Are They Important For Your Business?
The simple answer is yes! This is particularly true if you are a small to medium sized business because with all the advances in technology people still buy from people, or hire people to do work for them. After all you wouldn’t go to a first meeting with a prospective client with a bag over your head would you?
Before we go into the reasons why, it is important to stress that after the Home landing page on your website the next most visited page statistically is the About Us page. So why do people go here? Well they might have been drawn to your product or service and like what they see, but the final piece to give them the confidence to buy might be the understanding and reassurance they need that you or your business is the one to deliver this product or service to them. How many times have you done this with brands that are not familiar to you or have not come recommended to you?
Just imagine then if the About Us page lacked clarity or confidence and there was no picture of the owner, the team or the business to see! This then gives the prospective customer a decision to make, do I trust all the sales speak on the website or shall I look further and see if there is a better match for my needs.
I have worked with Mike, seen here in these two images for many years and this was from a recent shoot I did with him. Look how much his character can change depending on the style of image.
I would obviously advocate getting these images professionally captured as a photographer myself. There are many benefits of hiring a professional photographer, alongside your own ideas for the images, a skilled photographer will bring along their own view of your brand, add into this current trends in style, professional equipment and creative flair, you should have images of yourself and your team that match your brand ethos.
There is little point creating a website for your business, spending hours over the content and layout, only to miss out the key ingredient, you and your team. This investment in time, effort and money might at first feel like cash that could be spent on promoting your products or services, but personally I believe this to be a key ingredient to success in this remote marketplace we all find ourselves in.
So on top of giving a personal touch to the business and making the business feel more human, what other benefits do you get from having a professional portrait?
Firstly the business looks more professional and credible. I also advocate that the imagery across the whole site has a certain style to keep the consistency and brand feel. Once you have a head shot you are happy with I also recommend that you use the same image across all of your social media platforms too, this consistency again reaffirms your professional status. If each social account has a different image the business looks disjointed and can be a turnoff for potential clients and customers.
If you have images ready in your photo library and a PR opportunity arises you will already be armed with quality images they can use to promote you and your brand.
These two images are of local chef Peter Dale. These were part of a live shoot and portraiture training day with photographer and Canon Ambassador Clive Booth. This whole shoot was inspirational from the setting of the scene the previous day, the supply of goods from the local fruit & veg shop and butchers; the extensive preparation undertaken by Pete and his team to stage the kitchen ready for the shoot; then the light and atmosphere was completely crafted by Clive to create the look and feel he was after. The level of detail and background preparation to create these images needs a blog post in its own right. The meticulous planning and attention to detail is key to getting images for your business you will want to share.
For small to medium sized businesses I always recommend using head shots over logo’s on Social media accounts. After all your brand or business is essentially you. Bigger businesses who spend tens of thousands on branding can use logos, but as a small business it is all about the founder.
When planning for a shoot a photographer will benefit from a good brief so look at other websites and see what your competition or businesses you admire are doing. Pinterest is another good source of inspiration. I have my own mood board set up on Pinterest for “About us” images that I use to add images I like and that I can show to prospective clients.
A self portrait for my garden photography focused blog and social media. Notice the eye contact and there is a hint of context in the image with it being set in the greenhouse pricking out seedlings.
You also want a photographer who alongside a good close up image can create a narrative driven portrait. I always like images that hint towards what the portrait is about and what industry the person in shot is from.
Lastly a good photographer will get a connection with the subject on a deep level and this will come across from the images produced. This connection in the eyes is vital because it is this connection from you that will connect with your next customer.