If you sell a widget of some sort, and your business is more about that widget and less about you (like sunglass sales, or shoes sales, etc), then a picture of yourself on your website will not likely carry too much relevance to your site viewer. If on the other hand you are a provider of a professional service (coach, consultant, attorney, accountant, realtor, etc), then your face appearing within your website is extremely important, and is not something you should avoid, nor should you simply have your spouse take a digital photo of you sitting in your living room on the couch.
Let me explain.
To be successful on the web for anyone in the professional services industries means that you have a job twice as hard as someone selling widgets on their website. For someone selling a physical product, the potential buyer is mostly concerned about the product itself. How much it costs, what the reviews are from other buyers, whether it solves a need or want for that person, how quickly they can get it, etc. The product essentially sells itself.
For those of us in professional services, we are our product. It is “us” that someone is “buying”, so it would make sense that we provide that prospect with as much information as possible for them to make a ”buying” decision. Working virtually is now a very common way that many of us with a professional service now operate. We meet our clients over phone calls and work with them via phone and email. Many of us have many clients that we have never actually meet in person. So the website becomes your sales tool, and you should take advantage of every opportunity for your prospect to feel a connection with you, to see that you are a real person. Establishing trust and credibility is the first step of having a successful website, and by having your photo on your website you have taken that first step.
The impact of having a photo on our website should not be overlooked. I firmly believe everyone selling themselves should have a photo on their website, as long as it follows a few simple rules.
The photo should be current.
If you are in your forties or fifties, and post an image of yourself from your college years – you are being misleading to your audience. And if you’re laughing right now thinking “who would do that”, trust me, I see it all the time. Your photo should be current, taken within the last few years at the most.
The photo should fit the mood.
If you are a corporate attorney, then you should be dressed in your photo the same way you would be when you meet with clients. If you wear a suit and tie to work every day, then you should be dressed in the same attire for your photo. Wearing shorts and a polo shirt, if this is not what your clients will likely see, just doesn’t make sense and provides your site visitor with false information. If on the other hand you photograph toddlers and normally dress very casual in jeans and flip flops, then posting a photo of yourself dressed for a black tie event isn’t quite appropriate either.
The photo should be professional.
These days, nearly everyone has a digital camera, and many think that standing in front of a white wall in their house and having their spouse or child snap a quick picture is all that is necessary. Not to say you cannot do it this way – but you should understand the potential risks of this. Houses are not typically the best lighting for a proper photo (either by being too dark or too bright). Many times the backgrounds can be a distraction (dirty laundry in the corner, a crooked picture hanging on the wall, etc). And when this picture finds itself up on your website, your site visitor is likely to have this conscious (or more often subconscious) thought “Oh, they took their picture in their dining room. Not very professional. I wonder if they could not have afforded to hire a photographer or at least go into a photo studio in the mall. If they could not have afforded to do this, are they even successful? If they aren’t successful, I sure don’t want to work with them.” Whoa – that’s a potential bad situation now isn’t it? Not to say every person with a digital photo is doomed for success, but is it work the risk of turning off a potential new client?
The photo should be planned.
Since this is an opportunity to create credibility, in a sense “impress” your site visitor, think about what you want your photo to look like before you take it. For women, I strongly recommend you visit the salon before you have your photo taken (unless your photographer has a stylist on hand). Have your hair blow dried and get a makeup application. Tell the makeup artist you’re having photos taken so they can go a little darker on the makeup – as photo lighting tends to wash out our makeup. (and anyway – what woman doesn’t like to be pampered). For men, make sure you’ve had a recent trim and have a fresh shave (assuming you don’t otherwise have facial hair). Plan your outfit so as to not to compete with your website and other potential marketing materials. I suggest you stay with mostly solid colors, avoid overly complex or loud patters. Keep the colors fairly neutral (blacks, browns, dark blues make great colors). Keep jewelry and other accessories to a minimum.
What types of photos should you take?
The type of photo you put on your site is really more of a personal decision with what you are comfortable with, what your clients would best relate to, etc. You can get a head shot (from the shoulders up), a bust shot (from the chest up), a half body shot (from the waist up) or a full body shot. Some choose to sit for their picture while others prefer to stand. Some like to be fully posed with others like to appear in action poses (hands in the air as if they are speaking to someone else). I certainly recommend you have several photos taken, all different types, as you may find you really like something you might not have otherwise considered.
Photo backgrounds.
In most cases I recommend you have your photo taken on a white background, which allows you to be “cut out” and used in many more ways on your website and marketing materials. You will have the most flexibility with these types of photos. However, some of the most beautiful photos are taken outdoors (in a park, on a pier, downtown, etc). Again – having more photos than you could possibly need is better than only taking a few shots and not having any that you really like.
Getting additional photos.
Many of my clients have the opportunity to appear in magazines, online articles, etc. When the opportunities present themselves, you are almost always asked for a photo to contribute. Having a “Press Page” on your website, offering several different shots (different outfits, different poses, different backgrounds) allows the publication the ability to choose what photo works best in their medium. Thus, increasing your chances of having your photo included. For this reason, these photos must be high resolution images (300 DPI at a minimum). These are usually very large images (at full size as big or bigger than your actual monitor). For print materials, the designer will need this size/resolution in order to reproduce a high quality print of your photo (another reason cheap digital cameras are not recommended). So make sure you find out from your photographer how many poses you can purchase, and whether or not you can have a copy of the high resolution files emailed or available on cd. (As an added bonus, see if your photographer will retouch your chosen images for you).
How much should you spend.
This question really has more to do with what you’re looking for (how many poses, in studio or out or both, makeup artist/stylist, etc), but also where you are located. If you’re in a more rural area, you will have less choices of photographers than in a major city. We have seen some clients pay $300 for a 4 hour photo shoot with makeup and hair stylist. While others have spent $1,500 for a 1 hour in-studio shoot. My advice when looking for a photographer – speak with several – and ALWAYS look at the work they have done for others. Finding a photographer that specializes in corporate work is also always my recommendation. And depending on the professional service you offer, I have seen many clients barter the work (2 hours of free coaching in exchange for some corporate head shots).
So there you have it. Now go out and take some great photos!
