The takeaway I would like to share from the video is two-fold.

Firstly, McDonald's is using their own product on both sides of the presentation. The Restaurant version and the Photoshoot version are their product.

Many times when someone is "supplying images" to be used on their websites, they go to Google and do an image search. I can only begin to express how insane this may be. Forgetting about copyright laws (which is something no one should readily dismiss), using images found on Google already means that the image is being used by someone else (or many others). It sort of kicks the pants off the idea that we have “original content." This practice can prove to be embarrassing and expensive!

The second point the video defines well is the fact that creating a certain perspective can often require more than putting what we have readily available on a page. Usually that “extra” involves creating something with a bit more eye-appeal, or creating content that is more than a short paragraph or a bullet point. These things take additional time. They involve an additional expense. But, they are the thing that nice presentations are made of.

 

 

Notes

I recently had a client mention that they would a "regional map" of their service area on their website. I asked if they had one available. You know the answer. So, I said I could create one for them, but it would take some time and would incur an expense. The map became no longer important to them, or at least for the moment. Please, remember that getting from Restaurant to Photoshoot usually involves more than a wish.

 

If you are local, I am always more than happy to visit your place of business to do some photography/video for your website. I  charge a nominal fee (usually around $25/hour), and maybe a little extra if traveling outside a 15 mile range. I also do Photoshop retouching and image manipulations. As well, I produce custom PDFs, stationery and logo designs, and similar materials for advertising and promotion (including publication advertising layouts).

Many of these activities are covered in Maintenance and Development Programs. If the demands of your website begin to add up, it may be time to have a conversation. A regular scheduled M&D can help tremendously in softening the impact of this sort of ongoing expense.

My final note on this topic? The most important thing for anyone starting out is to use whatever materials are available at the time. Too often a project is postponed (or simply abandoned) for reasons that do not make sense. There exists an almost zen-like reality that when you keep moving forward things do fall in place. No action will lead to no growth. In most cases, the only thing that is missing from any website is the site-owners belief and trust that it can be a success and that the effort involved in creating (or further developing) the website will benefit them in the long run. As always, if you have questions or would like to discuss things, email or call.