Don’t Forget Your Name

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Just a little tip for when you’re creating your business web site:

Remember to mention your business name on your web site.

One might think this is obvious and there’s no need to mention it. But I’ve just spent some time reviewing web sites for three photographers and noticed that none mentioned their own name.

Search engines need to see actual text of your business name somewhere in your site. An image of your logo won’t work. A Flash or other type of movie displaying your brand name doesn’t help. It must be text.

A domain name isn’t good enough. A domain such as dianebrownphotography.com is viewed as one word: dianebrownphotography. Somewhere on the site, it must actually say Diane Brown Photography.

Saying “Diane shoots business portraits” or “Diane has won awards”, doesn’t work. You must type out your full company name. “Diane Brown Photography does executive portraits” or “Diane Brown is an award-winning photographer”.

Add your business name on each page, place it in meta tags, put it in alt tags, and any other appropriate places.

Remember to mention your own name, if it differs from your business name, so that people looking for you by name can find you.

 

Word Appreciation

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Hard work or work hard
Pay more or buy more
Price or worth
Efficient or effective
New idea or new effort
Follow up or follow through
Lack of resources or lack of resourcefulness
Revise or refine
Adopt or adapt
Maximize or optimize
A part or apart
Propose or oppose
Prepare or repair
Compare or contrast
Complicated or complex
Correct or perfect
Zero in or zero out
Speak up or speak out
Fit in or stand out
Tear down or build up
I think or I believe
Idea or dream
Push or pull
Customer service or customer appreciation
Receptionist or rejectionist
Money or wealth
Picture or image
Change or opportunity
Setback or step back
Shortcut or detour
Bridge or tunnel
Aspire or inspire
Create or complete
Success or achievement
Profit or progress

 

Filter Your Vision

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I’ve been wearing eyeglasses for about 25 years and need new glasses again :-(  . Over the past 12 years or so, my average cost has been about $360 per pair of prescription glasses, (averaged from seven pairs purchased from five different stores).

If I had chosen name-brand designer frames, the cost would have been higher; if I had selected the free frames, the cost would’ve been lower. (My sister used to work for the largest eyeglass retail chain in the country. She said their free frames cost less than $2 each.)

Some eyeglass stores (aka “optical stores” or “vision stores”) frequently have a two-for-one sale. So if a pair of glasses cost me, on average, about $360, then a two-for-one sale should mean that I can get two pairs for about $360, right?
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Turning down assignments

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This past week, I turned down three jobs. :-(

Two jobs were turned down because their dates, six weeks from now, conflict with days that I’m holding for tentative assignments from another client. Two definite jobs turned down in favour of two possible jobs. What was that saying about “a bird in hand” ?

Perhaps photographers shouldn’t accept tentative jobs too far in the future, at least not without a deposit.
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Scandal-free Photography

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The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the city’s public transit system, has suffered a few front-page scandals over the past several weeks. And yes, there’s another front-page scandal today.

Today’s scandal is not so much that a married TTC executive was living a double life and got his “long-time female companion” a contract with a TTC design consultant.

The real scandal is that the woman, described as being “an amateur photographer,” was paid “at least” $50,000 over ten months to take pictures at public meetings and of roads where new streetcar tracks might be built.

$50,000.00 for pictures of meetings and empty roads.

$50,000.00 for an amateur photographer.

Attention TTC: Since the woman has been, uh, “released” from her contract, I’m available for your photography needs. Not only do I charge less than $50,000, but here’s a bonus I’ll throw in: I guarantee I won’t end up in a front-page scandal.

 

Better Press Releases

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Most press releases don’t get published.

This is partly due to the sheer volume of incoming press releases and partly because of the lack of news value contained in the releases.

But the chance of a press release being published is greater today than ever before. All newspapers, magazines and news web sites, need and want content, especially free handout material. Demand is high. So what’s the problem?

After working for almost two decades at Toronto newspapers, here’s what I’ve learned about press releases:
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What’s in a category?

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For income tax purposes, the Canadian federal government uses a set of Industry Codes to categorize all jobs.

Not sure if this means anything but the government puts “Photography” in the same category as “Janitorial Services” and “Miscellaneous Building or Dwelling Services.”

Apparently the job of photography is not a profession but “Online Advice” is. Photography is not a business service but “Chimney Cleaner” is. A photographer isn’t even similar to “Authors” or “Artists.”

However it’s nice to see that the government is keeping up with the times. It has new industry codes for the jobs of “Online Escorts” and “Online Psychic.”

 

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