(2 of 4) I went looking for an acupuncturist. Here's what happened.
Read it, here.
Today as promised, we’re taking a clear-eyed look at the visuals of your website, based on what I noticed early on in my acupuncturist search.
2. Predictable Photography
Quiz time:
What kind of photography are you using on your acupuncture website?
Is it stock photography?
Do you feature images of cherry blossoms, lotus petals, bamboo shoots, smoking mugwort, stones or water?
Your presence.
On your website, and any place online where you're presenting yourself to potential clients, you want to come across as a real human being, in a way that stock photography most often doesn't.
As Stella Orange puts it so well: “being real with people is quite disarming.” So, show yourself @ work.
Take a look at the photography on the instagram feed of @samsiegelphotography, or this client site, for an example—and note how the photographs feel human, conversational, with atmosphere and natural, ambient lighting.
Even 2 or 3 well-done photographs can convey a real humanity.
The quality of humanity is so important, because it makes people open to your message. To this end, I’ve started working with a talented young photographer, helping clients plan photoshoots done in one easy session. The specific goal of the photoshoot: creating photography that enhances or amplifies the message around which you’ve chosen to organize your body of work.
I've got a client who’s having a photoshoot done this month, and we’re planning it around the idea of freedom at the center of her health + movement work. (And this means being intentional about wardrobe, styling, lighting, locations, and expression.)
The benefits of professional, yet warm photography?
One, the confidence that comes from seeing yourself in this light—in your work space, in conversation with a client, out in the world, and even in editorial-style shots of the tools of your trade. I’ve found that the photography (in its color, light, and form) makes the messaging work I do with clients feel real. And this build momentum and decisiveness. Consider it your permission slip to go for it.
While turn-key template sites like qi sites with their library of stock photography can help you get out of the gate faster with less decisions, the resulting site can feel generic. You blend in with every acupuncturist using these same templates. The uniqueness is sapped out of your site--and sometimes your practice because you're following custom rather than making decisions that work best for you. The downside of blending only increases if you live in an area where potential clients have several acupuncturists to choose from.
Instead, aim for individualized, rather than type—that’s how you express your humanity and warmth (and implicitly convey that you see and celebrate the individuality in others). You want to be less interchangeable with other practitioners.
Keep asking yourself, with respect to the visual component of your site, is this a place that I could find some self-expression? How might I use imagery to support my point of difference, or unique approach? Your photography should feel more proprietary, not off-the-shelf, and the visual equivalent to your distinct voice. You’re after professional, yet relaxed—not posed or contrived.
The photography doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does need to be done with a good camera as both photograph and message telegraph you to your audience.
Sure you might be able to get by using what you have, but it may not allow you to make decisions from a position of strength, about what you want to create in and with your practice.
And if you're currently getting booked out, but not feeling that you're getting ahead, new photography can help you shift brand perception in the market, and support either increased rates, or new kinds of packages and offers.
A reasonable investment of time and money will repay itself, as you can also use this same imagery for your social media and personal branding.
At the end of the day, this kind of photography builds trust, with your clients, and importantly with yourself as seeing yourself in such images helps you trust your bold vision.
While photography can never create (or stand in for) a message that doesn’t exist, it can certainly amplify it if you have one. The two work in concert. Ditto for genuine clinical expertise. Photography enhances others's perception of that expertise.
Ask yourself, who do you want your customer to become? See if you can include photography or imagery that allows prospective clients or patients to imagine themselves working with you.
Still hankering for cherry blossoms? What about a stylized, unique treatment or angle? Better yet, go your own way with visual imagery that feels true and authentic to you. If you’re an acupuncturist into tattoos, could you add tattoo-style imagery into your site or brand?
There are countless landscapes in the history of art, yet a Cezanne is instantly recognizable and memorable, because there is a point of view alive in it.
Can the same be said about your site?
Your Turn:
Do a photography audit of your site.
What kinds of images do you find?
Where could you add a more relaxed professional quality?
Equally important, audit what kinds of images you personally respond to—not on other acupuncturist sites, but on instagram, Facebook, or other digital platforms.
Not ready to post on Instagram? I’d still encourage you get an account, and start saving images/posts that resonate with you. {for an acupuncturist example, follow @hannahwatsonchinesemedicine
When you find generic, airless stock images, ask what could individualize it? According to the National Certification Commission for Oriental Medicine there were over 27,000 acupuncturists in the US in 2015, with 37% (roughly 10,070) in California. You want to be a category of one, not of one of ten-thousand.
Pro-tip: think video. Video makes things comes alive. Just had a client have a 2 minute profile video shot of her at work.
Note: While I want to stay out of tech and the back-end of your site here, I will say that your site needs to be mobile responsive (looking good on a phone or tablet, no matter the age of your clients), so it automatically resizes your photography to the best dimensions on the fly. I was surprised by how many acupuncture sites I visited that were not mobile friendly, or had awkward mobile interfaces.
Preview: Next week we’ll be exploring a better way to overcome the Unfamiliarity Trap, so you can reach folks who've never tried acupuncture for themselves.