For Customers

The most dangerous phrase

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According to former US Navy Rear Admiral and computer scientist Grace Hopper, the most dangerous phrase in the English language is: “We’ve always done it this way.”

Hmmm…

We’ve always used stock pictures.

We’ve always done a big group photo.

We’ve always done our business headshots against that wall over there.

We’ve always had our president photographed at his desk.

We’ve always done a cheque presentation ceremony.

We’ve always done our product shots on white.

We’ve always used only small pictures on our web site.

We’ve always had little media interest in our press releases.

We’ve always thought business portraits were like passport pictures.

We’ve always chosen the cheapest photographer.

 

More is not always better

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Some photographers offer their customers a disc with all the pictures they shot on that particular job. Similarly, some customers want a disc containing all the photos taken. Why?

To me, this suggests that the photographer can’t edit, the customer can’t make a decision, or the customer doesn’t trust the photographer to do the job properly.

Certainly there may be times when having all the photos might be a good thing, for example, when the pictures are used as evidence in a trial. But quantity is not quality.
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Imagining a better image

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When searching for a supplier or vendor, many companies automatically seek the lowest bidder or the cheapest price. But imagine what might happen if these companies instead searched for the best supplier, the one who could do a great job rather than just good enough.

Imagine what might happen if a company chose the best they could afford rather than the least they can get away with.

Imagine what might happen when the best they can afford helps enhance their corporate image.

Imagine what might happen when this enhanced image earns more attention.

Imagine what might happen when more attention means more business.

Imagine hiring a professional photographer next time.

 

You’ve got the cutest little baby face!

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There was a time when headshots were only for models, actors, politicians and CEOs. For better or worse, those days are long gone. The world is now more photo-orientated than ever before.

If you’re planning to get a new business portrait then get in front of a mirror and practice your best baby face.

According to a study by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem:

Previous studies have shown that viewers can form judgments of trustworthiness after as little as 100 ms exposure to a novel face, and certain facial features evoke feelings of warmth, trust and cooperation while minimizing feelings of threat and competition. People with relatively babyish facial characteristics such as proportionally large eyes, a round chin, and thick pudgy lips are perceived as kinder, warmer, more honest and more trustworthy…

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Why you need a business headshot

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It takes us only a moment to form our first opinion of someone. This first impression will tell us whether that person might be friendly, smart, honest, kind, trustworthy … or not.

Judging a person by their appearance may not always be the best thing to do but it’s something that we’ve been trained to do by our parents, the media and many thousands of years of evolution.

Pop quiz: which of the following people would you trust enough to do business with:


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Public Relations and Publicity Photography

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Celebrities (and wannabe celebrities) depend on this. Politicians depend on this. All professional sports depend on this. The entertainment industry depends on this.

Publicity and public relations photography are exceptional marketing tools because photography is the number one way to get attention. The public loves looking at photography and they trust photography. News editors love free hand-out pictures not only because it’s free content but also because photos can greatly increase readership.

One of today’s catchy(?) buzzwords is “content marketing” but many folks will remember when it was called “public relations”. The Merriam-Webster dictionary says:
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Expert Impression

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I was just reading an online article offering marketing advice for 2014. The piece included tips and predictions for the upcoming year from 14 “marketing experts”.

Of these 14 people featured in the article, only six seem to have professionally produced business portraits. But only two of these photos are of good quality and only one looks recent.

The majority of these “marketing experts” are represented either by a poorly exposed, poorly focused snapshot of themselves or by a picture of a picture of themselves (which suggests that they don’t even have a headshot).

With such a disregard for their own business image and apparently no knowledge of the marketing value of photography, how much credibility would you extend to these “marketing experts”?

A marketing expert who doesn’t have a professional business headshot is like a plumber who doesn’t own a wrench, a chef who doesn’t have a knife or a photographer who doesn’t have a tripod.

A professional business portrait is the simplest, most common and most effective marketing tool for making a positive first impression, creating trust and building credibility.

 

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