Leverage Your Headshot | Karen Forsythe Photography
Dapo Kolawole from roomie.com, the "Furniture Sharing Marketplace For Furniture Fanatics"

Put Your Headshot To Work For You

You’ve invested the time and money to create a new professional headshot, and maybe even some personal branding images.  The hard part is over!  Now you have something uniquely you, showing your client base something about yourself that is more than the average cookie-cutter headshot ever could.  But how do you leverage a headshot and maximize its use?

Your online profile is the first way to put your great new headshot to work, especially your professional accounts.  Even if you aren’t looking for a job yourself, LinkedIn is a great way to leverage your headshot and network with other professionals, reach out to prospective hires for your company, or share important content with people who are following you.

No matter what your product is, whether it is a service or something physical, when you include your headshot into your marketing you are adding personal touch that is appealing to prospective clients and customers.  When you connect your business name with a face, clients and customers learn to think of YOU when think of your product.  It’s a basic form of branding, and is a very effective tool to create familiarity with your business and showcase your professionalism and maximize your great new headshot

Keep your resume or CV up to date! You never know what opportunities await you, and your headshot on your resume will put yours ahead of all the others.  (Pun intended!)

People like you who know what they do and who are experts in their fields are often asked to speak to groups or share information in other ways at conferences, in websites, blog posts, etc., and a short bio is necessary to introduce you.  But what every bio needs, is that great headshot that communicates something more about you your bio doesn’t!

We’ve all been in a ZOOM meeting and know the tension of being front and center during the entire meeting.  Who wants to be visible slurping coffee, or showing a messy workspace?  Sometimes we just need to step away for a  short time, but don’t want to leave entirely.  There are many reasons why we would turn off our video, but don’t leave an empty space! Use your headshot to show you are there, or will be back, and that your are part of the group!

When you include your photo with your email signature you are taking advantage of a great opportunity to connect with your email recipient in ways beyond the subject line.  Especially when you are first contacting someone, asking about a service, or making an introduction, your headshot in  the email shows your humanity–you are a person not just a name.

Are you part of the directory in your Chamber of Commerce?  It is a great place to meet and network with other people doing business in your community, but like every directory, you need to show your FACE, not just your business name.  Leverage your great new headshot and make a connection with your Chamber group, too!

You are succeeding in your business, and people are noticing!  If you are receiving an award at dinner, or any event, you will definitely need a headshot.   Don’t leave that up to the event coordinator. Use your professional headshot.

Whether a Google ad, Facebook ad, or print ad, you need your great new professional headshot to play a part in your advertisements.  People who might become your customer really appreciate knowing WHO they are doing business with in addition to your product or service.  Considering a billboard?  If you are spending $$ on a bill board, you’d better make sure your photo is top notch and catches passing drivers’ attention in the BEST way.  Even if you are simply using your headshot on a business card, you are connecting your business name to your face, and putting it all in someone’s wallet!

Is your business branching out its product line or services? Do you have an important announcement to make? If so, you have a fantastic opportunity to connect with your target clients and customers, and your headshot with your press release is dynamite!  POW!

Your website is the focus of all your content, your product or service information, your brand.  Your headshots, and hopefully, personal branding photographs are the finishing touch to all your work, showing who runs the business and giving people a sense of what you are like to work with. Professional and friendly, your headshots are the personal touch to every business website.

Still Using That Outdated Headshot?

Don’t sit on it any longer.  Your old headshot isn’t going to improve with age like a fine wine.  There is nothing worse than an old headshot that just doesn’t look like you, or look good for any number of technical reasons. Contact me to set up your appointment.