Do you know what you want out of life? Of course you do! Do you know what you want out of your stock photography business? Certainly! Do you know what you want out of your new web site? Heck no -- at least, not if you are like most web site owners.

What's it all about, Alfie?

In previous columns, you learned that your marketing plan needed clear objectives for your web site. Let's discover those objectives.

Pretend that your web site is up and running. Thousands of people are browsing your site. After they have explored every nook and cranny of your site, what is the single most important thing that you want them to do? This will be your primary objective. Let's look at some examples.

Do you want photobuyers to buy your digital images directly from your web site? Your main objective is to complete sales online. Your web site acts like a sales clerk.

Do you want photobuyers to contact you regarding images you have that they need? You main objective is self-promotion through exposure on the web. Your web site acts like a sales rep making cold calls on potential clients. When a photobuyer responds to your web site, you take over the selling process and complete the sale personally.

These examples presume that you want to sell your work, using a web site as part of your marketing plan. So to help identify your objects, just keep asking: "What do I want people to buy?" The answer to that question is always your primary objective.

Now ask, "How do I convince them to do that right now?" There will be many ways that you can spur your clients into action. Make a list, then shorten it to the ones that seem most likely to succeed. Often, the items in your list will reflect steps in the selling process. Each step becomes a secondary objective of your web site.

Take it One Step at a Time

The first step might be to create awareness of your product. Start promoting your photography from the first page. Make your objective clear within 60 seconds, or prospective buyers may go elsewhere.

The second step may be to create a desire, or identify a need, for your product or service. Show some samples of your work, or include a promosheet online. Don't get carried away -- photobuyers don't have time to download lots of photos.

The third step had better be to convince clients that only your product or service can satisfy their desire or need. Include one or more targeted stock lists, with enough detail to make the photobuyer exclaim, "That's the photo I need!"

The final step, your main objective, is to trigger the actual sale. If you have an online store, your web site completes the sale. If not, the client calls you and you close the sale.

Now What?

Next month, you will learn how to quantify and measure the activity on your web site. You will discover how well your objectives are being met, and what you can do to boost performance.

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Latest Revision: Saturday, 07 May 2005 08:52 AM