The Basics of Branding

Branding Headshots

There are no shortcuts to success.  This is a consistent message in all of my blog posts, as well as through social media, thought leaders, personal branding experts, and business strategists.  Personal branding is the most effective and efficient way to gain recognition, build relationships, and cultivate business.

You have probably heard people throwing around the term “personal branding.” Often, they have little, if any, idea what it actually is, or how to leverage one.

Professional photographers tend to use this term frequently, as a way of communicating that they make headshots, or pictures of you for your website. This is only partially accurate. A professional headshot photographer will make an incredible headshot of you, and you’ll probably use that image or (images) on your social media profiles, website, and marketing material. But, professional pictures are just one of many components of a powerful and compelling personal brand.

WHAT IS A PERSONAL BRAND?

While working hard and working smart will carry you far, there are a few other ingredients in the recipe:  a message that resonates with your target audience, a platform designed to build trust, connections and relationships, and integrity.  The sum of these is called a personal brand.

At the first point of contact, your target audience will likely consume either your logo, your branding and marketing material (signage, website, brochures, business cards, etc.), your biography, your professional headshot or a combination of all of the above.

The sum of these items really amounts to how you make people feel.  You aren't asking them to engage their brain and think critically at this point.  You are just trying to incite and excite some warm fuzzy feelings, and get your audience to a point where they want to know you.

According to Seth Godin, "People do not buy goods & services. They buy relations, stories and magic."

The unfortunate reality is that until you do this, you are an unknown quantity. Even if you have a large company, it does not necessarily mean you are on everyone's radar.  Making the assumption that everyone knows you, or even cares about you, is a tremendous error.

As a professional headshot photographer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, my job is to create a dynamic atmosphere, and craft images that convey a story, magic, and warm, fuzzy feelings. The goal of all of that effort is to help my clients with one major component of their brand, where they can leverage their digital and visual identity to create their own magic in their market. The power of a solid headshot is undeniable!

I always advise my clients, and continue to believe that a best practice is to approach every situation as if no one has a clue who you are, why they need you, or what you can do to make their life better.

The goal is to push those warm fuzzy feelings to a point where people want to know more about you. Your professional headshot is the opportune moment and mechanism for building that connection and foundation for a relationship.

After you have tugged on the emotions of your audience, you can invite them to consider how your product or service will fit in their universe.

Whether we are talking about a corporate headshot or an acting headshot, a headshot for LinkedIn or for modeling, a high quality picture is worth a thousand words, and is meant to communicate your confidence, approachability, poise, look-ability, and most importantly, likability.

Have you ever scrolled through LinkedIn, and taken notice of how many people, regardless of where they are on the corporate ladder, don’t have or don’t post a high quality headshot image? In my humble opinion, there are far too many!

Anonymity is a foregone conclusion if they are attempting to be active on social media. If they prefer that degree of anonymity, why have a social presence at all?

I digress. What goes through your mind when you see profile listings without a headshot?

Since I am located in Lancaster, PA, I typically search for others that might be local to me. It never ceases to amaze me that some people don’t post pictures of themselves, nor are they aware of the importance of having one. Important decisions are made, and valuable relationships are based on a picture. Your expression needs to convey that you are the right person to build such a relationship with, otherwise, you are wasting a lot of time and energy.

WHICH EXPRESSIONS ARE BEST FOR HEADSHOTS?

You've probably heard it before, ad nauseam, that a headshot is absolutely essential.  I agree.  What you probably haven't heard is that the expression you make in that headshot image is even more important.  Portraying the look of someone confident in what they know and friendly enough to engage is the easiest way to build trust.  If you give off that creepy, serial killer vibe, chances are you won't be making friends any time soon.  The trick however, is to be authentic.  Yep, you have to be 1000% real in your images.

These are the moments where the old adage of not judging a book by its cover seem to go out the window.  No one cares what your personality is really like if you aren't showing it in your headshot.

Depending on your needs, profession, and brand, your expression might vary. Actors might require a theatrical headshot, where the expression is a bit moody. Professionals looking for a corporate headshot might be more interested in an expression that conveys confidence, sincerity, honesty, and approachability.

The applications and variations are truly limitless. What differs is in how the professional photographer approaches, coaches and directs you in order to achieve the expression(s) that best resonate with your audience.

Typically, when working with my clients, I spend some time gauging their physical attributes and their personalities. What good is a headshot expression that isn't true to who you are?

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO FORM AN OPINION ABOUT SOMEONE?

7 Seconds (or less).  That's all it takes for another human being to make a judgment about you.  This applies to viewing a picture as well as in person.  After that brief moment has gone, your opportunity to make an impactful first impression has gone as well.  This is the driving force behind having an incredible headshot.  First impressions are everything!

People are inherently skeptical. They have almost no tolerance for insincerity and their bullshit meters are always super sensitive.  They know when you are putting on a show, a face, or feeding them a line of crap.

Pro Tip:  Be authentic, and see a professional headshot specialist for your headshot.  No, not any photographer will do. The ability to push a button on a camera does not mean that they have the ability to coach and direct you to the expressions that will positively affect your revenue.

If you need a recommendation for a great headshot photographer in your area, just drop a comment below, and I’ll be happy to make a referral. Though, you can probably accomplish something similar on your own by doing a Google search for “professional headshot photographer near me".

WHAT OPINIONS WILL PEOPLE FORM?

In the 7 seconds (or less) that people spend on your picture, or lack thereof, they will come to a range of conclusions.

It is entirely possible that they will make assumtions about you. And, while these may or may not be true, people eat with their eyes, and jump to conclusions based on what they see.

When a picture is worth a thousand words, and people cast judgement easily, they will fill in the blanks for themselves. They will ascertain who you are, what you do, what your personality is like, what your sexual orientation is, whether you are masculine or feminine, intelligent or a less than intelligent, attractive or ugly, and everything in between.

I know that seems a little "invasive" for want of a better term, but the truth is this is just human nature. We do this instinctively. You probably did this while passing someone on the street. As humans, this is what we do. We make decisions and judgements based on what we see.

A professional headshot isn't going to change some of these things, but we can certainly direct the attention and focus to that which is most important, and we can communicate the non-verbal message that will reach and resonate with your desired audience.

CONCLUSION

A personal brand, and a corporate brand for that matter, are reliant on many factors.

What you put out into the world will either resonate with your target audience or it won’t.

However, if you're going to make your brand, your company, your face, and your reputation known and valuable, you are going to need to understand the components, the importance, and the function of a brand.

This is not to say that this guide is the end-all, be-all of branding information. But, it's a good primer.

Since people eat with their eyes first, it is vital that you give proper attention and focus to your headshot, and to your expression. Please note, that much of this is not within your control. Rather, your headshot photographer should have the proper skill, talent, and knowledge to coach and direct you appropriately.

Remember, not all photographers are created equal. Headshot photographer is a speciality. While most decent photographers can make a nice exposure, not all photographers can get your expression where it needs to be, in order to help you in creating value, so choose wisely!