Making Your Website Appeal to Clients

For many DJs a website is their most effective marketing tool. It needs to appeal to potential clients and encourage them to read on, navigate through the pages (easily) to learn more about you, and ultimately submit an enquiry.

But do we really know what potential clients are looking for? Do the things that attract us have the same effect as someone looking to book a disco? Is your site aimed more at DJs or potential clients?

Our Survey Said.....

A recent survey of potential clients from around the country proved enlightening and informative:

Sound: As a DJ it would make sense to have music playing on your site. A large proportion of people search the internet while at work. Having sound often results in clicking straight off the site. If you want to include music have the default as 'Off' and give the visitor the option to turn it 'On'.

Intros: Flash intros may look professional but if people have to wait more than a few seconds for a page to load, or for a flash intro to run its cycle, they become impatient, click straight off and look elsewhere. Having a 'Click Here to Enter Site' after the visitor has already clicked to view your site will affect the amount of time visitors stay with you.

Navigation: If finding their way round your site is complicated, or needs thinking about, you could lose a valued client.

Grammar and spelling: It is so easy to repeatedly read your own copy and miss fundamental mistakes. The message it portrays is unprofessional. Always get an independent person to read through your copy and check for mistakes. Short sentences, bullet points, minimal and to the point paragraphs are favoured by most visitors.

Colours: Choosing colours for backgrounds and text has more of an impact than you may realise. Some colours portray a high class image, others a lower market. The colour of text on a background affects how easy and comfortable it is for a visitor to read.

Identity: People buy people. Seeing a picture of their potential DJ and knowing his name was highlighted as very important and the most likely trigger to encourage them to submit an enquiry. In general, clients like to know who they are dealing with.

Photographs: A top of the range mixer or the latest lighting effect mean very little to most clients. Pictures tell a story and give an impression long before your text is read. Most clients want to see that you can fill a dance floor and create a party atmosphere, so happy smiling faces of people enjoying themselves are powerful tools. It is tempting to use stock photographs as the quality and composition is much better than we might achieve, but clients much prefer seeing 'real' photographs of their potential DJ in action.

Client Comments: All potential clients said they looked for testimonials. They are very aware that some may not be real, but adding a photograph of the person who'd written it and details of the date and venue gave them substance and credibility.

Equipment lists: Most potential clients said they wouldn't read equipment lists as they meant very little to them. They wanted to know that the DJ supplied good quality equipment, but they were more concerned with what they did with it.

A website might be the first contact that a client has with you. Some of the most effective sites are simple in design, professional in appearance and convey a clear message of your suitability as their DJ. A client may click through several sites, with yours being one of many, so it needs to be about you, be individual and stand out from the crowd.

Hopefully this newsletter has given you a few more ideas to think about - until next time - Good Luck

Paul

The information in this newsletter was compiled from research and written by Sandy Sounds