If you’re a business or individual, getting “noticed”, standing out from the crowd, differentiating from your competitors is an ongoing effort and a key to successful marketing (and yes, if you’re looking for a job or changing careers, it is a marketing effort!). The widespread adoption of search engines as a research tool, and the ongoing incorporation of AI-based search further amplifies this – on one hand, it can make it easier for potential clients to find you, on the other hand it also can present more competitors.

There is a good deal of focus on how to improve your search rankings, and rightly so. But when the resultant link from the search takes the viewer to your website or LinkedIn profile, the content/messaging/positioning needs to do several things:

• Makes it clear what you/your company does
• Shows you have an understanding of the viewers’ potential needs/problems that you can help them with
• Clearly shows why you’re different/better in areas that have meaning to the viewer
• Shows confidence, experience, and approachability

When I’m looking at my own marketing, messaging, etc., I try to put myself in my potential client’s shoes – what are they looking for, what resonates with them, what concerns do they have.

If you’re a business, high quality, consistent headshots of your team personalize your business – it shows that your business is more than just words and a website – it’s about the people who make the business successful. This is especially true for any type of services business, where the people are the product. Potential clients want to “check you out”, see who you are – many people have a gut reaction when they see those images and often make decisions about whether or not to engage based on that gut reaction. Show of hands here of how many people have searched for a service provider, checked out their profile including their picture, and been influenced by their gut feel when they see their headshot? I know I have.

High quality, consistent headshots for your team conveys a level of professionalism, attention to detail, teamwork, and success.

Same is true for individuals, particularly those looking for a new position – your LinkedIn profile picture is the first thing someone sees when viewing your profile, creating a first and lasting impression. That impression no doubt influences a recruiter, particularly if they’re having to select a handful of candidates out of hundreds (if not more) for a first round of interviews.

Take a look at the examples below – both are from businesses. The collection of images on the left were shot against different backgrounds, have different color balance (ie, some appear too warm/yellow while others appear too cool/blue), different lighting, crops, etc.. Compare that with the images on the right, where the overall look is far more consistent. Which one creates the better first impression, shows that the company pays attention to detail, – in short looks more professional? Now suppose you’re searching for a company that offers products/services that you’re looking for and you came across these 2 companies who both seemed to have similar offerings, and they each had these images of their team on their website – which one gives you a better gut feeling?