Mini Sites = Maximum Marketing Impact!

Here is a question.  How many of you earn a lot of business through word of mouth?  Probably the majority of you.  As you know, the easiest business to earn are the ones that call you and say, “you did some work for “so and so”, and we’d like to have you do some photos of us.”

Wouldn’t it be GREAT to have that kind of referral business on a consistent basis?  Well, with PhotoBiz’s Mini Sites (and some help through Facebook), we provide you the perfect vehicle which can help take your referral business to a whole new level!

Here’s How You “Sell” them:

Let’s say you are wrapping up your meeting with Jack and Jill who are getting married in 9 months, here’s how the conversation would go::

“Jack and Jill, I am really excited to be part of your big day nine months from now.  It’s going to be a lot of fun, and we’re going to capture some really great memories for you.  In the meantime, as part of your wedding package and as my gift to you, I am going to give you your very own wedding website!

It will be jackandjill.yourdomainname.com, and let me tell you all the awesome things you can put on your website.”

• You can upload up to 8 photographs of yourself (As the photographer, you decide the maximum number of images they can upload).
• You can tell your love story, how you met, where you got engaged.
• More importantly, you can provide relevent information about your wedding and reception.
• Provide links to accommodations for people coming in from out of town, as well as give sightseeing suggestions.
• Provide links to your bridal registry so everyone knows where to buy your gifts.
• There is an RSVP page as well.

“Basically, I am giving you a one-stop shop where everyone can find out all the information about your big day without you having to answer 150 emails and 75 phone calls.  So here is link to your wedding website and your password, now go and have fun!”

So How Does This Help You?

The bride and groom are excited they locked you in as their photographer, their wedding is less than a year away, so they rush home and make their really cool wedding website to show their family and friends.  Then, where is the first place they go to once their wedding website is done?

Ever heard of a little place called Facebook?!?!

Jack and Jill each go to their Facebook account and update their status with something like this:

“Hey everyone, check out our AWESOME new wedding website, jackandjill.YOURDOMAINNAME.com!!”

Guess what?  You were just “referred” to  e v e r y   o n e  of Jack and Jill’s “friends” on Facebook.  How is THAT for an endorsement?  Now, for the next 9 months (or however long it is until the wedding), your business is associated with Jack and Jill.  Who knows, maybe a friend or cousin is getting married soon and hasn’t chosen a photographer?  Maybe a friend or family member wanted some portrait work done?  Maybe a co-worker wants some maternity shots?  By giving Jack and Jill their own website, you have seriously increased your chances that someone they know will be contacting you to do business.  Now how is that for word of mouse advertising?

You know what?  It gets even BETTER!

Adding A New Revenue Stream:

Now, 9 months later, you have photographed Jack and Jill’s wedding and the images are available to view.  What do you do?  You create a link on Jack and Jill’s Mini Site that says VIEW PHOTOS.  That takes the visitors over to PhotoBiz’s Online Proofing and Ordering System where they can see your work and either purchase their own photographs (Photo Booth anyone?!?!) or gift cards for the bride and groom, so they can buy MORE photos from you.  So, not only have the Mini Sites exposed your business to a new market-base, but also added a new revenue stream to your business as well!

You know what?  It gets even BETTER!

Search Engine Optimization Benefit:

One more positive and important impact of the Mini Sites; if you create a link back to your website, imagine all the curious wedding goers that will be interested in seeing what other kind of photography you do?  They will click over to your website and help increase your site traffic and search engines LOVE traffic! So the more hits your site is getting, the more “popular” it becomes and the higher it begins to rise in the search engine ranking, and that is good for business!

Other Mini Site Ideas:

Senior Portraits - Give your senior their own personal Mini-Site for the year.  They can upload some pictures, create links to their Facebook, MySpace and Twitter pages.  Once they tell all their friends, do you think maybe their friends might want their very own senior year website?

Maternity/Newborn – Provide your Mommy and Daddy to-be a personal website for their little one, like BabyJaneDoe.YourDomain.com which can be used to document the child’s first year of life.

Youth Sports - Give each team its own website like DallasPeeWeeSharks2010.YourDomain.com or GYSOLadybugs2010.YourDomain.com, etc.

Modeling - Give each model their very own website which has a few images as well as all their personal info needed to book shoots like marysmith.YourDomain.com, etc.

Have another idea?  Let us know, we’d LOVE to hear about it!

Imagine if you are the only photographer offering a bride and groom their very own website?  Isn’t that a great value added benefit in hiring you?  Take advantage of this powerful marketing tool and achieve maximum marketing impact!  So, what are you waiting for; your competition to start using Mini Sites and having their clients promote them?