5 REASONS PROFESSIONALS AND BUSINESS EXECUTIVES SHOULD TAKE CORPORATE HEADSHOTS YEARLY
In 40 milliseconds, we’re able to draw conclusions about people based on a photo. This finding from Psychological Science underscores the vital importance of a profile picture and the effect it has on making an impression.
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I needed to submit an application to join a professional women’s network. As part of requirements, I was asked to submit a recent digital passport photograph. What I had?
Passport photographs taken 6 years ago. I was too busy to go to a studio — so, I left the application half way.
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“Hello! My apologies please, are you Tolucomms?”
“Yes, I am! How do you do?
“I’m great, thank you. I recognized you from your profile picture on Twitter.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit us, this conversation above was my reality every time I attended a physical event. Not only did I ensure that my profile picture was the same across all my social media pages, I carefully selected one picture to use for all event invitations I received to speak, teach, train or facilitate a session.
The reason? You should do all you can to ensure that prospective clients, partners and collaborators have little to no doubt about who you are, what you stand for and what your personal brand represents — each time they come across you, physically or online.
For business executives, this is even more important. Easy recognition immediately helps you reduce the time a prospect stays in your sales funnel.
Going too fast? Ok — let’s do a gradual build up as I share FIVE reasons you definitely want to schedule a photoshoot with a professional photographer before 2020 ends.
1. It aids your personal brand building efforts. I have written a lot about personal brands, and why it is important to create one as a sole proprietor, service entrepreneur or professional. A key element in your brand building process is your profile picture. What does your personal brand represent? What perception do you want people to have about you? Are you approachable and fun, or serious and focused? Your profile picture gives people an idea of your personality, so ensure you stay true to who you are — even in your picture!
2. It makes it easier to get [serious] people to listen to you. A corporate headshot is not the product of a mistake or wimp. Having a corporate headshot conveys meaning to those looking at it: this person is here for serious business.
Having a corporate headshot conveys professionalism and gives the perception that you are on social for something more than playing around.
3. It saves you time. I don’t know how it works for guys, but for many of us working ladies — each opportunity we get to speak/teach/train/facilitate an event or meeting comes with that thought “what picture will I use that will both be hot and professional at the same time!” Lolz. If you are like me, and you decide early in the year what picture you will use as your profile picture, which one to use for events — you save yourself future stress of looking through your gallery trying to decide what picture is good enough for each platform.
I love using templates, and I ensure that we create as many as possible for senior executives whose personal brand we are building. Obviously, one of the first things we insist on for each personal brand client is a photoshoot. Right off the bat, we know what pictures will be used on social, what pictures to use for events, what pictures to use when they win awards. With these settled at the beginning, there is less back and forth on decision making each time an invite comes in.
4. It gives people an idea of what you look like, and helps them easily connect with you. With headshots that show your full facial features, people recognize you easily at events and networking is easier. For a business person, this is critical. You don’t have to spend precious minutes introducing yourself and telling people about what you do. They recognize you from your picture, can connect you with what you do, and the conversation flows easily from them.
5. It gives credence to the skills and experiences you say you have. Yes, we know they say “don’t judge a book by its cover”, but send me a DM on Twitter or LinkedIn and tell me — don’t you have a certain perception about a person based on their profile picture? Now, it is even worse when there is NO profile picture!
Let me just say here that, according to the gospel of personal branding, you are in SIN if you have NO profile picture on LINKEDIN. I mean, what are you thinking! If you say you are the CEO of a business serving clients across nations and continents, you better have a picture that portrays you can handle such responsibility.
Oh yea, and a bonus point: you get to see and admire your fine self all year long! That’s why you should work with a professional photographer who knows what they are doing.
Second bonus point if you are looking to build your personal brand or improve same: use the same name and profile picture across all digital platforms. It works wonders, that’s what I will say.
So anyway, I’m really looking forward to changing profile picture on January 1, 2021. I hope you will join me to bless the timeline with peng pictures and set the tone for a beautiful and pandemic-free new year.
Psst! Here’s a BTS slo-mo from my recent shoot!
