Today having a corporate headshot is an absolute business essential. This is a fact and cannot be argued otherwise. This is because today business is ruled by online marketing. Whether it’s for your company, product or yourself the initial impression that you give with your online presentation may be the difference between getting hired, doing business or even selling your product.
There are so many reasons to have good photography and campaigns representing you and your business but let’s start with the one every individual needs… a professional headshot. If you are not currently employed you are looking at recruitment via LinkedIn or agencies you will need a headshot and holiday snaps and selfies just don’t cut it against the competition! Today we are also expected to build a social media presence in our professional field and a proper headshot will give you an advantage when building this up.
The right headshot should illustrate the right image for you in your chosen field, most should exhibit; professionalism, confidence, approachability and trust but in some cases headshots may need to be fun or quirky. It is all really dependent on what image will sell you best to potential employers or customers so this is the first thing that needs to be established. Headshots are also great for business cards, employers like them on CVs and if you are a business owner, they are great to have on your website.
This week’s case study is a client we had in recently ago called Nigel, who is a CEO at a major marketing firm in the City. He told us he has lost some hair, therefore needs to update his shot. He laughed and said he looks far too young and handsome on his previous shot and he needed it to be accurate! He continued to say how important he feels it is to have a good corporate headshot. He told us he cannot take anyone seriously who has a selfie on their LinkedIn or even a non professional snap shot of some kind. He believed it illustrated a lack of deference and professionalism, like anyone without a proper shot simply didn’t care or understand the value of image in business.
Being in marketing, Nigel knows the importance of image and did not even look at CVs of people who did not have a good shot on their profile. We discussed how the right shot on your CV or LinkedIn profile is a game changer and can open doors if you project the right image.
Obviously this conversation put a great deal of pressure on the photographer that day! Nigel had exactly what he wanted in mind. Luckily our photographer had done so many corporate headshots that we easily got him what he wanted and then some! Nigel really brought home the importance of image in work opportunities and half the staff are now booking in for updates!