CATEGORIES:

launch lab | online business  |  websites  |  strategy   |   branding

Why Your Face Matters In Your Business

Ok, I’m just going to come right out with it. I want to see your face!

I’ve noticed when looking through random Instagram accounts that the first photo I tap on is when I see a face. I appreciate and scroll through gorgeous flat-lays and beautiful design, but I don’t normally tap on them to read the caption. When it’s someone’s portrait, I’m interested. Plus, I expect that they’ll have written something a bit more personal in the caption. I want to get a sense of the person behind the pretty feed.

Noticing that, it made me realize how important it is to feel a connection with someone that you’re interested in hiring. And I’ve experienced it as the potential client. I hired my business coach after meeting her at a conference. I didn’t price shop at all. I met her, loved her, and I knew I wanted to work with her.

And since I’m an online business owner and can’t meet all of my potential clients face-to-face, sharing my face and personality online is the next best thing.

In really any business, there will be lots of other people offering the exact same thing you do. Some are probably not nearly as good as you, and you’re probably not as good as some others. Now I’m not trying to get all cheesy self-help preachy here: but the difference is YOU. And really that’s a good thing. If it was just about your work, then anyone could be doing it. You’d just be a robot behind the screen churning out whatever it is you do. You’d be a (faceless) commodity. And one of the biggest factors for commodities is price. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be in the lowest price possible game. I don’t even know how it could even go any lower than Fiverr. (insert eyeroll)

We don’t want to be commodities, we want to be living breathing people in the eyes of our clients and potential clients. Living and breathing equals personality, feelings, opinions, special talents. People with faces.

#putafaceonit

So here’s my advice for getting in front of the camera:

Gather inspiration and define your style.

Start a private Pinterest board or just a folder on your computer with shots that you like. Combing through them, see if there’s a similar photo style, location, pose.

Write out a shot list.

Think about how you’ll be using the photos: your brochure, business card, website, social media, etc. Plan out exactly what shots, locations, and outfits you want for each. If you need props (laptop, pencils, etc).

Keep your brand’s colors and personality in mind.

You want to make sure your photos will look good and cohesive with your brand. You may already have some style words defined for your brand (like dark, moody, bright, happy). If you don’t, now’s a good time to work on them. Make sure those feelings and colors are carried over into your photos with your location and outfit choices.

Hire a professional.

Good quality photos make all the difference. A professional can also help you feel comfortable with posing so you’ll look more natural. It’s really worth investing in. And while the occasional selfie is great on social media, don’t use selfies for your entire brand.

Share them creatively.

Put your favorite photo at the top of your homepage and sprinkle the rest throughout your site. You can get creative with how you use your photos (like my blog image up top). And you can crop to get a lot of use out of each photo for Instagram.

Share with your biz bestie

shelley easter for launchparty.live
Posted in: ,

📣 Calling all Etsy sellers, boutique owners and makers!

If you're tired of dealing with Etsy's fees, algorithm and ODR and want to build your business on a site that you own, keep reading!

Learn all about Shopify from a pro in my FREE workshop, Sell More with Shopify. I'm sharing my design secrets to turn visitors into customers. 

shelley easter web designer