Shownotes
As your business evolves and grows, and as you shift and change as a service provider and a business owner, your photography website needs to do the same.
If it's been a while since you've taken a peek at your photography website copy to ensure that it's communicating your value to your ideal client in the way you want it to do so, here’s my list of must-dos before you change up your website copy strategy so you can make meaningful and effective updates.
01:21 — How to clarify your ideal photography client
03:36 — Identifying what needs to change on your photography website
05:30 — How to make sure your client testimonials are highlighting the full scope of your offers
08:22 — Why you need to take advantage of inspiration when it strikes
📚 MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
• 3:20 - Episode 4 of this podcast: https://youtu.be/Ub-6n2CbsMI?si=xzwadKQUhHiBuJNs
• 8:08 - Episode 21 of this podcast: https://youtu.be/w4T_Ikp15jw
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Transcripts
When it comes to your website copy, don't sit in the if it's
Speaker:not broken, why fix it space.
Speaker:Don't allow that to stop you from taking action.
Speaker:Now, I understand you may have felt pressured to get your
Speaker:website up and running when you initially started your business.
Speaker:But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't continually refine your website copy,
Speaker:just like you do with your offers, your pricing, and your deliverables.
Speaker:You are listening to The Copywriter On Call podcast.
Speaker:I'm your most Sarah Gillis copywriter, word, magic maker, and owner of
Speaker:what Sarah said on this podcast.
Speaker:You'll feel empowered to show up online in a way that has you saying, that's so me.
Speaker:Let's get started.
Speaker:Welcome back to another episode of the Copywriter On Call podcast.
Speaker:I'm your host, Sarah Gillis, and I am logging some solo on call hours today to
Speaker:share my best tips to help you prepare to polish up the copy on your website.
Speaker:As your business evolves and grows, and as you shift and change as a
Speaker:service provider and a business owner, your website should do the same.
Speaker:And so if it's been a while since you've taken a peek at your website
Speaker:copy to ensure that it's communicating your value to your ideal client in
Speaker:the way you want it to do so, Here's my list of must dos before you
Speaker:change up your website copy strategy.
Speaker:First, let's talk about creating an ideal client.
Speaker:Now, it's important to take the time to build out your brand
Speaker:persona or your brand avatar.
Speaker:And the way that I suggest you do this is by really getting clear on
Speaker:your ideal client's pain points, desires, and something that I want
Speaker:to call experiences or life stages.
Speaker:Now, for the photographers who are listening, maybe you specialize in
Speaker:engagement photos or newborn photos,
Speaker:so this person, this ideal client you have in your mind is going
Speaker:through a specific experience or is at a certain stage in their life.
Speaker:Maybe they are, getting married or maybe they're a parent to a newborn.
Speaker:Think about the ideal client in terms of not only what they are
Speaker:experiencing in terms of pain points, what are they struggling with?
Speaker:What keeps them up at night?
Speaker:Also what their desires are right?
Speaker:What do they want?
Speaker:But also think about that specific stage or experience that they are having.
Speaker:In their life right now and speak to how you can uniquely serve them.
Speaker:It's also a great idea to think through what your ideal client values most out
Speaker:of an experience of working with you.
Speaker:Again, if you're a photographer, what do they value most in working with you?
Speaker:What do they value most out of a photography experience?
Speaker:Is it low stress?
Speaker:Not having a lot of prep work to do ahead of time, or maybe
Speaker:having help with that prep work.
Speaker:Or is it having more of an all inclusive experience where they
Speaker:get access to digital files, but also print products in the end?
Speaker:Finally, what do they really want in terms of that end result feeling?
Speaker:How do they want to feel after they've spent the money, done the investment,
Speaker:participated in whatever the service is, and they're sitting and reflecting on it?
Speaker:What do they want to feel?
Speaker:How do they want to feel?
Speaker:These are important things to think about when you're considering your ideal client.
Speaker:Now, for more on your ideal client, I encourage you to listen back to episode
Speaker:four of this podcast, which is all about how to create that ideal client
Speaker:in your mind, but also when it might be time to say no to an ideal client.
Speaker:I know, I know.
Speaker:I encourage you to head back to that episode and take a listen.
Speaker:The next step for you as you are thinking about making a website
Speaker:update to your copy is to analyze what you like and what you don't like.
Speaker:Taking the time to go page by page on your website and looking at your
Speaker:copy with a critical eye can be really valuable as you prepare to make updates.
Speaker:Going page by page and really making a list of what feels good, what feels
Speaker:aligned, what really describes your services and your value and your approach
Speaker:to whatever it is that you do, making sure that those pieces are maintained in this
Speaker:forthcoming update is really important.
Speaker:When you are thinking through this page by page list again, maybe you want
Speaker:to make a printout of your website.
Speaker:I know I sound a little bit like a somebody from a different generation
Speaker:here, but maybe it might be useful for you to get out the old highlighters
Speaker:and highlight things in 1 color that you really want to maintain or that you
Speaker:really like and then highlight things in another color that maybe don't you.
Speaker:fit anymore or maybe don't describe what you're trying to
Speaker:say as effectively as it could.
Speaker:You can also ask recent clients who have booked your services to offer
Speaker:feedback on specific parts of your website, particularly if they inquired
Speaker:through a contact form on your website.
Speaker:So It's encouraging to you as a service provider to have the opportunity to
Speaker:talk one on one with your clients, especially after they've booked
Speaker:you to see what really helped them make that purchasing decision.
Speaker:Maybe you can offer them some sort of a coffee gift card.
Speaker:As a thank you for helping you comb through your services page,
Speaker:or maybe you can just deliver an extra image or two in their gallery.
Speaker:That's upcoming.
Speaker:There's always opportunities to really get your clients voice and your clients
Speaker:preferences right at the forefront.
Speaker:And this is a great one, especially before you're making that copywriting update.
Speaker:All right, we've already talked through the first two recommendations
Speaker:I have for you when it comes time to make a photography website update.
Speaker:Now, those are the ideal client exercise and analyzing what works and what
Speaker:maybe doesn't on your current website.
Speaker:Now, here's my tip for client testimonials.
Speaker:It's important that you gather these and that they're recent.
Speaker:If you're going to make updates to your website copy, it's important
Speaker:that you showcase most recent client experiences and transformations.
Speaker:A lot of us, when we hit go on our website, we have a few testimonials
Speaker:that maybe we asked for in the initial phases, and then it feels
Speaker:like, okay, well, that's done.
Speaker:Now I can move on, but obviously, you're continuing to serve clients since
Speaker:you initially hit go on that website.
Speaker:So let's update those and let's try to showcase the diversity of
Speaker:the experiences that you provide.
Speaker:Maybe you serve, Brand new business owners and veteran business owners, or
Speaker:like I said earlier, maybe the people you serve are at unique points in their
Speaker:life, and you can showcase the variety of different values or a variety of
Speaker:different results or transformations that you can provide, regardless
Speaker:of what stage they're at in life.
Speaker:Now, here's just a few tips I have for you.
Speaker:Remember, Google reviews.
Speaker:These can be used on your website.
Speaker:There's nothing wrong with going out there, copying and pasting a review
Speaker:that someone left for you on Google, and putting it into your website copy.
Speaker:You can also create a testimonial form on the back end of your
Speaker:website or in software like Airtable, and you can utilize those
Speaker:reviews on your website as well.
Speaker:Now keep in mind, some of the best testimonials aren't even
Speaker:formal sentences in themselves.
Speaker:Sometimes the best testimonials are screenshots from maybe your
Speaker:Instagram DMs, or text messages that you might have received when
Speaker:a client opens their gallery.
Speaker:You can use these as social proof in your website copy.
Speaker:So just creating those screenshots, really sizing them down.
Speaker:So you just have that little snip.
Speaker:And then of course, making sure to blur out the identity of a person that can be
Speaker:really, really helpful in helping clients to see what it's like to work with you.
Speaker:The other piece that's really important about client testimonials
Speaker:is to kind of get out of your own way and just automate the process.
Speaker:It can feel kind of awkward to ask for testimonials, but I promise doing so in
Speaker:an automated way where you don't even have to think about it is really worthwhile.
Speaker:Now, when it comes to automating these testimonials, I encourage
Speaker:you to listen back to episode 21.
Speaker:I have a bunch of tips for you in that episode about how to automate
Speaker:it, to ask those questions.
Speaker:Plus, I point you to a few resources to help you brainstorm some great
Speaker:questions to ask your clients.
Speaker:tip.
Speaker:Tip number four is when inspiration strikes, take advantage of it.
Speaker:Whether that's leaving yourself voice memos when you're driving in the car or
Speaker:you're making random notes on your phone or in notepad on your computer, these can
Speaker:all be great ways to capture your ideas.
Speaker:To learn about your own voice in a no pressure way, I love to use the
Speaker:Notes app on my phone or, honestly, this is one of my favorite tips,
Speaker:to use Notepad on my computer.
Speaker:In my life, I have met less than a handful of people who use Notepad or some sort
Speaker:of sticky note thing on their computer and actually save what they write as text
Speaker:files, we typically use them for like quick grocery lists, brainstorming, etc.
Speaker:And then we delete.
Speaker:Notepad lives rent free in our minds because, again, it allows
Speaker:us to jot things down quickly and then delete if we're done.
Speaker:And that's a beautiful thing to simulate when it comes to
Speaker:working on discovering your voice.
Speaker:So if you can trick your brain into thinking what you're recording is
Speaker:impermanent and temporary, how much more honest do you think you'd be?
Speaker:1%?
Speaker:5%?
Speaker:Try it and find out.
Speaker:And again, don't forget to save these text files.
Speaker:It can be a really useful exercise to try and trick your brain and really
Speaker:just write and speak from your heart.
Speaker:Similarly, voice memos on your phone can allow you to capture recordings of
Speaker:your voice, which can be really, really helpful in hacking your voice or learning
Speaker:the quirks and intricacies of your voice.
Speaker:Just like on Voxer, you can record a little bit of word magic whenever
Speaker:inspiration strikes, and you have the option to listen back to
Speaker:these recordings at your leisure.
Speaker:I also suggest capturing conversations with friends, family, or even clients,
Speaker:making sure that you have their permission, of course, just to learn
Speaker:how your voice naturally speaks and how you naturally share about your services.
Speaker:This can be really helpful in really debunking and boiling down to the nuts
Speaker:and bolts of what your voice is all about.
Speaker:One final reminder, friend, and I hope that this encourages you.
Speaker:When it comes to your website copy, don't sit in the if it's
Speaker:not broken, why fix it space.
Speaker:Don't allow that to stop you from taking action.
Speaker:Now, I understand you may have felt pressured to get your
Speaker:website up and running when you initially started your business.
Speaker:But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't continually refine your website copy,
Speaker:just like you do with your offers, your pricing, and your deliverables.
Speaker:So let me put this another way for you to hopefully help
Speaker:crystallize why this is important.
Speaker:If your ideal client has their pick of three different service providers,
Speaker:let's say photographers for instance, maybe all of these service providers,
Speaker:are relatively close in price, in availability, and in what they deliver
Speaker:in terms of client experience and those tangible photos or products.
Speaker:But let's say that only one of those three businesses has copy that you relate to
Speaker:and tells stories on their website and in their marketing that you can relate to.
Speaker:Maybe they share the deeper why behind why they'd love to take
Speaker:newborn photos or wedding photos.
Speaker:Maybe they share their approach to creating these memories for you.
Speaker:Who do you think you would choose to work with if you were your ideal client?
Speaker:That's an easy answer, right?
Speaker:They would pick the person they connect with.
Speaker:If all things are the same across the board, but someone has taken the time
Speaker:to really dial up, turn up the volume on their personality packed copy.
Speaker:You're going to want to work with them.
Speaker:So if you haven't given your website copy an overhaul in the
Speaker:last 18 months, it's time to do it.
Speaker:Let's ensure that your website copy shows your personality, your ever evolving
Speaker:experience and your uniqueness and value.
Speaker:You can do this friend.
Speaker:And if you need help along the way, I'm here to support you.
Speaker:Thank you so much for listening to the copywriter on call podcast today.
Speaker:I hope that today's episode sparked some ideas for you to consider as you
Speaker:prepare to update your website copy.
Speaker:As always, thanks for tuning in.
Speaker:And this is your copywriter on call signing off.
Speaker:Thanks for listening to The Copywriter On Call podcast.
Speaker:If this episode has you feeling all sorts of inspired to show up as yourself online,
Speaker:click that subscribe button so you don't miss my stories or practical advice to
Speaker:help you express your quirky, vulnerable, and authentic self online chat soon.
