Wednesday Wisdom: The importance of a good business headshot / portrait. | Saint Paul Headshot and Brand Portrait Photographer

In this day and age of virtual interactions and first impressions, as a business owner your business headshot, or Brand Portrait as I like to call them, is a key element to either attracting your ideal client or driving them away. If you think of your business as a cake: the cake part, the base of what you're all about, is what keeps your clients loyal. But the first thing they see is the icing. Now, imagine you had a shoddy icing job, messy and not very appetizing. Do you think they would even try your cake, no matter how delicious it might actually be, it doesn't appear to be tasty? A nicely decorated cake (your Brand Portrait, the first impression, is what will have your ideal client saying "now THAT'S a cake I want to try!".

Now, I have seen my fair share of not so appealing business portraits. You see them everywhere: on park benches (real estate agents, shame on you!), in small business publications and on just about every other website you come across. It may sound very superficial but how you appear to your clients says a lot about how you value yourself and your business. Granted, when I am working on a photo shoot or at a wedding, I might not be all dolled up because at that point I am more functional than fanciful. But I'm still put together. When I first meet a client, I take a bit of extra time to look nice and present the face of my brand. I'm not being disingenuous, I am just making an effort. Now, because our first impressions are often via our website, you have even less of an opportunity to let your personality shine beyond your Brand Portrait.

Think critically about your ideal client: what is their income level? What kind of style do they possess? Where do they live? What sort of brands do they subscribe to? All of these questions are going to shape who they are looking for when they hire a business professional. Case in point: I was browsing through a local publication and came across the photo of a "relaxation specialist". I might have read the entire article about her but I stopped when I glanced over at the photo that was included in the article. She looked tired, a bit stressed and the background was full of clutter. Not a ringing endorsement. I try to look beyond the cover but we are very visual beings. First impressions often make or break whether a bond or business relationship is formed, that's just a reality.

So, what kind of a first impression are you making? Might it be time to do yourself a favor and get a Brand Portrait that actually speaks to your target market and will attract the type of clients you want to work with? I think so.

If you've never had a business portrait taken, it can be daunting experience, especially if you're not sure how best to present your brand to your clients or haven't spent much time in front of a camera. We offer a session called, simply, The Brand Portrait Session. This is not JUST a headshot session. We sit down and delve deep into what your brand is all about, how you want to convey your brand to your clients. Our full session includes professional hair and makeup and an easy-going photo shoot.

Already know what your brand is all about but just need an updated photo? Well, we have what I call the Brand Portrait Blitz - a quick 15 minute session and one retouched file, just to give you an updated profile or web image. We're having one tomorrow actually (Friday June 20th) and if it's time for an update you should check this out! We will be hosting these a couple of times a month, so keep your eye out (or hop on over to Facebook and "like" us - we'll definitely be posting future dates on there!)

Don't let your first visual impression turn your ideal client off.
Isn't it time your business portrait was as awesome as you are?