Pittsburgh Personal Branding Headshots Photographer-10

That's a great question that I find myself answering to potential clients all the time. Most the of the time, clients come to me thinking they only need a head shot or maybe 2 at the most. However, I love helping my clients have a few of those "lightbulb moments" when considering their professional photos and I thought I'd share a few with you. What is the difference between head shots and personal branding?Easy. Head shots are exactly what you think they are: very simple, uncluttered professional photos of the subject, approximately from the belly button up to the head, sometimes just a shoulder-to-head shot. Do I do this? Yes, but I do it my way and it definitely does not look like your mom's corporate photo. Personal branding, on the other hand, is just that: personal. It also aligns with the brand you are trying to attach to yourself. For Jennifer Lopez, it's sexy, musical, fashion and cool. For Martha Stewart it's cooking, baking and home and hearth. When you think of those 2 names you have an instant "personality" that comes to mind. That's their personal brand. If you're an entrepreneur, that's an incredibly important element to have in your daily messages and visuals.

Personal branding helps potential clients connect with you emotionally before they even meet you. That's dollars in the bank, my friend.

Yes, I do this. In fact, I do this about 95% of the time over head shots. I have clients that come in once, some that come in one time a year and others that hire me to be their personal branding photographer all year long. That last type of client is the smartest, by the way. They get it. They know you have to stay current and relevant and in order to do that, you have to keep up with your visuals. It's do or die.

I really only need one head shot for my site. What am I supposed to do with all of these other photos?? OK--come closer to me. Closer....clooooooooser....*slap*! That's me giving you a cyber slap on your head. Number one, you can never have too many photos of yourself when it comes to your business. No, you don't just need a photo for your website. You need to change that photo out regularly. You need to have several photos of yourself doing different things relating to what you're selling throughout your website so people think they are getting to know you. You need to have photos for your blog, Facebook page, Instagram and all the other social media sites you connect your business to like Linkedin. Do you send out newsletters? Holiday newsletters? Do you have digital or hardcopy brochures? Do you send out holiday cards? Are you placing an ad digitally or in hard copy format? Do you have events that you host during the year? If you answered yes to even 3 of these things then you need a variety of photos of yourself in a personal way to get your clients to connect with you. Period.

Have you ever changed your Facebook profile photo? What happens when you do that? For me, I get inundated with comments and "likes". So, every once in a while when my engagement is starting to dip, I change my profile photo and instantly I'm famous. Try it. You'll see exactly what I'm talking about. And this is just one example of what you should be doing to keep yourself relevant and on everyone's lips.

How do I know what my brand is? You think about what you're trying to sell and if you were your own client, what would you want the person selling that product or service to you to be like or look like? What personality or character traits would you want that person to have? What hobbies would that person have and what would her business and personal life look like? Nine times out of 10 that's going to be your personality and character traits anyway. I mean, if you love building cars you are likely not going to open a bakery. Get what I'm saying? So it's not nearly as confusing as you think to figure out your brand.

How do I know how to bring out my brand in my personal branding photography? You may have terrific ideas on how to do that, you may not. If you do, we collaborate and come up with a brilliant plan that works for you. If you don't, I work that out with you and we go from there. Either way, I'm on your team and I know how to nail this stuff down, and I'm good at it. I got your back.

How do I find out more information or set up a session with you? You can contact me at elizabethcraig@me.com and we will make magic.