There’s a copycat school in Singapore.
– They mimic the course offerings.
– The website layout.
– Run very similar campaigns.
But there’s one thing they just can’t copy.
Scroll down for two website screenshots. One is theirs. The other is from English Express – a real language school I’ve worked with for over a decade.
Take a moment to compare the two. You’ll see what I mean.
And this is how the homepage of English Express looks, the English language school operated by Alex and Candy:
The image makes (almost) all the difference.
Since 2012, I’ve worked with Alex and Candy, the founders of Yi Mandarin and English Express. Back then, they ran a tiny Chinese language school. Today, they’re a major player in Singapore’s language market.
One of the best decisions Alex made?
He invited a great photographer into the school for a few hours.
They captured portraits of real teachers. Action shots of actual lessons. Moments of connection.
This shoot built them a small private image library — which they’ve been using on the website for years.
Why it works
When I book a hotel, I want to imagine the room is all mine. I definitely don’t want to see people in the image.
But education is different.
As a prospective student, I want to get a sense of the people.
Who will teach me? Who will I be learning alongside?
And when I do end up enrolling — there’s a tiny magic moment.
“I saw this teacher on the website.”
It feels personal.
Want to do the same?
Here are some quick tips from Alex’s approach:
Before the shoot:
- Think through what your website needs – that’s your responsibility, not the photographer’s
- Build a simple spreadsheet of key scenes, people, and locations
- Include photo proportions: square, portrait, landscape
- Prepare the teachers and students and make sure everyone present consents to having their pictures taken
During the shoot:
- Capture people in action: teaching, learning, chatting
- Get a few strong portraits (smiling, but not cheesy)
After the shoot:
- Store and tag images in a way that makes them easy to reuse
- Don’t be afraid to reuse — good images can last for years (in fact, Alex uses them on multiple websites)
Final thought
Great images help with trust and brand perception.
But they also help with results.
I’ve seen the English Express website convert like crazy – and good imagery is a big part of that.
Even if you’re locked into a certain website structure, you can usually update the images. Just the increase in conversion rate pays for the investment in a photography session many times over.
