Wednesday Wisdoms

5 STEPS/WAYS TO IMPRESS A REP WITH YOUR WEBSITE

1. BRANDING/identity – reveal the quick lowdown of WHAT YOU DO as we land on your site.
2. DESIGN – placement and, size of images, overall spread cleanly mapped out with clear intention. 
3. SCROLLING – keep us active, getting busy as soon as we arrive so that we stay.
4. SEARCHABILITY – consolidate your options into clear groupings inviting us to click deeper into a fine-tuned search.
5. STATIC HEADER – reminding us who you are no matter where we go on your site.

Here are five steps to impress a rep with your website:

1. Branding: Clearly communicate your identity right away. Your website should quickly convey who you are and what you do.
2. Design: Use a top designer to ensure your site’s design is professional and well-executed. Pay attention to the placement and size of your images; it should be visually appealing and thoughtfully arranged.
3. Scrolling: Make scrolling easy. Avoid requiring us to click or navigate complicated menus to see more content. Ensure the overview is straightforward and fast to access.
4. Searchability: Make your site easy to search. Organize content into clear categories and groupings, allowing us to quickly find what we need and take action.
5. About Page: Provide a concise, engaging overview of who you are on your About page. Reps want to get to know you quickly and efficiently.

Overall, ensure your website is fast, easy to navigate, and professionally designed. Reps judge websites quickly, so make sure yours stands out.

Success as a Creative Business requires a simultaneous balance of our daily work mode coexisting with our recharged creative tank. It takes both of these parts of our business, yin and yang, working together to set ourselves up for true long-term satisfaction. 

Success in a creative business hinges on the fundamental balance between taking action and replenishing your creative energy. We’re in this for the long haul, not just for short-term gains. It’s essential to honor our creative needs by taking time to recharge.

Enjoy your breaks and use this time to fill up your creative tank. While you’ll return to work after the holidays, taking this time off is crucial for maintaining your long-term creative goals. Remember, replenishing your energy now is an investment in achieving the success you’re aiming for.

#1 mistake with email promos is thinking clients will take the extra step to see more. 

Our human tendency is to rush to delete emails. It almost brings us joy to delete. Don’t fall into this trap by wasting the top of your email with space or your logo. Immediately show the goods, making your point even if it’s deleted without a scroll to see more.

The number one mistake with email promos is assuming that clients will scroll past the big logo at the top. Instead, place the main content—the meat and potatoes—of your email promo right at the top.

The goal is to make your email fast, straightforward, and engaging. People tend to delete emails quickly to clear their inbox, so make sure your key message is visible immediately. Capture their attention right away to encourage them to scroll down and see more.

Photographers are the package deal of stills/video/motion. 

All are one and the same, treating each with equal importance as we raise our area of expertise to fulfill our client’s needs. 

Being a photographer no longer means just focusing on stills. You need to keep up with the times, which includes incorporating video and motion into your work. This means creating GIFs, cinemagraphs, and having a reel as a director, whether you shoot it yourself or have a team help you. Your reel is as crucial as your website portfolio.

Both your website and reel need to be showcased on your Instagram as well. Video should be a strong element of your Instagram presence. If you don’t take video and motion seriously, it could significantly impact your career. So, get on it and stay ahead.

Photographers, if you are like me, you want this career to last long and not be a one-trick pony blip on your path. 

As important as your work may seem, that fades. Bring the deeply satisfying joy into your career now; that is the road to stay on. 

I have a personal insight to share with you, and maybe you can relate. The more I’ve been in this job—over 25 years now—the more I realize how much I love it and how passionate I am about being a rep, both in this role and in social media. However, as I grow older, I also see that life is bigger than just my job and career. Other things in life are more significant.

So, how do I navigate this? I find that by continually shifting my career to include what I love—like working with certain photographers, building meaningful client relationships, and engaging with you—I feed my passion and maintain my excitement. If I didn’t truly love it, I don’t think I could keep doing it. My advice is to keep loving what you do and direct your career in a way that allows you to stay passionate about it.

Thanksgiving Holiday Assignment:

• List 5 ways your business is right on track. 
• List 5 areas where your business needs your attention.

Ageism is Not about AGE. 

Ageism is any age photographer who gets tired, stops pushing the boundaries, and stops testing and exploring. 

Younger photographers don’t own the exciting, hot, trending markets, but they often seem more available to lean into newness with an open mind.

Being freelancers doesn’t mean we have to do this alone, protecting ourselves from our competition. 

The defensive stance of guarding our experiences blocks the one source of spot-on bona fide feedback.

Put this in our business toolkit: 

In the midst of crazy production, the human element cuts right through it and can speak volumes. Impress our crew + clients with sincere kindness during stressful intensity to make the best of it and create a lasting impression. 

You are up for a job. Bidding and negotiating is the open door opportunity to get the client to understand how you are best for this project based on your approach. Our challenge is to align our ideas to match what they are going for. I see it like a maze of gated doorways as we look to follow the one that opens. Throw out your ideas and see what sticks with a question format allowing them a chance to redirect your ideas toward their goal.