Website pictures

[Shaun]

I've had quite a few critiques and comments over the last few months about my website. Occasionally I've have people comment that I should have pictures of the disco set-up in action.

I've only recently starting adding images to the site (still got a load to sort through and upload), but I made a conscious decision to only display images of the guests enjoying themselves. This all goes down to my philosophy of selling the 'dream' and not the equipment. Nowhere on my site can you find a picture of my set-up. Even the equipment page is very minimal with regards to information. I only vaguely brush upon the type of gear used, and don't specifically mention brands.

Even though I use good professional gear and have invested a lot of money in it, I truly believe that customers don't really care about equipment as long it's reliable and neatly presented. As long as they're getting a professional service and the perfect evenings entertainment then that's all that matters to them. Hence my decision not to focus on equipment to sell my services. People like to see people having fun...it's the DJs that like to see pictures of gear.

I'd just like to add that I've NEVER had a client request pictures of my setup...ever!.

So...what's your thoughts. Do you like to have pictures of your disco set-up on your website?. Do customers really care?.

I'd be interested to hear your thought on this.

Cheers :beer1:

[BeerFunk]

Nope, I don't think customers give a jot really, so long as the front view of your setup is neat and tidy, and doesn't look amateur.

I'm in the process of revamping my website, and I have already decided to do the same as you, and only show pictures of the 'end result' of my service - the dancers! :)

[ross@rds]

A good pic of your set up on the home page then a mix of pics i.e people dancing , singin at diffrent events , quiz night , 40th , wedding etc on your gallary page and thats about it. Im going with this idea now and in the middle of uploading and sorting pics for the site.

[spin mobile disco]

try to use picturers with rig in background and people dancing in forground where possable. But saying that I do have a couple of just rig pictures as well. I have had one comment last month in fact from a client saying how nice it was to see what they are hiring in the pictures. Although this is the only time anyone has said this.

[Ricesnaps]

Have you considered taking pictures of your happy dancing gests from th other side of the dancefloor so you rig becomes the backdrom BEHIND the dancers?

[axeman]

Everyone is different, some may want to see what you disco would look like should they book you for thier special day, others won't you are denying them the choice. I agree with young ross's words above a few well chosen pics, would put any worried mind at rest.

[rob1963]

I've had quite a few critiques and comments over the last few months about my website. Occasionally I've have people comment that I should have pictures of the disco set-up in action.

I've only recently starting adding images to the site (still got a load to sort through and upload), but I made a conscious decision to only display images of the guests enjoying themselves. This all goes down to my philosophy of selling the 'dream' and not the equipment. Nowhere on my site can you find a picture of my set-up. Even the equipment page is very minimal with regards to information. I only vaguely brush upon the type of gear used, and don't specifically mention brands.

Even though I use good professional gear and have invested a lot of money in it, I truly believe that customers don't really care about equipment as long it's reliable and neatly presented. As long as they're getting a professional service and the perfect evenings entertainment then that's all that matters to them. Hence my decision not to focus on equipment to sell my services. People like to see people having fun...it's the DJs that like to see pictures of gear.

I'd just like to add that I've NEVER had a client request pictures of my setup...ever!.

So...what's your thoughts. Do you like to have pictures of your disco set-up on your website?. Do customers really care?.

I'd be interested to hear your thought on this.

Cheers :beer1:



:agree:

[TonyB]

I think the only people that look at pictures of equipment are other DJ's :)

[bank]

well, most customers, as far as I understand probably couldn't tell the difference between equipment, after getting my site running I thing I will have a few pictures of the set up operating, then people enjoying themselves.

As you put it, a website is to help with building the customers dream, so they know they are going to have a good time, even cheeky comments might go down well with your photos?.

[Corabar Steve]

Maybe something like this, doesn't actually show the rig as such, but rather as Matt says uses it as the background

[PropellerHeadCase]

Well, I'm trying an experiment, when I launch my site there will be few pictures, and none of the gear... let's see, shall we?

[DMX Will]

I think Shaun, you've got it right when it comes to clients booking a disco, although as a few of us offer other technical services, in these web-page areas equipment pictures/lists can be important, especially if you have a hire division.

Just my 2p. :) :d

[Shaun]

although as a few of us offer other technical services, in these web-page areas equipment pictures/lists can be important, especially if you have a hire division.

Just my 2p. :) :d

I wouldn't argue with that. :)

[dj steady]

I use pictures of all 3 of our shows on my web site and use it as a selling tool if a customer is unsure i refer them to the web site to see the shows/djs and see what it is they are getting for their money.....if other D.J.s want to look who cares i have nothing to hide.....

i know of a number of Disco's in my area who bull themselves up in their write ups,dropping big brand names into the equasion but don't back it up with photos of this gear their supposed to have and frankly when you see what they have, well lets just say i wouldn't pay half of what some of them are charging they live in a dream world even their presentation leaves alot to be desired.

in short if you have something to sell ...... sell it, we can all print photos of a full dance floor coz at some point in the nite every dancefloor is full plus we have hade members of this site complaining about other discos nicking their pictures of the crowd and wanting to security mark their photos whos to say the full dance floor is yours.....??? and that you haven't nicked it from another site. all my crowd shots feature the disco in the photo no mistaking whos photos they are then......

[Ricesnaps]

I use pictures of all 3 of our shows on my web site and use it as a selling tool if a customer is unsure i refer them to the web site to see the shows/djs and see what it is they are getting for their money.....if other D.J.s want to look who cares i have nothing to hide.....


You may already be familier with my toughts on this matter.

Your statement is complete and utter rubbish (always one to tell it straight, lol!). I'm sure pictures of your show is a fantastic way of selling your equipment to someone and possibly a great way of demonstrating why you might be better than the man down the road. Unfortunately all you are doing is selling something physical and tangable that can quite easily be matched or compared to someone else.

Pictures of rigs and rigs as selling tools will never sell the one thing that noone can put a price on, a GREAT night of entertainment. Ask you next client how much a great night, no lets be bold here, a fantastic night's entertainment is worth. How long is a piece of string. If they say £100, then let them go and see how great it really is. And if it is great, well what a bargain that was!

The moral or story here is that the real money for the work we do is NOT obtained by selling a light show, or a sound show. It IS helped and aided by pictures of happy dancing punters showing what a great time they are having.

Don't take my word for it, there are others here who have seen the light and erased there "equipment" page too!

[rob1963]

Don't take my word for it, there are others here who have seen the light and erased there "equipment" page too!

I saw the light!

I've never had pics of my gear on the website, but I recently removed the descriptions of my sound & lighting from my discos page...partly because I'm not selling my gear, and partly because the description was too technical for most clients to understand anyway!

Ricesnaps - I look forward to seeing all the pics of your rig replaced with pics of YOU!

:)

[Danno13]

I don't have an equipment page. But i can't see the harm in having pictures of your rig, if only to show that its clean looking and modern. I update my gallery with pictures from most of my gigs, and usually add a couple of the rig in daylight, and then a few more where you can see the rig behind the full floor of dancers!

[Ricesnaps]

I saw the light!

I've never had pics of my gear on the website, but I recently removed the descriptions of my sound & lighting from my discos page...partly because I'm not selling my gear, and partly because the description was too technical for most clients to understand anyway!

Ricesnaps - I look forward to seeing all the pics of your rig replaced with pics of YOU!

:)

Ah now, pictures of ME is another matter (although the current web site does have a piccy of me!).

Watch this space, the new site is comming on nicely and will just have pictures of happy dancers. As I said earlier, there may be some taken with the rig in the background, but I won't be putting up the picture so folk can "see what they get"!

[Dragonfly]

personally think a blend of both works ..... it has for me same as prices on website i now rice puts them on but both times i have ive noticed a dramatic decrease in enquiries ......you can't sell yourself if you dont get an interview.

would you book a wedding car on the strength of the ad that said lovely rolls royce for hire?

ive never believed in equipment pages they are kak but a nice smart set up with lights working and not does show people "what it is possible for them to get if they want but can be tailored to their requirements"

how many people look at the ads on ebay without pictures ??? i know i do reason ...... because it might be really really cheap because it hasnt got a picture and most people are sadly lazy and wont be bothered to look at it.

yes rice before you say we sell a service not a meterial item but my humble opinion is that there is an asthetic side to what we do and most people that speak to me do care "what they get" as well as wanting top quality customer service.

going back to my sisters wedding if id have seen a rig pic of the guy that did it i would have chosen someone else , and with customer service i definately would.

[Ricesnaps]

personally think a blend of both works ..... it has for me same as prices on website i now rice puts them on but both times i have ive noticed a dramatic decrease in enquiries ......you can't sell yourself if you dont get an interview.

Take a look at my wedding page now. While I still advertise a price, it's now simply a "our prices start from..." so I'm certainly taking a step in the right direction!


would you book a wedding car on the strength of the ad that said lovely rolls royce for hire?
To be fair that's not a great example. Of course I wouldn't, but I'm not booking the driver or the service am I, I'm booking the car and I want to look good in it. Most of our clients at weddings are actually booking a service, not a physical product. If I could get a silver Rolls Royce from company A for £100 less than company B and both cars looked the business and they did the same number of trips, why on earth would I go for company B? The same can't be said of a DJ.


going back to my sisters wedding if id have seen a rig pic of the guy that did it i would have chosen someone else , and with customer service i definately would.
And I am guessing so would most of the other DJ's reading this post, but if you hadn't been there, would your sister have enjoyed what the DJ did? I think this is the huge misconception that us DJ's get tied up in. At most weddings, to be honest, you could turn up without any lights at all and STILL have a fantastic night. I struggle just as much as the next man because I love the lights and the gear and I DO find it really really hard to stop myself selling the kit.

I have a challenge this Sunday. It's wedding fair day and I have decided that my pitch is going to be "What can we do for you?" or something along those lines. Sell the service, sell the dream and sell the excitment, all without selling the kit! Not sure I will actually get all of that this time around, but it's the plan so far!

[Shaun]

I have a challenge this Sunday. It's wedding fair day and I have decided that my pitch is going to be "What can we do for you?" or something along those lines. Sell the service, sell the dream and sell the excitment, all without selling the kit!

Sounds good to me. :approve:

[rob1963]

I have a challenge this Sunday. It's wedding fair day and I have decided that my pitch is going to be "What can we do for you?" or something along those lines. Sell the service, sell the dream and sell the excitement, all without selling the kit! Not sure I will actually get all of that this time around, but it's the plan so far!

Does that mean you won't be taking any of your kit to the wedding fair?

[Shaun]

Does that mean you won't be taking any of your kit to the wedding fair?

I know the question isn't directed at me, but I thought I'd give my thoughts on this....

So far I've never done a wedding fayre. If I was to, I wouldn't take any of the kit. I think I'd go the route of a professionally made promo video running on a plasma tv. Sell the dream.....

[rob1963]

I know the question isn't directed at me, but I thought I'd give my thoughts on this....

So far I've never done a wedding fayre. If I was to, I wouldn't take any of the kit. I think I'd go the route of a professionally made promo video running on a plasma tv. Sell the dream.....

Shaun,

I completely agree.

Many years ago, I used to help a friend do wedding fayres, and initially we took a small rig & played very soft music.

One day, we saw a disco guy turn up, put a pile of brochures on a table & then disappear. At the end of the fayre, he came back to pack away - and all his brochures had gone! Maybe people were more likely to take the brochures if he was not there, as they knew they would not get the hard sell...although we obviously had no idea how many people were later phoning to book him. It occurred to us that apart from all the hassle taking in & setting up the gear, we actually didn't need it...although we DID think it was best to be there to speak to customers & answer their questions.

After that, we just had a table with brochures...and simply started chatting to people about our services as they wandered by.

We didn't have the tv playing a video, although I think that's an excellent idea!

:)

[Dragonfly]

Take a look at my wedding page now. While I still advertise a price, it's now simply a "our prices start from..."

would your sister have enjoyed what the DJ did?


point one : both times I have done exactly that the very same as you and .... I refer you to my previous comment "i realised a DRAMATIC down turn in enquiries.

point 2: no she thought it was naff nice old stately home with 2 15" full range speakers that really struggled to cope (distorted and ) a t-bar with 4 lights not at all what she had expected for the £300 price tag .... I was the only person that actually thought it was ok.

still stand by my comment i like to think that some people will when they get a quote think " well he's x pounds more than the last bloke but look whats on offer ......service and set up. and think the extra is worth it. rather than see a number and think ........ noooooooo.... not paying that and move on.

not booking a wedding car as a service????? not sure id agree.

the same cant be said of a dj??? because????

[rob1963]

Hmmmm...this thread started with Shaun asking whether it was a good idea to put pics of EQUIPMENT on our websites...

...but it's now dangerously close to turning into my "Should we put PRICES on our websites" thread.

http://www.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=5464&highlight=prices

[Ricesnaps]

point one : both times I have done exactly that the very same as you and .... I refer you to my previous comment "i realised a DRAMATIC down turn in enquiries.

I guess this is a step by step aproach for me. The current web site design came on line about two years ago and the structured pricing got me loads of enquiries - I'm booked solid for this year and starting to come in nicely for next year. The reason for changing now is twofold. Firstly I am not earning what I am worth and I want to see a step up in my fee. Secondly, my current pricing does sell equipment and not ME, so it needed looking at. It could also be that my basic fee was way to low and people liked the fact that they were getting a bargain. It did however also completely stop the price hunters!


still stand by my comment i like to think that some people will when they get a quote think " well he's x pounds more than the last bloke but look whats on offer ......service and set up. and think the extra is worth it. rather than see a number and think ........ noooooooo.... not paying that and move on.

not booking a wedding car as a service????? not sure id agree.

the same cant be said of a dj??? because????
I guess what I am trying to say is how do you put a price on something that isn't tangible? For example, if you gavce someone a choice of 2 moving heads for £200 and 4 moving heads for £300, the client can quite easily make a judgment about how much they spend based on the product offered. They can also call around and ask other companies how much they can do the same thing for. But if you take the gear away from the equation, then how does a potential client quantify your value? Without anything physical to look at or assess, then it is much harder to make direct comparisons. I would hope that's when the whole fee comes down to you as an individual and your ability to offer the client something that you can't easily put a price on. How much is a wedding DJ worth? If you ask the bride then I have a feeling the amount of equipment or how good it looks will get much of a look in. More likely the bride will be more interested in the way she is looked after before and during the event, what music is played, that her guests will have a great time, that they will dance.... how do you put a value on that? I think that's when you get to the "what am I worth as an entertainer!". Lots of articles in Pro-mobile on this which probably explain it a lot better than I am managing to.

As for not booking a wedding car as a service. maybe I didn't put this quite right? What I meant was, when booking a wedding car, it is absolutely the car that you are booking. It's the look, the style, the grandure. What you are not booking is a nice chap to give you a pleasent and friendly drive to the church, who can drive so well you don't even feel a bump, if you were, why would the car matter at all? As DJ's we are all far to quick to offer up our equipment as an indication of our worth and to justify our Fee. Unlike booking a wedding car, the bride and groom ARE looking for an individual, they are looking for a skill, an ability, a presence, a skill at the job in hand. Without going into the whole "presentation" side of things, wedding clients don't count the number of lights, or the styles of effect, or get upset that you don't have a retractable roof....

[axeman]

I still think you should have pics of your rig, so the customer can see what they are paying for (or even a video - like mine). If they dont want to look then they dont have too, but if they do want to look and their are no pics to look at, they just might think you are ashamed !! or trying to hide something !! my 2 cents.

[Paul James Promotions]

A lot of our work is based on the equipment we use. Sometimes customers will go for the standard option, but a good percentage will want something a bit more special.

[Shaun]

I still think you should have pics of your rig, so the customer can see what they are paying for (or even a video - like mine). If they dont want to look then they dont have too, but if they do want to look and their are no pics to look at, they just might think you are ashamed !! or trying to hide something !! my 2 cents.

I could turn it around and say that those that emphasise too much on equipment have to do so because their service is maybe lacking, and they are ashamed of some aspect of it (hence the need to sell themselves on the gear they have). I wouldn't say that though, as it would be as far from the truth as your comments. :)

I wonder how many potential clients look at DJs websites that have brand names listed and think.."Who cares...I've never heard of Mackie, Shure or Denon anyway"?.

I hope this doesn't come across as conceited, but I doubt that any of my potential clients look at my site and question whether I'm ashamed to post pictures of my gear, or question whether I'm hiding anything.

When we go into a restaurant, do any of us ask to see the pots and pans the food was cooked in?. The equipment we use are just tools that help us towards the goal of providing a service. Does the customer care that I'll be using moving heads, JBL's, SHure UHF Radio Mics etc at their event?. I don't think they do. That's what they'll be getting but I doubt that they'd care less..

Picture's could actually work against you, and not because of inferior gear or presentation. Post a large set-up picture and it could 'turn-off' those clients that want a minimalistic approach. Post a small set-up and it could 'turn-off' those wanting a huge set-up. Post both and they could wonder why some get different amounts of gear than others. post pictures of your lighting that is enhanced with haze/smoke and you run the risk of scaring away people that don't like smoke effects. There's so many reasons why using pictures and dropping brand names of your gear can work against you and be counter-productive, wheras pictures of people having fun will be a winner each and every time.

At the end of the day this is really another one of these circumstances where there's no right or wrong answer......just what's right for you and your company.

[dj steady]

You may already be familier with my toughts on this matter.

Your statement is complete and utter rubbish (always one to tell it straight, lol!). I'm sure pictures of your show is a fantastic way of selling your equipment to someone and possibly a great way of demonstrating why you might be better than the man down the road. Unfortunately all you are doing is selling something physical and tangable that can quite easily be matched or compared to someone else.

Pictures of rigs and rigs as selling tools will never sell the one thing that noone can put a price on, a GREAT night of entertainment. Ask you next client how much a great night, no lets be bold here, a fantastic night's entertainment is worth. How long is a piece of string. If they say £100, then let them go and see how great it really is. And if it is great, well what a bargain that was!

The moral or story here is that the real money for the work we do is NOT obtained by selling a light show, or a sound show. It IS helped and aided by pictures of happy dancing punters showing what a great time they are having.

Don't take my word for it, there are others here who have seen the light and erased there "equipment" page too!

works for me......have started putting pictures of the crowd on site..... working on a testomonials page now have a pile of e-mails that need displaying on site but haven't got round to doing it coz not sure what the legalitys are with displaying customer details to prove there genuine compliments..

[dj steady]

I still think you should have pics of your rig, so the customer can see what they are paying for (or even a video - like mine). If they dont want to look then they dont have too, but if they do want to look and their are no pics to look at, they just might think you are ashamed !! or trying to hide something !! my 2 cents.

my point exactly....... totally agree with you..:cool:

[Have a disco]

Im going to put it bluntly I have pictures of my disco on my website I also have pictures of the customers on my website neither affects the amount of bookings I get (please note the site is due for an upgrade). But it does show various set ups and various crowds. I have loads of photo's to go onto the site to bring it up todate.....

I feel the customer should feel as informed as much as possible about what they are going to hire and what it could look like and how much they could be paying, Its there're money in the end......

If some one wants a £150 wedding disco then they obviously cant afford a good disco you get what you pay for??????

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I've got loads of pictures of rigs, dancers, dance floors, small PA's etc etc becuase sometimes clients do want to see what the gear will look like, particularly with the small PA background music hire service.

I very rearely mention gear to a client, unless they mention it to me, but the pictures are there for reference.

[PropellerHeadCase]

Im going to put it bluntly I have pictures of my disco on my website I also have pictures of the customers on my website neither affects the amount of bookings

Well, unless you have your site without photos for a significant period you can't actually say that with any certainty, can you?

And if you believe what you say to be true, that it doesn't affect the amount of bookings, why bother chewing up the bandwidth with photos?

[Arnold_disco]

I've had quite a few critiques and comments over the last few months about my website. Occasionally I've have people comment that I should have pictures of the disco set-up in action.

I've only recently starting adding images to the site (still got a load to sort through and upload), but I made a conscious decision to only display images of the guests enjoying themselves. This all goes down to my philosophy of selling the 'dream' and not the equipment. Nowhere on my site can you find a picture of my set-up. Even the equipment page is very minimal with regards to information. I only vaguely brush upon the type of gear used, and don't specifically mention brands.

Even though I use good professional gear and have invested a lot of money in it, I truly believe that customers don't really care about equipment as long it's reliable and neatly presented. As long as they're getting a professional service and the perfect evenings entertainment then that's all that matters to them. Hence my decision not to focus on equipment to sell my services. People like to see people having fun...it's the DJs that like to see pictures of gear.

I'd just like to add that I've NEVER had a client request pictures of my setup...ever!.

So...what's your thoughts. Do you like to have pictures of your disco set-up on your website?. Do customers really care?.

I'd be interested to hear your thought on this.

Cheers :beer1:

One or two pictures of your rig is fine. most Costumers like to know what there getting. I know i would.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

most Costumers like to know what there getting. I know i would.

Because you are interested in gear - most punters aren't.

[Ricesnaps]

Because you are interested in gear - most punters aren't.

This is a really interesting debate. I've just had a heated discussion with my wife. We're both at the same wedding fair on Sunday - choco and me! Been looking through the photo's I have printed out for my stand and my wife says "where are the pictures of your rig"? So I say I'm not taking any. The argument continues and she is adement that I won't get as much work because everyone will want to know what they are getting!

I still dissagree and I guess we will only really know on Sunday!

Frustrated that she can't see what I can!

[Dragonfly]

Because you are interested in gear - most punters aren't.

Im interested what a car looks like when i buy one..... couldnt give a toss how it works mind ..... much to my fathers disgust 40 years in the motor trade. still maintain that there is an asthetic side to what we do. be it presentation of ourselves or our gear not saying for one minute that what name your gear carries is important but to assure the client that it will be neat tidy and professional looking to my mind has got to be good.... i put pics of my rig on my site after taking marketing advice.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Im interested what a car looks like when i buy one..... couldnt give a toss how it works mind ..... much to my fathers disgust 40 years in the motor trade. still maintain that there is an asthetic side to what we do. be it presentation of ourselves or our gear not saying for one minute that what name your gear carries is important but to assure the client that it will be neat tidy and professional looking to my mind has got to be good.... i put pics of my rig on my site after taking marketing advice.

I did say most punters.

I have several pictures of different rigs in different situations on my site, should people want to see what the gear looks like.

Most people that have expressed an interest, have not wanted "tacky multi colour discos" with light boxes and screens.

[Dragonfly]

I have several pictures of different rigs in different situations on my site, should people want to see what the gear looks like.


I know :D :D :cool: some good ideas on yor rig daz :whistle:

[Flex]

Re pictures of your rig: I have only put a couple on as I had a couple of people ask to see. I guess sometimes they are a bit suspicious that you might turn up with a torch and an iPod.

Pictures of people: an absolute must I have tried in vain to take some suitably professional snaps for about two years now, so I might just have to bite the bullet and pay my daughter to take some (£10 and a couple of Breezers should do it)

Wedding Fairs: I think it is increasingly about service and what you can do to assist the bride and groom. In the end this is about giving your time. If you think about it, in a lot of cases out of all the people they talk to (including some hotel venues) you will have the most wedding experience. I have my first wedding fair in October I was going to take along a couple of lights and some quiet background music, however I love the idea of a big plasma and a video and some brochures.