Why Your Business Needs Professional Headshots
Why Your Business Needs Professional Headshots
If you run your own business then there will be times when you need a headshot - at the very least for your social media profiles and your website. And if you’re using a shot taken by your friend on your last night out (or worse, a cropped wedding photo from 10 years ago!) then you could be putting off potential customers. I’m not suggesting that your photos are that bad, but the image of your business should be a professional one, and that’s why a fun picture of you holding up a cocktail is just not going to cut it.
There are lots more reasons why you really should book a professional photographer for your business headshots, and here are my top three.
First impressions count
If someone is searching for your type of business by googling or having a look on social media, your headshot may well be the very first thing they come across. Soyour photo should be making a strong first impression, one that is friendly, approachable and shows that you will get the job done. That might be a lot to ask from one photo, but we all make hundreds of these quickjudgements every time we look for a product or service online. Will your potential customers be given the impression that you are professional if you don’t have a professional photo? Probably not. Not all of us are supermodels, of course, and I’m not suggesting that you need to look a certain way, but a professionally taken image will show that you pay attention to the details.§
Establish your brand
A professional headshot can also help your business establish a strong brand. This could be something as simple as incorporating the colours or themes of your logo into the background or, depending on the type of business you run, you could also have a little more fun with it with props and location. This approach won’t be right for all businesses though, so you need to decide what would work for you. A financial services business should probably stick to a more traditional portrait style, whereas a funky graphic design agency might want to be more creative with their photographs. I’m always happy to advise and help my customers come up with ideas for this - and we could even shoot several versions to see what feels right.
Consistency is key
This third point follows on from one and two - and is particularly important if your business has employees: the professional first impression and your brand needs to be the same across all platforms. And if you have employees, you want them to all be giving off the same great first impression for your business whether that’s on LinkedIn or on your website. By using a professional photographer you can get headshots of the same style for all your staff in just one shoot. Having all these pictures done is essential to give your business consistency on all digital platforms (and in print, too).
If you’d like to discuss my rates for taking corporate/business headshots please do get in touch. I am based in Lowestoft but happy to travel in Norfolk and Suffolk.