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"You and your team provided a truly goal-oriented and focused approach when assisting me in not only defining new opportunities, but enhancing our existing marketing strategies."
John Newcombe
Proprietor
Island Park Esso Service
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Articles
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A picture is worth a thousand words - so why not make those thousand words work for you?
Who you are and what you stand for can be expressed in the blink on an eye, in an instant impression far more unforgettable than the printed or spoken word.
In the 1950s and 1960s, it was common practice to have pictures included in resumes. This dropped out of favour, like other fashions of the day, but is now coming back in vogue.
If your firm doesn't use partner or staff photos in your promotional materials, you aren't taking advantage of one of the most powerful and low-cost advertising weapons in your marketing arsenal.
Great Photos Are Great Marketing Tools
We all know the famous saying, “first impressions are lasting impressions.” A great photo creates a warm, first impression on business cards and marketing brochures. Properly taken and reproduced, it quickly communicates the kind of professional you are, and the kind of service you deliver to your clients.
Excellent photography can “pre-sell” and enhance the image of a professional practice. A photo conveys the idea that you are friendly and easy to do business with. It also creates an instant bond with a prospect and sets the stage for a successful new client presentation before you deliver the opening line of your sales pitch.
More than ever, people today look at personal promotional pieces as networking tools. When you are out meeting and greeting prospective clients, a photo on your business card will reinforce the memory of that first meeting. Just think about the networking events you attended last year. Perhaps you met that perfect prospect, exactly the type of new client you've been looking for. The next day, you reach into your pocket and pull out the half dozen faceless cards you collected during the event. You pause and ask yourself: which is which … who should I be telephoning to make that promised follow-up appointment?
Remember, a photo helps people remember you. It shows clients you practise what you preach. It shows your willingness to be different. It sets you apart from the competition. It also shows you're a new economy professional, eager to serve and “open for business.”
Choosing The Photographer
It's crucial to choose a good photographer. You want to make sure you find someone who is professionally accredited, has formal training, works full-time in the field, and preferably has a well-equipped studio and darkroom. I strongly recommend that clients avoid hiring anyone who works out of a suitcase or who moonlights as a wedding photographer on weekends.
Our Recipe For Excellent Portraits
First, the picture must be complimentary to you. This requires the right
background, lighting and camera angle, all of which are the photographer's
responsibility. It also requires the right clothes, grooming and facial expression, all of which are your responsibilities.
Decide in advance what you want. Before you go for the sitting, know if it is to be a colour or black and white picture.
Don't settle for less. Taking the cheapest route will look just that: cheap. And be patient. A great photo may take more than one sitting. Encourage your photographer to take a lot of shots, and insist that you see all of them before the final ones are selected and developed in the darkroom.
Take Them In Black and White
We prefer to work in black and white when preparing advertising pieces for our clients. This medium is easier to reproduce and cheaper to print. Black and white shots are also more dramatic. They are not as common as colour portraits, which makes them stand out. However, it is difficult to find skilled photographers who are comfortable working in black and white.
Colour portraits look fabulous on business cards, but they are expensive, and require skill and equipment far beyond what most printing shops can offer.
You Are What You Wear
What you wear in the photo, even in a head and shoulders shot, makes a
difference.
Suggested dress for men is a dark blue or gray suit accompanied by a cream or light blue shirt that's not too tight. Ties should be conservative in colour and should contrast with the shirt (i.e. dark tie - light shirt). A button-down shirt adds an air of informality to most portraits.
One of my favourite techniques is to ask a client to take his jacket off during a photo shoot. Men tend to dress down in the office today. Most professionals don't wear a jacket in the office, so why should they in the photo? To some clients a suit jacket can present a threatening image. On the other hand, a jacket is appropriate for employees with large companies, or those who work with larger corporate clients.
Women should follow similar guidelines. Choose an outfit that is complimentary to your hair and complexion, with a light-coloured blouse that compliments the suit.
You should avoid wearing garish colours like deep purples, wild pinks and
oranges. Also, avoid wearing patterned blouses that draw attention away from the face.
Check What's Behind You
The background in a personal photo needs to be as carefully chosen as your clothes. There should be a good contrast between the head and background. Contrast is a vital part of the recipe for success; the more contrast, the easier it is for printers to reproduce the picture effectively.
For most people, this means avoiding a dark background unless you have really gray or blond hair. Dark backgrounds (used often by most lower-end portrait shops) tend to blend in with most people's hair, and can be quite foreboding. Generally speaking, lighter backgrounds are warmer.
Professionals, especially lawyers, love to use “library” shots, featuring a
background full of books. Unfortunately, it's my experience that books are
intimidating to many people; they make the shot much less appealing.
Don't forget, a photo helps you “make friends” with the person looking at it by presenting a warm, inviting, professional image.
Find The Best Angle
If you were designing an ad campaign, you would look for an angle to best sell your product or services. The same thing goes for a photo. Everyone has a more photogenic side, and the photographer needs to find that angle.
A good photographer will try several different poses and camera angles. An average photographer is more likely to work from a generic angle and a fixed camera position.
A simple tilt of the head can make a dramatic change in how you appear before the camera. Generally speaking, I like the head to be on a slight angle rather than the usual head straight, looking forward shot. Using a slight angle makes you look like an interesting listener, and is a much more natural pose for most people.
Avoid The Cheese
Eyes need to be open and bright, and hopefully have some sparkle! The person should appear as if they were enjoying the shoot and should smile! This smile should be natural, not forced, and should show some teeth.
The photographer's goal should be to capture a warm, genuine smile. Contrary to popular opinion, this is rarely achieved by saying “cheese!”
Spacing And Sizing
Make sure the shot you choose has the correct amount of head and body. Many professionals make the mistake of including too much body in their picture; the more body, the more cold and remote the person appears to others looking at the picture.
The photo should have lots of your head in it. As a rule of thumb: the shot
should take in only about the second button on the shirt or blouse and go no lower on the body.
When you get your pictures back from the photographer make sure the prints are large enough to be manipulated digitally. I always order at least a 4” and 5” print. Passport-sized photos are generally too small to be scanned and manipulated effectively.
What You'll Pay
It never ceases to amaze me that a company will spend thousands on design fees, then chintz on the photography and destroy the impact of the marketing piece.
Portrait sitting costs can range from $100 to $300 (or more) and final portraits will cost about $25 to $50 (or more).
After picking up prints, I always arrange for their conversion to a digital format by ordering a scan from a local service bureau equipped with a drum scanner. Farming out this work is inexpensive; expect to pay $10 to $25 for your scan and considerably more if you ask for digital retouching of the photo. Poor scanning can ruin a perfect picture so this investment is worthwhile.
Where To Use The Photos
Now that you have the perfect shot, where are you going to put it? Photos work well on two-sided business cards or on the inside of a folded, tent-style business card.
If your firm has a brochure with a series of autobiographical notes on each
partner, photos add drama and impact to the presentation. The same goes for a newsletter, a specialty-marketing brochure or piece designed to slip into a two-sided presentation portfolio.
One of my clients has even hung portraits of their partners in the foyer of their office!
Finally, be sure that the photo presents the image you are looking for. If you are at all uncertain, get a second opinion from an advertising consultant before you start using the picture in your marketing materials.
Marketing Breakthroughs Inc., is a breakthrough marketing, branding and advertising company specializing in helping businesses grow and succeed. For more information on best marketing practices, phone 877-721-3335. |
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