Headshots shouldn’t be a dreaded word. When done right, they are quick, easy…and awesome. To help you motivate yourself to book that session for a professional headshot, here are 7 reasons you should update your headshot sooner rather than later:
1. Professionalism. First and foremost a good headshot gives you credibility and speaks to your professionalism. Potential clients, investors and collaborators who find you online, either on LinkedIn, a website, or Facebook are more likely to take you seriously when your headshot is high quality.
2. First Impressions. Experts say that it takes only 7 seconds to form an opinion of someone. Some research suggests a tenth of a second is all it takes to start determining traits like trustworthiness. Literally, every second counts. So make sure your headshot is making that good first impression so that when your future client or boss sees you on the internet or social platforms like LinkedIn, they are left with a good impression.
3. Stand out above the rest. A great profile photo on LinkedIn will set you apart from the competition. Believe it or not, you can’t imagine how many people use a photo from their phone where they crop out the person that was standing next to them. This is not a good way to show who you are or what you are about. I’m also always shocked at how many people don’t even have a photo up on LinkedIn. Remember, your photo is your first introduction, make it great!
4. Visual Reminder. How many times have you been to a function and met someone you wanted to connect with for business? A good, clean (and CURRENT – this is IMPORTANT) headshot can be a visual cue for someone to remember you and connect on LinkedIn.
5. Consistency. When I visit a website and want to learn more about a company, I often navigate to the “About Us” section to learn more about the company and the people I will be interacting with if I choose to do business with that company. More often than not, there either are not photos of the people that work there…or even worse: the photos are inconsistent. Some headshots are cut outs of employees at weddings, some are iphone photos taken by another employee, some are selfies. Every photo looks different. This looks like the company doesn’t care about their employees. The company loses credibility because the photos don’t look professional and aren’t consistent. Now, imagine pulling up a company profile, seeing the drop down of their employees and seeing them ALL look consistent and professional. When you make your employees look like rockstars, your company looks like a rockstar.
6. SEO. Web crawlers love images. Why? According to Hammersmith Support, “Because the “behind the scenes” information that they provide allows them to more accurately rank the website. Ensuring that all of your images include a filename that is descriptive of the image, complete alt text, and a caption means that your site’s SEO will be organically boosted just by including this information.” This includes your headshot and any branding photos you may have.
7. Professional Photos are Versatile Assets. Photos are a powerful, versatile form of content. Your headshot can be used on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile and more. You can use it as part of your email signature. You’ll need it for brochures and promotional materials. When your business is featured in an article, you’ll need a good headshot. When you’re interviewed on a podcast, you’ll need a headshot. As your business grows, the need for a good headshot grows. Don’t wait until people ask you for your headshot – get a good one now and start putting it out there for people to see.
When you’re ready to refresh your headshot, I’m here to help. I make it quick, easy and dare I say…fun. From individuals to large corporations, Studio W Portraits is here to help take your image to the next level.