There are a number of reasons you should have a picture of yourself on your website or LinkedIn profile.
People want to do business with someone they know, like and trust. And they won’t feel they know (or like or trust) you if they can’t see what you look like. Derek Halpern of the blog “Social Triggers” puts it succinctly: “Would you buy something from someone wearing a mask?”.
Jakob Nielsen argues that a picture of yourself “enhances your credibility by the fact that you are not trying to hide”.
There are some smaller benefits to having a photo of yourself on your website or LinkedIn profile. It could help people at a business networking event recognize you and connect. And people who have met you before would know they got to the right website. We are better at recognizing faces than at remembering names. At least I know I am.
I believe that the main reason people don’t have a photo of themselves on their website is that they simply do not have a picture of themselves that they like. Given the benefits of having your photo online, it’s definitely worth hiring someone who can take a good portrait of yourself.
A few days ago I was commissioned to take some business portraits for an Edinburgh firm of Independent Financial Advisers. In a previous post “Portrait photography: before and after pictures”, I demonstrated the difference the beauty lighting set up can make in a portrait. It is designed to make ladies shine. It doesn’t matter whether the person in front of the camera is an agency represented model or a businesswoman. Beauty lighting is therefore my set up of choice for business portraits of women.
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I’ve been meaning to update my business portrait for my portfolio since it’s been awhile. I like that Jakob Nielsen says that a picture increases your credibility as a business person. I know I trust people more when I can picture their face so I think this is important for anyone in the professional world. Thanks for sharing!