Four Pages Your Website Needs
Since 2013, I’ve been helping artists around the world to build their business, brands, and audience through digital marketing.
While not every artists requires a full website (stay tuned for next week’s post about one-page designs), overall I’ve realized there are four pages that serve every brand or business.
Today, I want to share these four pages with you! To inspire you to take action, I am including some female examples for #WomensFutureMonth.
Page No. 1
Home
Start with a WOW first impression! Perhaps you can provide “wow” with a singular photo, a photo slideshow, a new video, video background, critical reviews, awards, etc. You only get one chance to make a positive first impression! Use what you have, and continue to examine this “picture frame” for ways to surprise and delight your visitors.
Include your name and a visual identity. Branding incorporates fonts, colors, photos, and sometimes logos… but it’s really about becoming recognizable, or easily identifiable. The best way to do this is to honor your authenticity: what makes you different, special, or unique? For most brands, this means sharing a photo so we can see WHO YOU ARE. Bonus points if there’s some storytelling about what you do. How do you want to be seen or perceived? Introduce yourself accordingly!
Consider sharing your latest. Whether it’s your latest news, latest posts, or both… give your visitors a reason to return. Create a hub for all things YOU. This not only shows Google you’re an active and relevant source for information, it’s another way to surprise and delight your audiences, and lead them to actions you want them to take.
Page No. 2+
Work
Honor your past, present your present, design your future. Imagine you had guests visiting your actual home or apartment. You might offer them a beverage or snack? Online, this is where you can share your offerings. Try to keep your website future focused. You can honor your past by presenting a taste test of what you can offer. Curate and present your very best work: videos, audio, images, press, case studies, etc.
Create separate pages for separate audiences. Whether you use a dropdown or more of a “choose your own adventure” picture menu, don’t be afraid to divide your work into your various roles, realms, or revenue streams... such as Actor, Voice Over, and Producer.
Page No. 3
About
Open with an official biography. Provide a short bio to wow your audiences. Make it easy for future collaborators (such as press teams and future employers) to copy and paste for their own marketing. How do you want to be introduced when you take the stage or get interviewed? Write your bio accordingly, while thinking of a Wikipedia style: just share the facts.
Consider sharing a personal story. What can you share to best connect with your audience? Do you want to write a letter from the artist? Offer a timeline of your past? There is an opportunity here to help your audiences connect with you on a more human level.
Both? You can certainly share both. Whatever style of “About” you choose... be sure to make it more about the user/visitor, not you. Say what?!
Page No. 4
Contact
Use a form* to protect your email (and your agents) from spam. The idea behind contact forms is filtering your email (and your teams’ inboxes) from spammers and scammers. While there are people in the world who despise contact forms, or will still send junk, one alternative is to link a button to a (disguised) email address. For example, a button that says “Contact Agent” could send an email to agent@agency.com. Another option is to include a note something like “Don’t like forms? Please email team@yourname.com.” underneath your form! This is helpful if someone is trying to email you an attachment!
Include links to download your materials (headshot, resume, EPK). Keep your materials up-to-date! Be sure to include contact information (including your website address) here, too. I prefer providing a Dropbox link with everything press or casting would need. Here’s an example.
Consider including contact info on PDF downloads. Modern communication is done by email and phone. You don’t need to include your address. Perhaps your web address…. but that’s it! Use GoogleVoice to keep your number private if desired.
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
These are my staples... and they create a really clean, minimal, and clear aesthetic. You may get pushback that someone (old school) wants an easy navigation and clear links that say “Reel,” “Resume,” or “Headshots.” Leave that to basic artists websites!
I believe you’re so much more than your headshot, resume, and reel. You’re a celebrity name brand! Own it!
Step into that… becoming YOU. Offer those people an easy link to your “Casting Kit” as shown above. They’ll find your materials and get in touch if they want YOU!
