AKA 10 times your professional headshot will come in useful!
What are professional headshots used for? You’ve heard me bang on time & time again about the importance of headshot photos for business. And the importance of a professional photographer taking your picture. Not just a quick snap on your phone.
Professional photography is an investment in your business & whilst headshot costs may sometime seem high, have you ever thought about how much use you can get out of that one photo? You haven’t…? In that case, let’s look at what professional headshots are used for.
Firstly, what is a business headshot?
A business headshot is a photograph of an individual, usually taken by a professional photographer, with the simple purpose of showing what they look like.
Professional headshots aren’t just for high-flying executives anymore. Everybody needs one. They have a multitude of uses & have become an essential part of life.
The importance of a great headshot photo
AKA “Why do I need professional headshot photography?”
Often a prospective client’s first introduction to you is through the photo on your website or social media profile. Your online image is a powerful part of your personal brand & using professional photography is a great tool for building a solid reputation online.
A professional headshot conveys your professionalism. If you want to be perceived professionally, you should look polished & professional. Your headshot photo shows that you take your career & business seriously.
A good headshot photo shows the viewer who you are & offers a hint of your personality through your expression & your smile.
A good-quality profile photo will help potential clients identify you. It’s important that your headshot photo is current & looks like you now. I get it, aging is hard. An old photo may feel flattering, but it is inauthentic & won’t encourage trust.
A professionally taken photograph helps you feel good. Professional headshot photographers are experts in what they do; they know how to work with light & how to pose people. Knowing that you look good increases your confidence which can only be good for business!
What are professional headshots used for?
That’s the what & why questions answered. Now for the where. You have this lovely photo, but how can you use it?
1. Company Website
Professional headshots on the company website enable customers & clients to put a face to the name. Matching headshots for everybody in your team helps create a consistent visual identity. They unify your brand & make your company appear professional.
Having no photos on your website will make it look bland & lack identity. What’s worse is a site with poor photos of your team. Blurry, badly lit & out of focus photos snapped on someone’s phone give the impression that you don’t care about your own business. If you don’t appear to care about the perception of your business why would a potential client hire you to look after theirs?
Top fact: 60% of consumers who use online searches say they prefer to contact a business whose listing includes an image.
2. LinkedIn Profile
Adding a professional headshot photo to your LinkedIn profile helps create a great first impression & starts to build trust between you & the people (read potential clients) looking at your profile.
LinkedIn is a business network & it’s important that your photo reflects this. An out-of-focus selfie taken in a badly lit office just doesn’t cut it & won’t present you in the best light.
3. Online Profiles; Facebook, Instagram & Twitter
Using your headshot photo on your social media profiles will remind people you met at networking or business events of who you are. Being able to put a face to the name that pops up in their notifications, they are more likely to accept your friend, follow, or connection request.
4. Business cards, brochures & marketing collateral
When we attend a business networking event, we all come away with handfuls of business cards. Nine times out of ten we can’t remember which card belongs to which person & who does what. Using a professional headshot on your business card helps people you meet remember who you are & what you do.
Using the same photo on your business card & marketing materials as you do on your social media profile will help your face become recognisable to potential clients & customers.
5. Magazine articles & newspapers
A headshot is often printed alongside written articles in magazines & newspapers. Using a professionally taken one that matches your brand helps keep that recognisable visual identity across all of your work.
6. Press Release
A major company announcement, a promotion, a new job. Profile photos are often required for press releases. If you want to present yourself & your brand in a positive light in the press, a professional headshot is a must.
7. CVs & Resumes
Your headshot is on your LinkedIn profile. Putting a headshot photo on your CV allows you to introduce yourself directly to recruiters. Just like you do on your online profile. A photo will make you more memorable than just a name & a list of experiences.
8. Personal Branding
Investing in a high-quality, professionally taken headshot is an investment in your personal brand. It shows you at your best, the way you want prospective clients to see you. In the simplest form, it’s marketing YOU.
9. Actor Headshots
A headshot is an actor’s business card & is integral to getting noticed in a highly competitive industry. A high-quality professional headshot with genuine facial expressions & showing a true likeness to the actor is the first thing a casting director will look at when scouting for talent.
10. Author Pages
Including a profile image on your book cover helps to introduce you to & connect with your readers.
Interested in updating your own headshot?
London, Surrey & the South East headshot photographer
I am a professional photographer with more than ten years of experience in shooting corporate & business headshots. I’ve shot headshots for solo entrepreneurs & start-ups right through to CEOs of international organisations.
I take photos that can be used in a variety of ways, both in print & online. Including; websites, LinkedIn, social media, blogs, personal branding, magazines, press & PR & company literature.
Located in Croydon, I am ideally placed for business headshot photography shoots in London, Kent, Surrey & the South East.
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