Looking for ideas

Karl Langford said:

I agree the site is very blah. The CD with headphones is very pixelized.

What is the name of your business? Is it "The best wedding reception ever?"

That is what I see right away and I would assume that was the name. Or "Welcome" because that is above TBWRE banner.

There is more but basically, like others said, your site does not convey professionalism. My site is not the best, I did it myself also, but I am not boasting as you are about your business being great. I hope that didn't come off as a slam, I just couldn't think of the right way to say what I was trying to say.

Go with girly colors, brides love colors, get some photos of a wedding dance or reception. You must have a few pics of your own to use or at least go spend a few bucks on some.

I am not much on grammer and punctuation so I won't comment on that.

With your price structure, you really need to do a lot more with the site.

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I am working on a precious moments kind of navigation bar theme, just not much of an artist, but pastels were something I had thought of. Also thinking about more of a photo based theme showing the results they can expect. Those kind of professional type photos are quite an investment and then who knows who else is using them as well. I have run into stock before.

The site is a work in progress, I have been working on it more often lately but it is the summer wedding season so time is at a premium. Thanks for your suggestions.

I do not use stock photos but after a 10 second search I found these. http://www.bigstockphoto.com/photo/view/230372

$20 and you can have quite a few to use on your site.

Small investment and I think just adding that to your site would make a world of difference.

DJMN said:

Oh goodness...I am going to get flamed.....but i think..it wasn't bad.


However I agree with the following.....


Grammatical issues need to be resolved at all costs. I personally frown on grammatical errors when it comes to a business.

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Adam,

Do you have a site? Would like to see what my MN peers have to offer.

I agree. But stock photos or what he has, I would go with stock until I got something better.

thatmusicguy said:

TJ

You claim you have no ego, then make statements like "a part time dj is a part time efforts"......and by admission you're a part time dj.....Wait...no.....you spend full time hours reading Peter's book and interacting with other DJ's.

$2000 bookings and you can't afford a $3600 website. .....or let alone a website commensurate with your proclaimed level of professionalism....

Reality Check - Aisle 5

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Like any living breathing human I have an ego too, I have simply learned to swallow mine for the most part. That does not mean I can't have an opinion.

I never said I was part time. I said it was based on work load. Working towards full time means having enough booking to have to put that time into it. There are a ton of $300-$400 DJs in my area many are new "DJs" whom I have never seen before.

It is not a matter of affording a $3600 web site, it is a matter of having other priorities, such as music licensing, insurance, equipment up keep and expansion. The web site is not a huge priority, most of my current bookings are from word of mouth. Based on my own surveys web sites are very low on the list when it comes to how people locally find out about DJs, Bridal Shows and word of mouth are the top 2 followed by marketing campaigns to the business where they work. People still like paper.

I have made a few more changes based on your suggestions.

djshaun said:

To be frank TJ, the site looks really kind of bland to me.. with no spices.. that was my first opinion. Of course I truly u'stand that you are trying to KISS (Keep It Sweet n Simple)!! but this KISS aint worth it bro! lols.. add a little more color, atleast on the top or just in a corner...in a kind of grunge style.. All the pages look monotonous.
And the initial pic of the headfone..it doesnt appear pixelated to me too.. but I really feel that it lacks in appeal..or rather its presentation lacks lustre.. just work up on the pic a little more and make sure its borders are feathered....or if you wanna maintain the pic in the same square border format..just put a frame/border around the pic.
Well, the rest of the info in the page, are okay..but I once again strongly request you to add some more color to it and make it look more 'lookable'!!! I kind of went through 2 links in ur website and lost a little interest..that should'nt happen to your clients or any one browsing your site to get more info about you and your services

And please add more pictures of either your parties, or you in action as a dj or your setups or your equipments. The way you have projected yourself shows the level of self confidence you may have with you but adding pictures will surely take that a step up

On the whole..a simple site with the necessary info which needs to be pepped up with a little more vibrance!
Good luck bro!

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The pic they are referring to I exchanged for the one you see there. following most of their suggestions I am left with what you see for now. I got a surprise last minute call to bail someone out this evening and took the booking. Their DJ blew them off and happened by one of my cards in a local shop I frequent.

I'll continue working on it tomorrow sometime.

The purpose for my packages page and details page is not to over burden one page with too much info. People can get a quick glance at the meat of the package, then if they want more details they can follow it to the details page. I did have some pics on those pages but with what I was doing they just didn't fit so well.

I agree some color would be good, I am brushing up on my CSS and might try to do something with letters forming an image.

I moved the Book link to the links, though I get the impression your suggestions to move it have more to do with a general dislike for the man. Despite the fact the book is well done.

Thanks for the suggestions (even the ones I don't personally agree with) every little bit helps.

Jon Tuck said:

Teah Jay are you ignoring me here or what? IF you dont want a persons thoughts. Please refrain from posting a thread topic. YOu only seem to respond to the ones you want to throw a sharp reply back at. I took my precious time to assist in your thread. The least you can do is poo poo my response or accept it graciously. Ignoring it is very rude.

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I have made reference to your comments in my posts.

The purpose for my packages page and details page is not to over burden one page with too much info. People can get a quick glance at the meat of the package, then if they want more details they can follow it to the details page. I did have some pics on those pages but with what I was doing they just didn't fit so well.

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Was in my last post which is in reference to your comment about the two different pages.

I stole the About You idea off of a WED members site. I reworded some of it but I liked the effect. The About ME page links from that one in the side bar nav. I am thinking of rewriting it so I hid it for safe keeping.

As for my name... Most people can't pronounce it right when it is full. The H is more or less silent. My father wanted to name me Augustus Bartholomew so my initials would be ABC. My mother and an aunt didn't like that idea and while my father was in a mushroom induced haze (so i have been told) they invented the spelling of my name. I have no middle name.

TJ is much shorter and people always call me TJ the DJ anyway when they learn my name and what I do. No matter what other name for my company I thought up, I am still TJ the DJ to people, so why market myself by another name that people wont use anyway? People remember me from years ago, no matter who I contracted out to, they remembered my name and not the name of the DJ company I worked for.

I agree it is cheesy, but we have other DJ companies with names like Extreme DJ, Viking DJ, Sound Traxx, Party Sound, so I don't sound so bad I don't think.

Anyway... Doctors have M.D. After their name, sounds professional.

So nope wasn't ignoring you. I also moved the banner as I stated so even though I may not have given you specific credit for following your advice, you can see the evidence of it and feel good that you did indeed make a difference.

jokerswild said:

You may want to check that.... some of the first places my clients have looked is the web.... probably somewhere in the neighborhood of 70% search the web first... as most are at work... surfing the web.

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As I clearly stated, based on surveys I have done/participated in for my local area the results did not say that. Though I was VERY surprised. I know for myself the web is my #1 resource for just about anything.

Again I can only speak to what I know in this regard for my area though reading online marketing polls and results the general rule is the web is #1. However, being that of the 30+ DJs in my area only 3 or 4 have web sites it is no wonder that people don't use it find DJs.

bigtime said:

Rob,
You getting anything from my sites out there?

I'll be out there next Wednesday/Thursday for a one day meeting in Elkhart.


Sorry for the hijack....again

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Oh it's no problem seems to be a common occurrence on the site, takes me back to my World of Warcraft Days.