Everything is personal branding. When people meet for the first time, they don't know each other yet. As soon as we meet, we form a first impression of each other. It happens subconsciously and everyone does it. That first impression sticks around until you've spent some time together and formed a more detailed impression.
We call that personal branding.
Personal branding is all about telling your story. Who are you? What do you do? And what do you want to tell the world? Doing business is personal. We make deals with a person, not computers. We buy from people. So you want to leave a great impression with your business contact.
As humans, we look around us. We are bombarded with new images every day. We live in a visual society after all. Magazines, television, the internet and social media are constantly on. All day long we form opinions and process impressions. Amidst all that visual noise, you want to show off your personal brand quickly.
How do you do that?
That starts with a good photo of yourself. I still see many entrepreneurs and business professionals using a holiday photo or a (quickly snapped) smartphone photo on their social media channels.
As entrepreneurs and business professionals, you're also the first to look on LinkedIn and the business owner's website, forming your first impression there. That way, you already know the person a bit when you make that first phone call.
If you don't find a good portrait on the website or business social media, you're actually already two goals behind.
Doing business is about people. People buy from people.
Invest in a social media portrait with a neutral backdrop that you can use on your social media channels, and a corporate portrait for your website. Or opt for an industrial portrait at your workplace. Or a combination of both.
A photographer is a visual thinker and image maker. Discuss the goal of your portrait with the photographer and what your personal brand stands for. A photo needs to match your story. What do you want to project? A good photo fits your story. A professional photographer who thinks along with you and delivers the image with a business licence for free use is not cheap, but essential for anyone who takes personal branding and business social media seriously.
And good to know: with a series of great portraits, you're sorted for the next three years without any issues.
