Which photo to lead with?

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.

Which photo to lead with?

Basement kitchen
9
45%
Master bedroom
4
20%
Living room
2
10%
Exterior shot
5
25%
 
Total votes: 20

brightmike
Posts: 169
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:36 am
Location: Brighton

Which photo to lead with?

Post by brightmike »

We recently had some professional photos done by HL which I'm happy with.

However I am now a bit "wood for the trees" with them. I'm not sure which picture to lead with. The options are:

1) Basement kitchen (current lead photo)
2) Master bedroom - I like this one because it is a sky blue
3) Living room - nice room but a bit dark
4) Exterior shot - boring?

http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rental ... wn/5630352

Which should I lead with???

I realise that to answer this question you will have to trawl through our pictures and probably can't be asked :shock:

Just in case I get 1000s of responses I will set this up as a poll too!
Our property website can be found by looking at our profile.
tavi
Posts: 2578
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 9:07 pm
Location: Algarve

Post by tavi »

I just love the decor....am going for basement kitchen.

Fab house.
Beachcondo
Posts: 760
Joined: Sun Jan 16, 2011 7:51 pm
Location: Anna Maria Island, Florida and Sweden
Contact:

Post by Beachcondo »

Really any of your pics are great,
But I've chosen the master bedroom as it reflects the seaside feeling. (Or maybe because it reminds me of my own color scheme, I don't know.

But whatever you choose, I would go through the pics and remove some of them. Your kitchen is wonderful, but if you click on the pics to forward the slide show, it seems that all you have is a kitchen!

I want to get an overall view of the place fairly quickly, when I look at a listing. I think your pics need a weeding or at least a rearranging with a few overview pics first and a deeper look into different angles later.
Pessimists only get positive surprises.
jenboyle1959
Posts: 224
Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:30 pm
Location: millport
Contact:

Post by jenboyle1959 »

Wow it looks fabulous- I'd be attracted immediately, if I was browsing for accommodation in your neck of the woods.
I agree there's too many photos of each room though, and personally I wouldn't be interested in seeing ones of the hob or coffee machine- it's enough just to know you have them by reading the description.
As to your lead shot- I'm voting for kitchen. Lovely !
User avatar
Nemo
Posts: 7062
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:15 am
Location: Norfolk

Post by Nemo »

I would run with any of three out of the four - kitchen, master bedroom or exterior. The only one I wouldn't choose is the living room, simply because you could be anywhere and not specifically by the sea. Just alternate them every now and again. If you can be bothered you could kept track of enquiry numbers relating to the different photos!

I concur with Beachcondo; give an overview of all the rooms first, then continue with more in depth ones of each room. Not too many stair angles and things though!

The most annoying thing? Not in your control I'm afraid, but viewing on a phone all I get is a big black box on top of the photos, telling me how much per night and I couldn't find a way to view the photos without it! So I can only see two thirds rather than the whole photo.

Coupled with the annoying bright orange, check price and book banner, screaming in my face every time I scrolled down your description, made me despair. It could be a great mobile site but as a guest, I'd go absolutely potty if I had to contend with their in your face marketing. If I'm looking for a holiday, I'm going to book a holiday, but them telling me every time I try to view something that I must book and what it might cost is a pure turn off. These big sites really seem to know less and less about how to market the bigger they get.

Apart from that, a gorgeous place. When can we all come and stay? :wink:
User avatar
greenbarn
Posts: 6146
Joined: Sat May 30, 2009 6:41 pm
Location: The Westmorland Dales, Cumbria

Post by greenbarn »

The kitchen /dining area is for me the one with the biggest wow factor to make someone want to see more, followed by the master bedroom. You need the exterior shots, but they're not the ones to make people look closer.

However, it is overload and I agree with the "less is more" suggestions. Just because the shots are all technically very good doesn't mean they all get the emotions going. As an example, having been wowed by the initial kitchen shots there's one further on which makes it look bland, empty and unwelcoming - not a message you want to give out. Go through the shots and be savage; each shot needs to tell me something - and make me feel something good - that the previous ones didn't, discard the ones that don't add. End up with maybe two key shots for each room or area (ie the kitchen/dining/chillout is more than one area) that give the very best impression, then add in just a few detail shots towards the end eg the mega hob or whatever adds interest.
The first shot will make people want to book; keep their interest and the rest will convince them they're right.
Ele
Posts: 103
Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:26 am
Location: Moraira, Costa Blanca, Spain

Post by Ele »

Congrats on the decor, it really all looks stunning! The basement kitchen image definitely gives a 'wow' factor and the master bedroom is gorgeous - so for me it's out of those two.

Personally I'd choose to lead on the master bedroom - it 'feels' more what I'd expect for Brighton as it's fresh, light and airy (all things I'd want to feel in a seaside place). Looking at it makes me feel relaxed, comfortable, soothed….. and I can easily see myself snuggling up in that room! Looking at the kitchen images I'm thinking how impressive and 'cool' it is, but in the back of my mind I'm really not that keen to spend my holiday / weekend in the kitchen!
User avatar
barbersdrove
Posts: 985
Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:48 pm
Location: crowland south lincolnshire

Post by barbersdrove »

I agree, loads more pictures than necessary but what a lovely place! I would go with the first one of the kitchen but a close second would be the master bedroom.

BUT we have seen on here several times where people think a property has been misrepresented and I think overall the exterior show shows it's a great property in a decent street and not tucked away in a back alley like lots in Brighton are. it invites you to go through the door to see the other pictures.

So I've gone for all but the lounge :D :D :D
A cream cake a day keeps the wrinkles at bay:)
e-richard
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:33 am
Location: Algarve, Portugal
Contact:

Post by e-richard »

Any of the top 3 (great photos) will do, so here's an idea.

During your peak booking period, try rotating the pictures say every 2 weeks and see if there is any pattern in click throughs.
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
annedab
Posts: 762
Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2005 5:02 pm
Location: Midi Pyrenees

Post by annedab »

Nothing to add to the comments above except - wow! Looks fabulous. Our son lives in Brighton so I've bookmarked that one for the future :)
Regards

Anne

If there's no such thing as co-incidence, then why is there a word for it?
User avatar
Jimbo
Posts: 3582
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Charente Maritime

Post by Jimbo »

Excellent interiors, but two very poor exterior shots - it doesn't look as if the interiors and exteriors were taken by the same photographer? One falling over backwards (easy to correct with software) and the other with the cardinal sin of being half and half sun and shade.

If I was the client, I'd want those exteriors to be improved ASAP.
Jim
revdev
Posts: 599
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:49 am
Location: Turkey
Contact:

Post by revdev »

Wonderful place, modern and very well presented.
Great interior photos, BUT, serious photograph overload! :)
You could easily trim 10 out I think.
I would lead with a kitchen photo - it's very impressive and has real x-factor.

[edit] Just thinking it through;

1) Exterior shot; with all due respect, 9/10 houses would have a better exterior photo.
2) Master bedroom; very nice room, but I'm sure 5/10 houses could boast similar quality bedrooms.
3) Living room; again a very nice room, but same ratio as with the Master bedroom
4) Kitchen; I would venture only 1/10 houses would have a kitchen/dining area to rival yours. Thats your standout feature by far.
Last edited by revdev on Mon Aug 10, 2015 12:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
See the job, do the job!
http://www.premiumturkishvillas.co.uk
User avatar
Nemo
Posts: 7062
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:15 am
Location: Norfolk

Post by Nemo »

Nemo wrote:I would run with any of three out of the four - kitchen, master bedroom or exterior. Just alternate them every now and again. If you can be bothered you could kept track of enquiry numbers relating to the different photos!
e-richard wrote:Any of the top 3 (great photos) will do, so here's an idea.

During your peak booking period, try rotating the pictures say every 2 weeks and see if there is any pattern in click throughs.
Great minds Richard, great minds. :wink:

By the way, in the interests of trying out Holiday Lettings system, I tried to get a price for one of the four/five night gaps you have. I haven't experimented as a guest with it, so this was a first for me and I don't advertise with HL myself. I couldn't get any price as your changeover day is set to a Friday. I guess it forces a dialogue, but in general terms it would put me off as a guest if I cannot see prices anywhere, other than their headline nightly price rate (which I know is a grumble we all have with how the sites are forcing us to mould to their way rather than ours!)

PS Why do you not advertise one week prices? You have a price for 6 days on your website, daily weekday and weekend rates but not one week. :?

I wish I could persuade some friends to come with me and visit - straight down on the train and a short walk from the station. Fab. :wink: Apologies for TC, I'm just being ultra nosy but I'm genuinely interested. :lol:
Annew
Posts: 925
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2009 10:02 am
Location: Devon

Post by Annew »

Great Photos and a lovely place.

I've gone for the Master Bedroom - lovely and airy with a great colour scheme.

I agree with previous posters that there are rather a lot of photos.

Plus, could you maybe change your exterior shot for one with a blue or blue/cloudy sky for a little more contrast.

Best of luck!
If you want to find me, Google The Barton Poughill!
brightmike
Posts: 169
Joined: Thu Feb 26, 2015 9:36 am
Location: Brighton

Post by brightmike »

Wow, I’m blown away by that level of response, thank you everyone for taking the time!

I really appreciate all the positive feedback.

I wasn’t too pleased with the exterior shot but since they were free photos from HL I can’t do anything about that apart from take some more myself. Will get on to that.

Thanks Nemo for pointing out the lack of pricing on HL for non-Friday change over. I was not aware of this so have now removed their fixed change over day option.

Definitely too many photos… the HL photographer put them all up so I will go through them and select the best.

On reflection I think we will go with the kitchen since as a couple of people have said this has the wow factor and makes it stand out compared to other properties.

Thanks again!
Our property website can be found by looking at our profile.
Post Reply