As part of my recent excursion to Knysna, I popped into an art gallery.
The artist had many very beautiful paintings from the area.
There was one painting in particular of the lagoon, with the heads in the background, but at night with a full moon, and some clouds.
The clouds created a bright outline, which reflected on the lagoon.
This picture grabbed me, I don't know why, it just did.
But in trying to express to someone what I saw and felt when I saw this picture was just about impossible.
You see, we all perceive things differently, very very differently.
This difference in perception can create a few problems for us when we try andexpress things to people, and even more problems when we try and sell stuff to them.
In some of the scenarios I have encountered, people have tried to explain to me verbally what they perceived.
As they explain I have the opportunity to ask questions to get clarity.
When someone tries to explain things to me in writing, often it would take them many pages of carefully detailed wording, to bring across a clear message of what they are trying to tell me.
But when someone shows me a picture of what they are trying to sell me, I instantly know what they are referring to.
This is very very relevant in business.
You see, we all have a product that we are trying to sell - OK some have a service - and we are trying to get the message across to our audience.
I have seen a number of websites that have a lot of text trying to explain to people what the features and benefits of their product are.
They also go into great detail trying to explain how their gizmo's can be used on a day to day basis.
What I would like to suggest is that we use images a little more.
Instead of telling you what I am talking about I'll let you have a look at some images: [http://www.
gallery.
menalto.
com] Adding a gallery to our websites can greatly increase the visibility of our products.
Some ideas for adding images to your product gallery include: - Showing customers the day to day usage of your product - Showing customers the manufacturing process, and how you conform to quality and standards - Showing customers your gizmo's in action The end result is simple, you can display your products to your clients and convince them that this is what they want and need.
It will also save you, as a small business owner, a huge amount of time.
You can upload photo's and create albums in a matter of minutes, and you won't need to spend hours writing, and trying to convey to your customers what you are trying to say.
I'm not saying that there is no need for quality copy on your website, there is and it is very important.
But adding a gallery, where you can proudly showcase your gizmo's, and gadgets, will add an interesting and intriguing dimension to your site.
In closing, I just want to add, that we need to constantly be working on our online presence.
In order for us to thrive in an online market, we can never be satisfied with what we have.
We need to strive to make it better and more relevant.