Have you ever got a headshot? Have you ever thought of getting a headshot? If you’re building a personal brand, then this is one of the steps that you’re going to need to take at some point, as one thing that’s vital to your brand is…
…well, how you look.
That means throwing out the crappy, cropped selfie and visiting a professional photographer to capture your best side with great lighting. It’s easy to feel like this is an extravagance, particularly in an era when we can all take photos 24/7, but as it turns out, it actually isn’t!
One benefit of a headshot is that it can really boost consumer trust in your brand. Not everyone is willing to “put themselves” out there, and many more simply aren’t prepared to make the investment in a professional headshot. In other words, it says a lot about you.
Even if you’re just planning to use this headshot on LinkedIn, it can make a world of difference, as people are going to judge you in just 7 seconds. Yes, this is the infamous “first impressions” trap, and let me tell you, when people say you never get a second chance with first impressions, they’re not joking!
More than just a picture of you, a headshot can be used to build your brand, tell your background story, and enhance your credibility. It may seem impossible to communicate all this in what is “just” a photo of your head, but a talented photographer can do all of this an a lot more.
For example, you don’t need to be in sterile studio environment. If your brand is more of an outdoorsy one, include it! The background is your canvas, and can reveal a lot of telling little things about you.
However, it’s also worth considering that you don’t want to make your headshot too messy. At the end of the day, the many focus is on your head. If the background and your clothes are having a fiesta, your face is simply going to get lost – which kinda defeats the point of your headshot!
Now, there’s nothing to stop you taking your own headshots and using a friend who isn’t a pro to get everything set up, but I just want you to consider one thing first:
This is ultimately going to be the “face” that you put on your brand. No matter how big your brand is now, it still has the potential to grow enormously. If you’re just starting out, you can afford to change things up a bit.
But if your business explodes, taking you to the next level, a rebranding suddenly becomes a lot harder – when big companies rebrand, costs go into the billions, and often for what most people would consider fairly superficial changes.
That’s why I advocate consulting with a dedicated professional headshot expert. These guys do this work day in, day out, and have worked with professionals of every stripe and level. Not only are you getting the benefit of a professional photographer, you’re also getting the benefit of a personal branding expert.
While professional headshots aren’t as common as they should be in the online industry, there’s no denying that this is changing. If you want to build your brand, trust, and credibility the smart way, then having a professional headshot is the way to go, especially if you want to nail down those amazing first impressions every time!