By Heather Green- Your Paint Pal
One year ago I bought the domain AirbrushFavors.com I had every intention of creating it and giving it my pink pimp flair. But because I never book myself I kept putting it off and putting it off and found every excuse to not to get it done. I even made a list of the pros and cons about creating the site, and the list of cons was actually quite long.
So, when I received the email about the site being up for renewal I decided to extend it another year and finally build the site. Now, most people don’t know this about me but I don’t know how to use Photoshop, nor have I ever built a site on my own. But I was determined to see if I could build a small site to promote my Airbrush favors. So I started doing my research. I began with design layouts, then started reading about positioning, SEO, keywords, the cost of graphics and I started feeling overwhelmed. It wasn’t until I finished watching a segment by my SHE-RO Marie Forleo that I got the urge to put my fears aside and just try it. So I logged onto Wix and signed up for a free site. I searched hundreds of themes until I found one I liked and started my very first home built site. I was so proud of myself and surprised that it was easier than I thought.
After about 2 hours and when my fingers were giving out I decided to stop working on the site and start reading. Because information and knowledge must work alongside creativity in order to brew into a successful brand. My next research topic was MUST have ingredients for a successful site. So i pulled up Zappos, Target, Best Buy, PopSugar, and TMZ. I looked for commonalities between the sites and I came up with 4 things you don’t want to forget on the front page of your site.
**Disclaimer: I am not an expert on SEO, meta tags, keywords or anything of that nature. The following advice is based on my own research
1) Do You have a KICK Ass Call to Action?- Whats a call to action (CTA) you say? Basically it is the action you want people to take which could be anything! But unless its clear then you are wasting super important real estate. There are tons of studies done on the psychology and reading patterns of websites, and I have
found that if you are selling one service (party planning, face painting – well most things excluding retail) then your call to action is the #1 most important piece on your website. What do you want the visitor to do on your site? Here’s the answer- BOOK YOU! So make sure its clear how to book you and what they will book you for.
I was googling face painting websites and I was finding beautiful artwork but very limited calls to action or even mention ab out the supposed main objective.. to book gigs! We live in an information abundant world, where our attention is being pulled in every direction, so when you can help people find what they are looking for, painlessly, and with interest you are closer to the goal than you think.
2) Is YOUR Picture on the front page of YOUR site? If not why not? Would you go on a dating site where you couldn’t view pictures of your potential date? Would you hire a complete stranger to come and play with your kids in your home?
A picture speaks a thousand words and putting a face with a name (and service) can be the difference between a sale or a missed opportunity. When I redesigned my business card I
decided to add my head shot to it, and ever since then I have more people smiling over my card and “keeping” it because most people have a hard time throwing away pictures of people the might know. According to research done by Nielsen the leading statistics compiler, web users are more likely to scan over stock images but spend on average 10% more time looking at “actual ” people images on sites.
When we are hired to attend and work at events, the person doing the hiring is taking a leap of faith. Unless they have personally met you before or seen you in person they are crossing their fingers that you are appropriate, not covered in full body piercings, or draped in a confederate flag to show up to entertain kids. But as a consumer, I always feel better knowing what and who to expect. I know its not polite to judge a book by its cover, but if the cover is the first thing someone sees it better be outstanding if they want me to spend money on it.
So I recommend adding a GREAT head shot or action shot on the front page of your site. If you are selling YOUR services, then you want people to see you and how awesome it would be for them to hire you. Eventually you will have (hope to) to see them in person, so might as well get a head start, make yourself friendly, approachable and ease your clients mind.
If and when I finally get to host my Creative Entrepreneurs retreat the first thing we will do is take great headshots that you can use on your sites, cards, and promos. 
A great picture goes a long way. I took a great picture one night, posted it on Facebook and found my husband the next day <3 Don’t under estimate the power of a picture. <3 <3
3) Can I call You sometime? Will You Pick Up?
Long gone are the days people answer their phones. When you call ATT, Best Buy and even your mother you are likely to receive an auto mated machine or voicemail. NO one likes to answer their phones, I even receive a text massage to tell me my prescription is available. One way to stand out is to answer your phone! But in order to first get a call you need to give out your number. And it should be one of the first things they see on your site when they visit it. So here is my advice, if you hate answering your phone for anything but business then sign up for a free Google Phone number that will ring with a different ringer and number on your cell phone to screen business calls only. What ever you do make sure you answer the phone Your contact info should be clear, easy to find and very visible form your home page. The goal is to get them to call you, so please make sure your contact us button doesn’t go to a form they need to email you and then they receive a generic reply that you will get back to them in 24 hours. Whenever I get that email I immediately move on. So take my advice make it easy to call you and pick up when they do
4) State Your Purpose- Wait isn’t that your call to action? NO!
I am firm in my belief that the BEST most booked face painters in the world aren’t the best painters in the world. They are usually the most personable. Everyone wants to be in the company of good, happy, positive people. And if you can convey that persona through a one liner purpose statement you can capture someones attention. To do that put yourself in the party planners shoes. What do they want with your services? They are hoping that you can add joy, happiness, and color to their party. My mission statement is clear on the front page of my site. “One goal.. to create an unforgettable event for you and your guests” That says I CARE about you. I want YOU to have fun, and smile. Because after all people only care about 2 things.. how YOU will increase their pleasure or decrease their pain. And your message, motto, pitch should re iterate that. Potential clients don’t want to read a book on your site, cause “aint no body got time for that”, someone looking to hire you wants to know you are professional, quality and how to reach you. Part of being professional is the concern for wanting to do a great job. That’s usually the main difference between a true professional and someone just working for hire. A professional wants to do a great job, in hopes for a referral and the satisfaction of knowing they made their customers happy. So if you are professional make sure you have a motto that supports that.
Super long story short… in 2015 everyone looking to be in business needs to have a site. And with the plethora of tools available to help you create a site there is no reason you cant have one in less than a week. Follow my 4 tips to creating a one page site that can boost your business, lend credibility to your services and serve as a motivator for you. I hadn’t touched my airbrushfavors.com site in a year and once I committed to working on that site I got enthusiastic all over again I got my second wind and felt eager to get bookings. When you put focus and energy into a project the results usually speak for themselves. Flowers cant blossom without water, sunlight, and the universe supporting it. Businesses are no different. They need energy, dedication and positive energy and you can put all that into your site <3 <3 to help you shine through.
If you need help with Wix, or need advice about colors and mottos. I am happy to help, send me an email, id be more than happy to browse your site and give you pointers and if we get to meet at the Creative Entrepreneurs retreat we will not stop until we build a great site, one you will be happy to share.
Happy Painting
<3 Heather <3
