For Photographers | Your Brand, Your Face

For years on social media, the only real place you could find a picture of my face for my business was on my “about me” section of my website. I went to a workshop from Katelyn James last December and one thing she told us is that your face should be all over the place! (Like that rhyming I did there?) This is not a conceded thing at all, but for your clients to get to know you and put a face to what they see online. You are your brand, so your face should be see on your materials that market your brand. A logo or pretty picture of a couple doesn’t do that.

The first thing she told us was to change our Facebook business pages to pictures of us. She pulled up all of our business pages and only one of us had our “profile picture” set as a picture of ourselves. Mine at the time was my old logo. She told us that logo’s aren’t personal. No one knows who you are by looking at a logo. She was right. Right then and there I changed my profile from my logo to my headshot of myself.

I went home from the workshop and thought about all of the things I didn’t have my picture on and began to change it all slowly but surely. This is why when you come to my homepage of my blog, you now see a picture of me as the header photo verses some of my work. You’re going to see my work as you scroll through the blog or a particular blog post; but people who are visiting for the first time should see ME!

And make sure that your picture of yourself is an updated headshot that you like, because you will see it everywhere as well as your clients who follow you! I recommend getting a new set of headshots done at least once a year. You can do headshot swaps with different photographers in your area for free. Meet somewhere and take headshots of each other! These need to be updated because you change and so does your style. I know me, I grow my hair out every two years to donate. My last year’s headshots had me with short hair. My hair grows fast, so this year is a new updated on that looks like me now!

Below are the items that I have added pictures of myself to:

1. Facebook profile on my business page
2. website
3. blog– not somewhere hidden, but somewhere people can see right away
4. business cards– I use MOO for mine and have a smaller picture of me on the front along with pictures from my business on the back. I’ll blog more about MOO later, but I love them for cards!
5. bridal magazine– after the cover page, the first page in the magazine is about me with a picture of me
6. pricing guides– I send out pricing guides with pictures of me on it
7. Instagram- I have a more personal picture for my Instagram profile picture- this is the only one that isn’t one of my headshots

Pretty much any marketing materials that I use and any social media has my face on it. This didn’t use to be the case, but I think it’s a good change. Katelyn made a lot of great points, which is why I decided to change it up and make my face seen! If your picture isn’t on your website, blog, and Facebook, I recommend going and making those changes now! You are your brand, people need to see your face! 🙂