Everyone’s digital footprint today has to include photos. Even if you don’t have a presence on photo-friendly social networks like Facebook and Instagram, you’ll attend a business conference or an industry gathering, and you’ll have your pictures taken and posted online. Best case scenario, you’ll do what you can control the photos of you that appear online. But even if you choose to increase your activity on social networks and project the kind of image you want for yourself, your efforts will be worth next to nothing if you don’t populate all your digital assets with your professional headshots. And here’s why.
Why Do People Take Professional Headshots at All?
People will tell you that professional headshots are important because you’ll have that professional look that’s so important in the business world. And you will, but that’s not the main reason to have a pro create a photo of your head and maybe torso.
You want to have a professional take a photo of you because they will make you look better than you really do. If you’re not photogenic, they’ll make you look at least decent. If you are photogenic, they’ll make you look like a movie star. Either way, having a professional headshot taken is the first step towards taking control of your digital photographic footprint.
Spreading the Pro Headshots
Do you have any idea how many different places you can submit your pro headshot to? Think about it. You have a social media profile or two. You can use the headshots for those. If you have LinkedIn, you have to do it. If you’re a member of any trade or industry organizations that display photos of membership, you have another place to post your headshot. If you’re headlining an event as a speaker, you have reason to use the headshot. If you need a pass for an event, you might use the headshot.
You can submit it with your guest posts. You can post it on your website. You can even include it in some of your emails. There are more than enough places where you should send a photo of yourself. And there are also plenty of reasons why it should be a professional headshot.
Why the Headshot Counts so Much in the Digital World
Wherever you want to place a headshot, it will perform a specific function. A professional headshot, on its own, has to make you look the best you can. The asset where the headshot is posted is what provides the context for the photo.
For example, a good headshot posted on your business’ website will make your business look more real and relatable. When you post a professional headshot on your guest posts, you will up your influencer game because you will look like someone who knows what they’re saying. And best of all, you only need to do it once in a while — you can use a single professional headshot across several assets, and you only need to take a new one every couple of years.
