Does your website include a photo of you and your team?

Did you cringe reading that?  Did you think, Aw no, I don’t want my face on it, that won’t sell anything, someone might slag me?  Okay, sit down and take a deep breath.  If you are a small business or sole proprietor, your photo should be on your website.

Remember, people aren’t coming to your site to decide if they fancy you.  This isn’t like posting a photo on a dating site.  Relax, people just want to see a real human.  They don’t care if your hair is thinning or if you have an extra chin.  Your website visitors have other criteria for deciding if they want to do business with you.

The two key reasons to have a team photo on your website are credibility and engagement. When people see real people – you and your team – it builds their trust in your brand.  And it engages them on a human level to see a human face behind the brand.

What Sort of Photo Should You Use?

Like all of the graphics on your website, your photo should reflect the brand’s image.  It should further engagement and trust.  Depending on the type of business you have, you might lean more toward engagement or more toward trust.  If you are a solicitor or financial advisor, you would want to emphasise trust.  But if you are selling clothing or any other retail product or service that relates to the customers’ sense of identity, you would focus more on engagement.

Your team photo can be fun.  It doesn’t have to be a serious headshot, although some professionals who are focusing primarily on building trust should include a serious headshot.  Others can use more relaxed photos.  Pictures showing you at work or enjoying your product are good.  If you are selling sports equipment, for example, a photo of you playing your favourite sport is great.  You can also use more than one photo to work on both trust and engagement.  Pair a photo of yourself at work with one of you at play.

One further thought: it is worth doing this right. Yes, today’s digital cameras are brilliant and can take very high-quality images. But unless you are a photographer, it is best to hire a professional to do this.  An experienced professional photographer will also get the most flattering images.  They know all about lighting and angles.  So if you are feeling self-conscious, remember that a good professional can get good images of you.

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