Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Hi and welcome to another episode of Sustainable Photography. I've been sending out a few offers and also wrapping up some web design projects, so I thought maybe it would be a good time to record some episodes on websites. So I've mapped out three different episodes and I wanted to talk about why you should really focus on your website, how much it matters what you can do with your website to make sure that it actually gives you clients and some of the biggest mistakes that I see photographers making on their websites. So I hope that's interesting. And I'm going to be spreading the episodes out, so you just have to wait and see until they get published. This week I have an exam in coaching and motivational theory, which I'm actually quite excited about because my exam is a practical exam where I'll actually be coaching someone. And next week I have my exam in performance psychology and mental training.
[00:00:57] And if I pass the exams, then in January I'll be a certified coach and mental trainer, which is really exciting.
[00:01:08] And I'm already taking parts of what I'm learning into my mentoring program and I think that the benefit of that knowledge is just going to keep growing. So really happy that I made that decision of signing up for an actual full time study, even though it's another thing to add on to the mental load. Definitely. I'm also considering if I should make some more Norwegian content or not. If I should just stick to English, if I should, yeah, create some more Norwegian podcast episodes.
[00:01:45] About half my listeners are Norwegian, so do let me know if you think that's a good idea.
[00:01:51] When I started out, I really wanted to be a small fish in a pixie. Like, I honestly wanted to be invisible. I wanted to do what I do but not have anyone notice me. And while that is still true, I do wish that I could just do what I do and run my business without really being seen. I also know that having a business while you're invisible, that is, I would say, almost impossible. So being visible and having a presence is quite important. So I think maybe it's time that I work towards some more visibility.
[00:02:42] Anyway, the content I promised you today is all about your website.
[00:02:47] And I wanted to talk about how your website is not just an online portfolio. It's actually like the foundation of your marketing, or it can be anyway. So I want to talk about why that is. Because your website is yours. You own it, of course, a little bit depending on the platform, but in general, you own your website. The content is yours. You can do whatever you want. You can post about Whatever you want and no one can take that away from you. Social media, on the other hand, that's not really up to you, what gets shown and what you're allowed to post. And you're always at the mercy of the algorithms and that is hard work.
[00:03:40] It's kind of never ending how much you have to post and show up. And while I don't think you should rely solely on a website, having a website is definitely a good idea to have next year. Social media also, social media is like, it's a great starting point and most of us should have a social media profile because not only for marketing, but also for going deeper, for having our clients get to know us better.
[00:04:13] But when you want to work with someone and when you want to charge a decent rate, most clients will expect professionalism. And if you have a great website that really shows your brand, that is going to be part of what makes them trust you, it's going to show that, okay, so I can, I can rely on this person because, well, not just because they have a website, but if your website is professional looking, if it's easy to navigate, and if they can see more about what they can expect, then it's going to make it so much easier for them to see that you're the real deal. I've done a ton of website audits. I think it's a lot of fun and it really gives me insights into a lot of photographers businesses.
[00:05:08] And it used to be quite common to just use your website to show your images like an online portfolio.
[00:05:16] But of course your website is way more than that and I feel like it's gotten better. I don't see it as much anymore. But when you have a proper website, yes, definitely use it as a portfolio, make sure you show all your best photos, but, but you also want to make sure that you have sales pages, that you have a contact form, that you're really guiding your clients through how to use it. Maybe you can also set up a landing page and collect emails and give out resources to get your clients to connect even more with your brand. Not to mention, if your website is set up in a good way and you've set up Google Business Profile and all those good things, you can also start attracting clients through SEO. And by that I mean your website can work amazingly for you even if you're completely invisible in search results. Because when you post on social media, you can guide people to click the link to your website and then take them on a journey. Of your website, your website can also function as a way to get those people to find you through SEO through Google, which is what most of us use still. So if you have the right content, you can get so much out of your website. All these great upsides also come with the same downsides. If you have a website that isn't very good, if it's got that DIY look, that can really undermine the trust, that can make your clients wonder, is your work really that professional? Do you really know what you're doing? If you want me to invest in you, why aren't you investing in your business yourself? So I think that is something that you really need to ask yourself. And you might not be at that place right now, and that's completely fine. If you're rather new at your business, spending a lot of money on a website might not be the best decision. But if you've gotten further along in your business, or if you're really ready to take your business seriously and get to the next step, consider if it's time to have a professional website made as well. When I do website audits, which I mentioned, I do quite a lot of if your website is getting a lot of traffic, but then not really getting that many leads, that might mean that even if your site looks nice, maybe it's not really doing the work of guiding your clients to fill in your contact form, which is something that you can spend hours and hours trying to figure out. What is going on here? Why isn't my website converting? Why? What's the problem here? So just know that there's so much more to it than having like a beautiful template. You want to make sure that your website is functioning as kind of like a sales machine.
[00:08:15] So I would love to check out your website and give you some pointers. And if you DM me on Instagram, I will make you a video and give you some pointers. But if you don't feel like reaching out, which is completely fine, you can do a little check yourself. One, Go to your website and see does my site really reflect the professionalism that I aspire to? Does it really show my brand off in the best way? Am I choosing my best photos?
[00:08:44] Two, can a visitor immediately see what I offer and how to book me, or is that information that they have to look for? Do they have to scroll down the page to find that crucial piece of information?
[00:08:59] And three, does my website feel as strong as my social media presence?
[00:09:07] And also four, does my contact form work?
[00:09:11] Okay, thanks for listening and being there for one of my favorite topics. Using your website for marketing and Next up, in one of these website episodes, we'll talk about what exactly makes a photography website irresistible to your ideal clients. So I'm excited for that too.
[00:09:31] In the meantime, as I said, go over to Instagram. You'll find me at Ingrid Colness. That's Ingvild K O L nes.
[00:09:40] Feel free to ask me to check out your website.
[00:09:44] Or if you already know that your website isn't good enough, that you feel like you're losing out on potential clients. I'm also accepting new web design clients, so don't hesitate to ask me about that as well.
