Your ultimate goal is to create web pages that will be sticky enough to hold the reader. So you'll want to make sure you have relevant, content-rich copy full of "scent" for the reader to follow. But you'll also want to select photos that will not only catch but hold attention while reinforcing what you are all about. The other day, we talked about "franking." Today, I want to tell you about the power of "portals."
This is a great example of a portal photo:
This is a National Geographic photograph that actually shows two portals. One, and the most obvious, is the doorway. Your eye is drawn from the shadowy foreground through the door to the sunlit courtyard beyond. But that's not where your eye stops is it? The next portal is the stairway leading up out of the courtyard to some unknown upper level. This photograph actually captures your eye and leads it where it wants your eye to go. It's a great example on the power of portals. But do you know what the most powerful portal you can use?
The human eye is the most powerful portal for a human to look at. And the human face makes for a very compelling photograph.
We've talked here before about marketing to mom. The only thing more compelling for a mother to look at than a photo of A child would be a photo of HER child. When you have great pics of kids faces (especially their eyes) you provide a natural portal of interest to the moms who happen to be visiting your site or looking at your brochure.
When those faces show joy, peace, contentment, fun, and protection you have found a winner. Because those are the exact qualities you want mom to know that her kids will get when she sends them to your camp.
The pic of the kids covered in mud might be fun to look at but chances are it won't communicate the message you're trying to get across to mom. And it's not nearly as sticky as a great pic of a camper's face.
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