Heather Garland – North Carolina Wedding and Portrait Photographer (Charlotte, Greenville, Belmont, Gastonia, Eastern NC)

The biggest turn-off when looking at wedding vendors for my wedding was terrible branding, websites, & blogs. Sure, I am more observant of these since I work in the industry but every client you have notices… trust me! If the first thing I see when I pull up a website is a homemade logo, a website that looks horrendous & unorganized, or a free wordpress blog template I just x-ed out. There was no point wasting my time there. If that vendor did not put enough effort and care into investing into their company, they wouldn’t be a good fit for me. Sure, there were plenty of brands I didn’t particularly care for (as a matter of fact I’m not too fond of the new Walmart logo either haha!) but that’s not a problem, a bride will still like you as long as it’s professional. I can not ever stress how important a professional logo is. As soon as I started my business I knew I needed a good logo, a good website, and a blog. That’s just as important as having the right gear, & knowing how to take good pictures (or whatever you do in your industry). It’s critical.

You get around 10 seconds (if that!) to make an impression on a consumer. If they don’t like what they see in the beginning, you might not ever get a second chance. First impressions truly are critical. You might take beautiful photos, sell beautiful cakes, or have great catering. That consumer will never know because you had a horrible website. I found this a lot less prevalent with photographers, it was more other vendors like venues, caterers, florists, DJs, etc. This is even more important for these vendors though. A consumer might see a photo they like and stay on the website… they can’t eat a cake, or smell a flower on the website. It’s crucial to make an impression & invest in good PROFESSIONAL branding. I have an amazing designer Amy from Candy Apple Studios. She does amazing work & I love how professional she is.

You might still be wandering if it helps, I promise it does. I have had countless compliments on many of my branding materials such as branded envelopes, my splash page, and how I package my prints. It makes a good impression to have good, consistant, & professional branding. So please all the amazing vendors out their with amazing products to sell who are getting skipped over because of a bad website… get a designer & get business!! You have to have a good brand for any one to ever care about the product you sale… and unless your a graphic designer it has to be done by a professional!