Despite the wise old saying, we most definitely do judge a book by its cover. It’s in our nature. When we meet someone for the first time, we make an instant judgement based on how they look and the way they present themselves. And in this online age, your introduction to someone is often through a screen.

Your online profile is key. And perhaps the most important aspect of this profile is your photo, or ‘headshot’. If you don’t take your headshot seriously, how can you expect anyone to take you seriously?

So, let’s take a look at why a professional headshot is important for your business and how, if you get it right, it can get you ahead of the competition.

It tells people you’re a professional

As they say, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ You can spend all your time creating a compelling brand story, weaving words of magic to captivate your audience with a flair that would make Dickens tip his hat. But if your headshot is a grainy, off-centred botch job, it’ll all be for nothing.

An excellent professional photo demonstrates to your clients that you care about quality. They’ll know you have standards from the get-go. It’s the fundamental representation of you and your business.

It helps you to connect with your audience

Having a high-quality headshot gives people an idea of who you are. It’s one thing to read about your history and how you started your business, but to see a picture of you makes your business more personal and gives a human side to everything.

But a poor quality or out of date photo can hurt your business. The potential consequences of a bad photo are why it’s so important to have a current, high-quality headshot, taken by a professional. A photo is shaped by the person behind the camera, more so than the person in front of it. So, when it comes to a quality business photo, forget about those selfies!

A headshot is essential in the online age

Now that social media plays such a key role in self-promotion, from skills and abilities to experiences and opinions, a professional headshot is more important than ever. The constantly expanding reach of social media is unprecedented. We have more opportunity than ever before to sell our expertise and paint a picture of professional excellence to our audience.

Almost half of the world’s population are online, and the most popular business portal, LinkedIn, has more than 575 million users. So if you’re running a business, you’ll need a headshot. It’s that simple.

A professional headshot makes you stand out from the crowd

Despite more and more professional photographers offering headshot services, many people go rogue and take a dodgy selfie. Let’s face it – nowadays everyone thinks they’re a photographer. We snap almost every moment of our daily lives and upload it all to social media.

This is what makes hiring a professional photographer essential. While everyone else is showcasing themselves with a badly lit Monday morning selfie, you’ve got a first-class, expertly taken headshot. In a sea of mediocrity, you’ll look exceptional.