing.

3. TAKE THE RELATIONSHIP BEYOND THE CONTACT FORM Getting visitors to your contact page isnʼt the end game. Instead, this is where the real fun begins.

Letʼs say your visitors like what they see and theyʼre ready to get in touch. They complete your contact form, press submit...drumroll.... “Your form has been successfully submitted”. The moment they press send is the most excited they are ever going to be about hearing from you and what do you give them?

The standard contact form success message. Snooze.

This is your golden opportunity to not do what everyone else does - to stand out from the crowd.

In fact, this could be the beginning of that beautiful relationship.

Itʼs Time To Level Up.

First, donʼt leave them hanging. Instead, send them to a ‘contact success pageʼ and get creative. How about throwing a little informal video in there?

Why not add some really useful blog posts that help establish you as an expert? Eg. If youʼre a wedding photographer, show them some posts about....wedding planning of course! Remember, youʼre the expert.

Youʼve probably been to more weddings in a year than most people attend in their entire lifetime.

And donʼt forget to direct them to your social media. If you love Instagram, chances are that they love Instagram - itʼs the perfect place to tempt them with your Instagram feed.

But wait, thereʼs more...

Your contact success page is more than just a page. Itʼs a secret marketing weapon that very few small creative businesses use. In fact, whilst writing this ebook, I filled out 100 contact forms on photographer websites and not a single one was using it.

ACTIONS

MAP OUT EVERY STEP BEYOND YOUR CONTACT FORM. 1. Get rid of that default form success message. You know who you are. Create a contact success page to redirect your keen-as-mustard prospective clients to.

2. Get creative with the contact success page. Make the video. It doesnʼt have to be a creative masterpiece. It just has to be genuinely you.

SOCIAL MESSAGING Share content thatʼs focused on solving problems for your dream client to help you stand out from the crowd.

THE KILLER HOME PAGE

Get that brand positioning statement done. Tell people who you are for, what you are going to do for them and do it with passion.

CONTACT FORM AND BEYOND

Cultivate your hottest leads by surprising and delighting them after contact.

Send the right message, to the right person, at the right time. Be memorable.

You got this.

PS. To help you get this stuff done, Iʼve gathered all of the action points into a handy print-off checklist below.