It’s human nature to be more comfortable working with and buying from people with whom we already have some connection. Sometimes we work with a business owned by someone we know personally. Sometime the connection is as tenuous as, “Someone I’m acquainted knows an employee at this company, so I trust them.” Sometimes we buy from a local shop because we value supporting the community of people who live in our area.
Social media for business
Social media is just the latest tool in the “people buy from people” toolkit, and it’s a powerful one. It gives businesses greater reach and an ability to let people get to know you and feel comfortable with you before they ever encounter you in person. Since internet search is the primary way people find businesses, it help that when you pop up in someone’s search results, your face is there to make that human connection immediately.
Having your face out there is great for personal branding, as often used by business such as real estate agents and lawyers, who recognize the burden they have to make sure people know they are experienced and trustworthy.
They aren’t the only ones who can benefit from professional headshots, though. Any business that has an online presence as well as in-person contact with customers can use headshots. It’s a great way to show people you are who you say you are. People will know what to expect when they see you in person.
And, as people become more wary of dealing with bots and AI-driven customer service, headshots for online-only businesses are great tool. They help you differentiate your company with its real, human employees.
Keep your business headshot up-to-date
Whether you’re one person working on maintaining your personal brand, or a company looking to emphasize the human side of its business practices, headshots can help. Here are a couple things to keep in mind as you share you and your employees’ headshots:
- Making sure they are up-to-date matters
- Your headshot should reflect what you currently look like. Have you changed your hair? Aged a bit? Or maybe you’ve been promoted, or you now work in a different field. All of these are great reasons to consider updating your headshot.
- If the pose, background, or clothes look dated, it’s probably time for a new headshot.
- Your headshot can give clients their first impression of your personality, not just your face.
- Think about what you are trying to convey to clients. Are you energetic? Friendly? Experienced? Serious? These are all attributes that a good headshot can bring to the forefront.
- Think about your personal or company branding—are there colors that you want to incorporate so that when you use the headshot on social media and your website, it will coordinate?
Social media is often the first impression people get of you. Make it a good one with a professional headshot that expresses your values and your commitment to excellence.
