1. A shocking idea was presented in the companion PhotographyTalk.com article, 7 Common Mistakes Commercial Photographers Make When Creating a Web Site: You don’t want to direct your prospective customers to the home page of your Web site. Instead, their first interaction with you should be through a sales landing page.

2. The purpose of a sales landing page is to separate the browsers from the serious prospects. You identify them by asking them to give you their email addresses, which is the outcome when they visit your sales landing page. You are then able to create a database of qualified prospects to which you can communicate regularly to maintain their interest in your photography services. For example, Peggy Sue won’t be married for a year, and is not yet ready to select a photographer. She visited your landing page, however, and provided her email address. You must remain in contact with her, so your name is first in her mind when she does choose a photographer.

3. For a sales landing page to be effective, it must first have an entirely different URL then your Web site. If possible, select a URL that is a benefit statement. For example, WeddingsPhotosforLess.com or BetterPortraits.com. The URL could even have no reference to photography: YourPerfectDay.com and LookBetterForever.com. The strategy is to pick a URL that suggests whatever is on the page may be of benefit to the majority of browsers. The contents may help them solve a problem or make their lives better. Your sole goal is to motivate them to click to your page.

4. The contents of your sales landing page, if written and displayed correctly, will hold browsers’ attention and maximize the number that are willing to give you their email addresses. The classic sales landing page is in the form of a long letter directly from you. It’s written a bit differently than a letter, but you use first person “I” and sign it at the bottom.

Entire books have been written and daylong seminars conducted to teach business owners how to write a sales landing page letter. You can even hire a copywriter who specializes in writing this kind of content. This PhotographyTalk.com article can’t provide all the details, but a few of the important highlights.

5. The headline of your sales landing page is the most critical copy on the page. Most browsers will only read the first few lines of your sales letter (or the home page of your Web site) before deciding if they want to continue; therefore, the headline must grab their attention, and hold it.

Again, the headline should include a strong benefit statement. The form of the headline is commonly a question that compels the reader to answer, “Yes.”

Wouldn’t You Want the Memories of Your Wedding Day To Be Preserved in the Best Photos Possible?

Wouldn’t You Want the Future Generations of Your Family to Know You As You Are Today?

Wouldn’t You Want Photos of Your Classic Car That Make It Look Like a Million Bucks?

The headline could also be related to an incentive, or free giveaway, as a strategy to compel browsers to register as prospects. For example, you’re a wedding photographer. Find an author online that offers a wedding planner book of tips; there are numerous e-books on the subject. Arrange with the author for you to give a copy (as a PDF file) to the first hundred people that register from your sales landing page. You offer to promote the author on your page in exchange for the book, with a link to her Web site. Then, you might want a headline that reads,

“11 Wedding Planning Tips That Will Make Your Perfect Day Hassle-Free!”

“Free Wedding Planning Guide to Help You Stay Cool and Calm All Day! Limited Time Offer! Register Below Today!”

6. The other critical component of your sales landing page is customer testimonials. You want to use statements from your past customers that “prove” you deliver the benefits you claim. If they give you permission, then you also want to use their full names and photos. All of these pieces reinforce the integrity of your message and helps to motivate readers to keep reading.

7. When a browser clicks on a “Register Now” button on the page, they are directed to a standard-looking contact information page, requesting as much information as they are willing to give you.

8. Your best first step to use the sales-landing-page strategy is to learn it in its entirety from the experts, either through a book, seminar or online content. As mentioned above, you can also hire a copywriter or online marketing company to create the page and mechanism for you.

9. Web-based marketing is the newest, major marketing/advertising medium for businesses of all sizes. It is much less costly than the traditional media of print and broadcast and it levels the playing field for small businesses in competition with larger ones. To drive the success of your photography business into the 21^st century, you should seriously consider maximizing your Web presence with one of the most effective and dynamic sales/marketing tools: a sales landing page.

Recommended Reading:

• 2013 Photographer's Market: The Most Trusted Guide to Selling Your Photography
• Best Business Practices for Photographers
• The Fast Track Photographer Business Plan: Build a Successful Photography Venture from the Ground Up
• Group Portrait Photography Handbook
• The Best of Family Portrait Photography: Professional Techniques and Images
• 500 Poses for Photographing Group PortraitsSelling Your Photography: How to Make Money in New and Traditional Markets 
• Starting Your Career as a Freelance Photographer
• Photographer's Survival Manual: A Legal Guide for Artists in the Digital Age
• Legal Handbook for Photographers: The Rights and Liabilities of Making Images
• Taking Stock: Make money in microstock creating photos that sell
• Going Pro: How to Make the Leap from Aspiring to Professional Photographer

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