Tips for Designing a Drill Portfolio Site

Since some of our members here are beginning to put up websites for drill design, I thought I would post some important guidelines.

These are good rules for any kind of website, but it is written mainly for drill portfolio sites where the purpose is to attract new clients. The most important rule:
Always keep in mind why you're creating the site in the first place.

And that is: To give potential clients the information *they* need in order to decide to take the next step, which is to contact you.

The stopwatch is ticking.

Your success rate will go way up when you can answer their essential questions within seconds of visiting your site. If key information is missing, or the layout is a bit confusing, they are more likely to hit the back button and stick with their current designer.So... what are the things that your potential client wants to see within the first 10 seconds of hitting your website?

1. Your real name. Not some kewl company name like "Innovative Horizons Box 5 Techno-Solution Design Studios". They need to know who they are dealing with up front.

2. Quality samples of your work. Preferably for groups similar to theirs.

This is the primary content of the site, and needs to be on your front page, full stop.

Everything else is secondary. Don't make them hunt through a bunch of menu options to find it. You can put some samples on a separate page, but they need to see a sample of your work immediately.

Animated drill is generally better than blurry youtube videos of band performances. Feel free to link to MML shows, but I would make them secondary to drill created in professional software.

3. Availability. They need to know, without asking, if you are available for work right now. List the current year (e.g. "Available now for the 2011 season") so that they know they're not looking at a stale website.

4. Are you trustworthy? A lot of factors can help them answer this.

Most importantly:
- List of groups you have designed for
- Testimonials, mainly from previous clients

Other good things to include:
- Teaching experience
- Education level
- Awards
- Marching experience
- A quality photo of you, with your face visible

Bullet points are better than long paragraphs when listing your accomplishments. Again, only include accomplishments that would be of real interest to potential clients, not just what you think is cool.

5. Pricing. Never say you're "cheap". Instead, use phrases like "I can work within most budgets," etc.

6. Your email address. Do NOT use contact forms. An email address is more personal, it's easier for the client to track what they wrote and when they sent it, and there is less doubt that it actually reached you.

If you need to know exact group numbers, have them fill out a separate form *after* you have established a conversation and they've decided to take the next step.

7. Location. The closer you are geographically, the better. Even if it doesn't affect their decision, they will want to know.

8. Simple layout. As a client, they are NOT hiring you for web design! Your ability to create a gee-whiz site will not affect their decision. So just pick the cleanest, simplest template you can find, and spend the rest of your time building up your "sample reel".

For example, take a look at michaelgaines.com

He is probably the most well-known drill designer today, and yet everything fits on one page. Granted, he has a lot of name recognition and wide network, which means his website is less important for getting new work. But it shows that an uber-cool website is not needed to get your message across.

9. Show, don't tell. You either have creative and innovative work, or you don't. So don't *tell* them you are creative and innovative. Show them with your work, instead.

Also, puffing yourself up with hyperbole is not a good way to build trust. You aren't promoting a movie -- you're starting a dialogue with a future colleague.

In fact, any text on your site that doesn't address the essential questions listed here is probably just a distraction and should probably be deleted. Showing some personality is good, but no client has time to read long paragraphs about your life story and personal aspirations.

9. Copyrights. Don't use copyrighted content without written permission. Having an awesome corps photo on your website won't convince them that you're an awesome drill designer anyway. It might add confusion, and at worst, it will make you look dishonest.

10. Web hosting. Don't use a free web hosting site with banner ads. Get a dedicated domain, preferably yourname.com, and use a site-builder like weebly.com or a wordpress hosting site with a selection of quality templates. A few bucks a month is worth the added credibility and will pay itself back right away.Anyway, I hope that helps.

Your website won't make or break your chance of success, but it can make a difference while you're starting out. Over time, if you deliver great work and are great to work with, you will hopefully win new clients via word-of-mouth.

Best of luck to everyone who are making a go of it!

Thank you so much on this! I'm going to get off of my free website and establish a paid for one using "iWebs" on my macbook pro and This helps so much.