Portrait Photography Headshots.
Whether you’re a new business starting to get seen or a well-established business overhauling your marketing, there will be a point in time that you want your clients, customers, or followers to trust who they are investing in and the best way to do this is show them the face behind the business.
“First impressions matter.”
You want to stand out from the crowd, looking the part, and you may have used pictures you have taken yourself or even used stock photos. Everything is impacted by money, and there is always more important things you should be spending your business funds on than professional photographs of yourself… This is where you are VERY Wrong!
“People buy form people.”
I will cut to the chase on this one, because we all know time is money.. right? Every business, no matter the profession or industry hasn’t got time to waste, and there are a lot to consider to achieve high quality professional headshots that your marketing will benefit from. Having high quality staff photos done by a professional photographer, showing the people behind the business, is a huge asset which contributes to your business branding and success. No matter who your customers are, it all comes back to people buy from people.
Having professional photographs should be at the top of the list as one of your business expenses for all businesses, it is worth it.
I know how precious time is running a business and if your anything like me, I have a list as long as my arm to why I don’t have time or feel the need to have some professional photos taken of myself. I get it, no one likes to be photographed, not even a professional Photographer,
“I'm not telling you it's going to be easy...I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.”
Hiring a professional photographer shouldn’t be a bad experience, ask questions so you hire one that’s right for your business, they will know what they are doing to create the perfect photos for you. Looking natural, good lighting, genuine expressions are so important to a great headshot and a professional should help guide you through the process.
Here are my top 10 reasons to hire a professional photographer to do your headshot
1. First Impressions.
We get told to “never judge a book by its cover”, but first impressions really do count. Did you know that we are judged by someone within 11 seconds of meeting or being seen? Crazy isn’t it? But those 11 seconds really do count, and it’s even less second when browsing online. So like it or not, it is your time to shine, and put your very best self forward. People want to work with people. So make 2023 the year you put your best self out there.
2. Customers want to Get To Know YOU!
Be personal, be the face behind your business and own it. A good headshot will give your potential customers an idea of who you are, and what your about. Showcasing yourself with Stock photos or selfies doesn’t showcase your business, it doesn’t give your customers a true reflection of what your about and can end up with you looking unprofessional. Why? Because they are not photos of you or your business! They have little meaning to your ethos, from the start customers will have a false impression to what you have on offer.
The best way for potential customers to invest in you is to show them actual photos of your business, your team members, and your products. Remember customers want to get to know you!
3. Professionalism and credibility.
Potential clients, investors and collaborators will be more likely to take you seriously when they can put a face to a name. Be it searching for you online, either from social media, professional platforms like LinkedIn, your website or even marketing materials like flyers and posters, adding a photo of yourself gives the viewer credibility in you.
4. Stand out above the rest.
No two businesses are the same, we are unique in the service, expertise and end product we provide our clients. The same goes with clients, this is what sets us all apart.
It’s time to ditch the grainy photos, the bathroom selfies and the cropped photo from a night out. A great profile photo or headshot will set you apart from your competition, opening the door to your future clients to have that all important first line of introduction, which is why it’s important to make it great!
5. Confidence.
Having headshot will help you feel confident and professional when you are calling on a potential client. Take time out to get your hair and make up done, dress to show up and look the part.
I always recommend having professional makeup and hair done before any portrait photoshoot. I work with local stylists that can get you ready at my studio, so you dont have to waste time travelling all over town or try to do it yourself before your session. It’s amazing how much more confident it can make you feel. Maybe your wanting to loose those lbs you put on over Christmas? There really is no need, I have the expertise to slim down checks, chins and more, by using photoshop to retouch your photos to make you look your best. No one will even be able to tell, including yourself.
6. Visual Reminder of who you are.
Not putting a face to the business can cost you a sale.
A good and up to date headshot can be a visual cue for someone to remember you, for most people a visual reminder is much easier to remember.
7. Consistency.
Keeping everything uniform and crisp, gives a professional look, some will say it creates the illusion of a well organised company. Photos cut out from old photos, on different colour backgrounds, selfies and with bad lighting, doesn’t do a company any favours. Regardless to how big the company is, or if your only one person running everything, nailing your branding is very important. Seeing professional photos, where headshots are consistent with the brand is of huge value to a company.
8. Images Can Help You Get Found On the Web.
Be it for SEO Purposes to help your website perform better in the search engine ranking results, such as Google search results. They can also help to engage customers and keep them on your site for longer, or encourage them to choose you over a competitor.
9. Professional Photos are Versatile Assets to your business.
Content is kind for any business, especially when marketing online. When I speak about content, most don’t realise photos fall under this, and are very powerful form of content.
A successful company will have engaging content, and will be used to used to build your brand on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google My Business and more. They can also be featured in press releases, posts… the possibilities are endless.
Offline, using the more traditional methods of marketing, photos can be used in brochures, posters and promotional materials of all kinds.
Investing in professional photography, your greatly enhancing your marketing efforts with a bank of images you can call upon at any given time.
10. A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words
In a fast pace world, where people are juggling home and work life, with deadlines, pictures are really worth at least a thousand words – probably more!
People like to see things for themselves before making a decision, and relying only on a description doesn’t cut the mustard, I would even go as far as saying you would loose engagement. The internet has made this possible, which means photos and videos of your products and offerings are more valuable than ever before.
11. More than a professional headshot.
A good professional photographer will provide a pre- consultation, helping you with wardrobe advice, location advice, hair and makeup advice, and really bring out the best in “you”.
The photoshoot should be in line with meeting your business goals, knowing what your industry specialty is, to ensure photos taken represent you. It wouldn’t make sense if you are a builder to get a head shot with a shirt and tie on.
Even the colour your wearing plays a huge part to how you speak to a potential customer. Maybe you want to be associated with a “I’m powerful” or “I’m approachable” vibe? Colour is an incredible tool most give little attention to.
These little nuances can make a big difference in how you are perceived.
12. Bring out the best in you.
Mobile phones are now advanced to take high quality photos, but it takes a trained eye to understand good light, how to position the subject, or bringing out the best in your personality.
Don’t fall into the trap of adding a filter to your photos, A responsible headshot photographer should bring out the very best in the person they are photographing while making sure you still look like YOU. A good photo retoucher can fix flyaway hairs, blemishes, whiten teeth, smoothen out skin or even take off 10 lbs! But before we get carried away, all these things are YOU, we all want those wrinkles gone but let’s be honest, it wouldn’t look natural and we should own those lines, you earned them, we can just soften them a bit.
A professional headshot is truly priceless. It is your brand and your first line of introduction, make it a quality one. To inquire about a professional headshot session, contact me , I would love to help make the process easy and enjoyable as well as provide you with an image you will be proud to show.
Still unsure, schedule your complimentary consultation with me by visiting…
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