Designs By Deb

Get through the finish line!

I recently attended a wedding – everything was perfect.  As a business person though, what jumped out at me as really perfect for both the guests and the wedding party and ultimately the photographer was this:  As I signed the guest book I spied a business card of the photographer with the website address to see candid photos of the wedding on his website the next evening.  How cool was that… well, maybe it’s been going on for awhile – I haven’t been to too many weddings.   But, I grabbed a card – and probably took less of my own photos because I’d be able to view and buy some really nice photos later.

My daughter and I had him take a photo of us together – In the back of my mind, I know just where I’m going to put that photo…

The next evening I excitedly found myself pulling out that business card, typing in the website address to see the page of phtoos.  And, as promised, there was page of photos of the bride and groom – just a sampling and a note that the rest of the photos would go online as soon as the bride and groom viewed the photos.  Ok – that makes sense!  But there was something that didn’t make sense and that was the ability to sign up for a notification of sorts which would remind me the photos were up and ready for purchase.

I waited a week, checked back on my own and then another week – nothing new. Took a few friends to the website to show them the photos, still nothing… before I know it, 3 weeks have gone by and my visits to his site are becoming less regular and I know at some point I’ll probably forget and that page of photos will be gone and the opportunity to purchase will be gone or at the least I’ll have to jump through some hoops to get the photo.

What is this photographer missing?

Two things jumped out at me – the most prominent:  A sign up form to be notified when the photos are available for purchase.

My next thought since I’d shared this page with friends who didn’t attend the wedding was that a “share this page” link  to email a friend or share on facebook or other social sites was missing.

This is a prime example of missed opportunities. He started out great at the gate – offering something of value to the wedding guests – bringing visitors to his website who might not otherwise even know he had a website as he shot photos all afternoon and into the evening…

But, his effort lost emphasis and importance by not having a way to automate and serve the potential customer and make it easy for them to return to his site.

So, what are you missing in your business? Do you make it easy for potential customers to remember you?

Are your newsletters targeted to the right people?  Do you offer the option in your newsletter sign up forms for different things? Sales & Promotions? Consignment news? General news?

Does your blog have  an RSS feed option so readers can check quickly to see if you’ve got updates?

When you have a shop event do you post photos on your website or a link to an online album like Flickr, Photobucket or Picassa?

The bottom line….

Take it all the way through to the finish line for both your customers and potential customers. Had this photographer done that, he’d probably have a customer in me and many others.  But, rather than creating memorability, he fostered forgetability and potential lost sales.. 

Tags: email, facebook, Internet tools, Marketing, twitter, website