Good morning! I’ve finally made the move down to the Lowcountry, and we are in the process of getting settled in beautiful Beaufort, South Carolina. More on that later, but I’m happy to put the last whirlwind weeks behind us and get back to business!

I’ve been thinking a lot about the main complaint my clients have when they come to me: “my website doesn’t match my level of work.” Obviously, that’s why we’d be chatting in the first place, right? But it’s a deeper problem than you might think. If your website, business card, photography of your work, fill in the blank here, doesn’t look professional it doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do. It sounds harsh but think of it this way: You find the perfect dress for a night out and go to the only boutique that carries it. Only when you walk in, the clothes are scattered about; the lighting is bad, and the interior design of the store feels amateur. Everything looks thrown together. The person behind the counter (that’s you) might be the friendliest and most knowledgeable salesperson in the world, but you still can’t shake that something is “off” about the whole experience. Oh, and that dress you wanted to pay $200 for? All of a sudden it feels a little cheaper and less quality. In fact, you aren’t even sure you want it anymore because it seems overpriced. Your brand presence is an entire experience. From the first click to exchanging a business card, if it doesn’t match up to your customer’s/clients expectations – no matter how good your work is – you’re going to have a tougher time selling your services at the price point you want. Trust me; I’ve been through the same thing. My brand and website have also evolved to reflect my pricing and level of work. I certainly would have a hard time selling my work at my current price point with my first website! When your design is in sync with your prices, you’ve got a winning combo!

Now think about the other store you walk into the get that cute dress. Right when you walk in everything matches up to your expectations for that $200 price tag. The signage on the door. The way the salesperson greets you, explains their products and rings up your sale. The perfectly branded business card tucked into the beautifully wrapped package. The way the store smells (ok, we can’t do that with a website) and how the details are through in the displays. And that dress? You’re happy to pay for the quality, style, and overall brand experience. Better yet – you can’t wait to tell your friends about it.

In the next post, we’ll talk about how a detailed, totally custom website can set you miles apart from templated themes, further enhancing your brand experience. Going with the shop metaphor here: think totally perfect neighborhood boutique that you can’t walk out of without buying something vs. big box stores. Suprise note, sometimes you need the big box store experience, and that’s totally ok, too! I’ll explain more on that later!