Create the Right First Impression with a Good Headshot

Your face is your brand and is more recognisable than any company logo. Therefore making sure you have an up-to-date photo that is recognisably you is important.

Your personal photo is probably one of the most important parts of your profile after all they do say ‘picture speaks a thousand words’ – and for good reason, especially on LinkedIn.

Statistics show that having a LinkedIn photo results in 21x more profiles views and 9x more connection requests. Why?

Because when people see you they get an instant feel for the person behind the profile and make a decision as to whether you are someone they’d like to know.

Therefore a professional photo is important, more so than on any other social media site. After all, LinkedIn is about business connections and requires professional conduct. I always say to people ‘If you wouldn’t show up at a board meeting in your wedding dress, don’t show up on LinkedIn in one’.

A professional high-res photo is an absolutely must. If you can’t get one just yet though, you can use the LinkedIn Mobile App to tweak a lower quality photo, but do try to make it as professional as possible.

Since your LinkedIn profile replicates actually meeting someone, its important that the photo is just right. You want to be looking directly at the camera to replicate looking someone in the eyes, and you want also smile – just as you would if you greeted someone for the first time.

Since LinkedIn’s update, the photo size is actually very small so make sure that the photo is cropped close to your face. A standard head-and-shoulder shot might still make you too small.

Size is actually very important when it comes to building rapport with your prospect, because if you feel too far away in the photo you’ll feel too far away from them emotionally and they won’t feel an instant connection to you.

Consider too how you’re posing too. If you are someone that invites prospects to divulge personal information during a sales conversation, a close-crop photo of you looking over your right shoulder will make you look warm and approachable.

If you’re the CEO and don’t want lots of enquires, a traditional head-and-shoulders headshot looking to the left will establish you as professional but not your ‘mate next door’ you can just start chatting to.

PLEASE NOTE: This advice is not for job hunters, but those wishing to win new business using LinkedIn.

Questions to Consider

• Within your business, do you need people to confide in you or do you need to put a bit of distance between you and your general audience?
• How does a prospect need to perceive you in order to entrust themselves to your services?

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