Photos DO attract clients......

Go look at the photos on agent web sites. Why are most so "home made" looking, or just plain bad? Here's how you can avoid the common mistakes and gain much credibility besides.

Many agents spend lavishly on Web marketing including Pay-Per-Click, (PPC) banner ads, SEO, (Search Engine Optimization), and then use a cheap-looking portrait on their web site. Often one that was taken by their spouse or child? What is wrong with this picture!!!!?

You look at the beautifully crafted Web site home page of, say, Rosie, your office's top producer. That home page has terrific art and design...she must have spent a fortune on it, either having it custom made or buying a special template site that costs a fortune.

It looks beautiful, except for one thing, Rosie's picture. Frankly, it sucks, as they say!

Egad! Her head is misshapen. Her head and face are ultra-wide, as though someone had grabbed her ears and pulled outwards. What was Rosie thinking when she personally uploaded the picture to her otherwise magnificently designed site? I bet she wouldn't send that same photo to an online dating service.

Well, Rosie forgot the number one rule about Realtor web sites which solicit a professional service instead of sell a product. The rule is: YOU ARE the product!

And just as Mercedes shows only magnificently stunning, shiny cars in its magazine ads, you need to show yourself in your best light, too. Why? Because when homebuyers or sellers are hunting for a Realtor on the web, they want to know as much about you as possible before they contact you. And, let's face it; if your photo looks sub-standard, they subconsciously think that you must be sub-standard, too.

See, a photographic portrait should not only capture what you look like, but also show something of your character. Moreover, a good one shows something about your manner or way of being that is attractive and flatters you. Ideally, you radiate a persona that most people find appealing.

Anyone can have great web site photos. Here are the main things to consider about your web site photos, starting with your all-important portrait:

1. Have a professional take it. Don't think that just because a recent digital picture that your spouse took of you in front of the backyard hedge looks good, you should use it. IT LOOKS HOMEMADE!!!! Get it? Don't look cheap. Get a real photographer. And don't try to fool your site visitors with ten-year-old photos of yourself, either. Five years is long enough to let the same portrait remain in place as you age. (Yes, age. I said it!)

2. Dress yourself properly. Darker clothes and long sleeves are best. Avoid bright colors and bold patterns such as plaids, checks, stripes, and polka dots. Also, avoid "fad" colors or styles; they'll be gone soon enough. If you sell to low-end buyers, then your blue denim, Roy Rogers shirt with rhinestones is fine. But if you'd like to sell upscale homes, too, then dress like THOSE homebuyers dress. For men, coat and ties, but get some casual pics without, for use on interior web pages. Bring several complete changes of outfits along with you, because you may change your mind once you're at the photographer's studio. Or even at Glamour Shots in the mall, which will provide results far better than your backyard attempts.

3. Hair and Makeup are Important. Women, keep jewelry to a minimum. It's best to have a professional do your hair and makeup before your shoot. Makeup should only be slightly heavier than normal to avoid looking "painted." No fad hairdos. Dress first, then wear a plastic cape or shield so loose powder, etc. doesn't get on your clothes. Try fixing your hair differently for different poses. The photographer may apply a light powder to get rid of shine on your cheeks, chin, forehead, and, for men, balding head, but be safe - bring your own powder anyway.

4. Use Natural Poses. Do you like those poses where the agent's chin rests on his fist as he stares dreamily out at you? We don't either...they look pretentious. So be natural . It should be a picture of you smiling warmly at the viewer. If you just do that, I don't need to tell you the 30 other things that you should do. Just be natural and listen to the professional photographer's directions. Listen, he knows how you will look better than you do. And REALLY smile, most people hold back. Don't. It'll look restrained.

5. Don't Get Soused The Night Before. Ever notice how you can tell when someone has a hangover? The cameras will, too, and preserve those subtle, but telling, signals for everyone who sees your picture for years. Schedule your shoot for a time when you are sure you will be both physically and mentally great.

6. Using Informal Photos. You often see home page photos showing the agent posing with his nuclear family, or with the pets. These may be okay for interior pages, say on the "About" page, but unless you market in a rural area where most people know one another, such "folksy," "down home" photos may be unappealing to many consumers who dislike pets or children. The photo, itself, may disqualify you. Remember, with many metro area boomers retiring and moving to the hinterlands, if you are in a country area, you might want to appear more professional to them, too, and let your home page photo show it. The rest of you...don't be smug about rural agents. Straighten up!

7. Captions are Terrific; Use Them. Go to a hundred agent sites and under their first photo, invariably located in the upper left hand corner of the home page, you will find...zero captions.

What is a caption? According to online encyclopedia, Wickipedia, it is a concise and descriptive bit of text that labels a picture, chart, or table. But what makes captions important on typical agent sites is that they are the first thing to command the viewer's eye immedialy after he sees the agent's photo. Which means that on most web sites, they are the very SECOND thing that gets looked at. Are you having An Epiphany about that piece of news? See the possibilities?

So here's what you do with that important chunk of home page space. You place in that space the most important thing that you want the visitor to know about you...and you can even do it in tiny type, too. They will still read it. Even several lines. After all, it's what they'll read second, right?

Here are examples:

Jane CutiePie, Your luxury home specialist.
Jane CutiePie, Your buyer's agent for Denver.
Jane CutiePie, Your Portland 1031 expert.
Jane CutiePie, your "first time home buyer" agent.
Jane CutiePie holds a free "sell your home" course every Tuesday, 10AM , at the Old Church bank.
Jane CuitiePie lets you use her moving van when you need to transport your goods.
A final caution about captions: Many "team" or group pictures on sites fail to have a caption identifying each person shown. Why? Aren't those people important, too? Name each person starting from left to right, in the order of where each person's head appears. If you have rows of people, do the I.D. by row 1, row 2, etc. But be sure that even people who do not personally know your team can match the names to the right people by using what you have written in the caption. For a good example of captioning, see how your local newspaper identifies people in groups.

8. Photos as Powerful Testimonials. Testimonial photos that show you and your happy buyers or sellers posing for the camera CAN be informal and taken by a non-professional,but only because they ought to look spur of the (exciting) moment, and homemade.

Here's how you do testimonials. Put a link on your home page, somewhere close under your portrait of course, and call it "Testimonials" or "See what my happy clients say" or similar. Make the link go to a new page of pictures of your clients WITH you, ideally hugging you, or obviously pleased as punch with you...make sure that THAT EMOTION comes across. Don't just have you and them staring dumbly (doe-in-headlights) at the camera. Smile! Engage yourself with them. Be Alive! Be looking at each other in the picture. Connect. Show it!

Be sure the photo has a caption, naming you and the clients. And then, below that, have text, approved by the client - a paragraph or two - that quotes the client, saying good stuff about how you did.

9. Photos Showing You As Well Connected in the Community. People moving to a new area want to get settled early. They'd prefer an agent who's already connected in the community, perhaps through local good works or services. They'd like an agent who can introduce them to key local programs, and civic and social leaders. Here's the deal. If you never perform community service in your area, forget this #9 and move on to #10. (However, shame on you if you don't. Start giving a little back, will ya?)

But if you do support civic projects or non-profit groups, then, on interior web site pages use photos showing you at work, as does San Clemente, CA's Internet Realtor, Broker Debbie Ferrari. Her newly created community service page, with examples added every few months, proves that she is heavily involved with the community and with its principals. (Her doing this subtly tells the prospect, "Therefore, powerful person that she is, she should have little trouble, locally, handling my transaction").

10. Show Yourself with Area Landmarks. Okay, so you don't golf with the mayor or duck hunt with the police chief. You can still gain more credibility as a local "community expert" in the eyes of your web site visitors when they see you in photos alongside known community landmarks.

Don't feel bad after reading this if you think that you are now "photographically challenged" with your current web site photos. Most agents are, and likely your nearest local online competitor-agent is no better off. But there's your chance, isn't it? You can make your site appear superior to his, just by enhancing it with better photos.

What can you do? You can give yourself more credibility with your visitors by switching to "eHarmony-quality" portraits of yourself, plus photos of you with community leaders, and photos showing you engaged in community service. Or, you can show yourself with your clients as they slobber all over you with their passionate thanks for your priceless help.

Or, you can just be shown leaning on the huge granite "Welcome to BigMansion Estates" sign leading to the ritziest neighborhood in town, and grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Hey, don't knock it...it works!

Most agents just don't get it about using pictures to help them attract more clients and thereby, get more sales. But as you now can see, good quality portraits, and clever usage of local area photos... really ARE worth a thousand words!