10 important elements of a portfolio site
The first thing they create a portfolio site for is to show examples of their work. But this is only 1/10 of what should be on the site, so that visitors not only watch your work, but also make orders.
Today we are talking about the 10 main elements of the site portfolio.
Let’s start with the most banal element – here, of course, should be your portfolio. Therefore:
1. Examples of work
Post only high-quality photos and only your real work. Do not copy pictures from competitors’ sites – this will be quickly noticed.
If there is no professional camera – it does not matter. Cameras in smartphones or tablets today are at a good level to make acceptable images. Take pictures on a monophonic light background, then add brightness and contrast in Photoshop or any other program for processing images.
But keep in mind that photos of the work done by a professional photographer indirectly tell people about the success of your business – so as soon as an opportunity arises, retake the work in good quality.
If you have a lot of work and they have different subjects, divide them into categories. When choosing which categories to show, be guided by what people are looking for in a search. For example, if people are more often looking for wedding and children’s cakes, then put them at the beginning of the rubricator, and lower the less popular queries below.
Make it so that each work can be increased and considered in more detail. Pictures with a width of 1000-1200 pixels will be quite enough.
Add a short description to the picture. And let it be for you the 56th description of the cake – for the person reading it, it may well be the first on your site. Try to give all the descriptions in a detailed and understandable way so that they don’t “see through” the frank “how tired I am to write about these damn cakes.”
For the most popular works (which are more often ordered), take a few photos so that people can view them from different angles. You can also record a small video. Your task is to make a person feel that he held your work in his hands and looked at all the details.
Sometimes people ask – what to do if there are no examples of work. Well, no one has ordered anything yet … To do something that millions are up to you – work “for yourself” and not for a real customer. Or arrange an attraction of unprecedented generosity and declare the action “the first 3 orders free of charge / with a big discount” (if the cost price of the service allows). In the conditions of the campaign, put the sharing in social networks or any other public relations. The first customers will not keep themselves waiting – they will only have to do the work for them and put them in the portfolio.
When a person admired your work and decided that he also wants this, he consistently goes through 5 stages:
Conviction in the reality of the artist
Quality Conviction
Justification price
Overcoming the fear of error
Choose from competitors
Let’s go in order. Proving the actual existence of the performer (that is, you) will help:
2. Contacts and feedback
Indicate your real contacts on the site:
Office address (if you accept in the office) or workshop. Register at what time you really can be found there, for example, mon from 10:00 to 17:00, Tue-Fri from 11:00 to 18:00. Feel free to write a “strange” work schedule (different hours on different days) – the main thing is that you are there at this time.
Phone, email, Skype and other instant messengers. Again, write only those numbers that you really answer at least once a day. In order not to receive calls in the middle of the night, next to the phones, specify at what time you can call. Add links to social networks here, but with the same condition – if these are “live” pages that you monitor for new messages.
Sample Detailed Contact Details
Feedback forms and online consultants. Enjoy good demand from people who do not like to talk on the phone, or can not do it at the moment (for example, sitting at a boring meeting). In this case, it will be very convenient to talk with the online consultant.
The online consultant must be available for at least 4-6 hours on weekdays. The time of the most activity of your visitors is in Metric – in these hours and include a consultant. If you cannot provide such a presence, it is better to remove the online chat – the always-disconnected consultant is just annoying (like the “left for 10 minutes” sign that you have been watching for an hour). In this case, post a feedback form on the site and indicate that you will respond to requests during the working day (or two). Just do not forget to check these messages.
3. About the performer and working conditions
Add a block or a separate page with a description of you personally as an artist. Put your real photo – so people will get the feeling of a personal acquaintance with you.
Briefly describe your professional skills and qualities. Specify the benefits that people get from working with you.
