But where are the photos on your website?

Your words are powerful and create change for those you serve

But it’s not enough to get people’s attention

Recently, I had a conversation with a photographer colleague about a client that was coming into his studio for a headshot session. 

His client is a speaker, author and trainer, so naturally, I was curious to see what types of lifestyle portraits he’s using on his website to promote his services.

My colleague and I went to his website to have a look-see.

It turned out to be a grossly underwhelming experience.

So, what sparked this unfortunate takeaway? 

I was eye-beaten with pages and pages of text with little to no image content whatsoever,

His speaker topic page? Not one single  image.

His training/workshop page? Nada.

His contact page? What do you think? Yup - not one whiff of a photo.

Now, his About Me page did have his portrait, at least. It wasn’t a compelling image with high production value, but the good news is he clearly acknowledged this problem by investing in a new headshot my friend was going to shoot.

The bad news is that the rest of his site is in desperate need of an image content intervention.

Of course I would say something like that because I’m a photographer, right? 

Well, duh, of course, :) 

But think about it from your perspective. 

How jazzed are you to visit a website that bombards you with an unbelievably endless sea of words and no visuals to help move along the story?

It feels like you’re reading a dissertation and not getting to truly know the person. And that’s NOT the type of experience that you want to create with your website.

Don’t get me wrong - it’s absolutely essential that you share all of this valuable information to let people know how you solve their various points of friction with your expertise.

But words alone don’t attract a crowd. You need some bells and whistles to hook people to read more.

And that’s where branded lifestyle portraits come into play. 

Candid photos get your audience excited. It piques their curiosity. 

It allows them a chance to get a taste of your personality and whether or not your style meshes well with theirs. 

It gives them a unique opportunity to envision themselves in the room with you as you help them get past the hurdles holding their businesses and lives back. 

Branded lifestyle portraits bring the words on the screen to life by visually punctuating the sentiment of the story you’re telling in those paragraphs.

These images give the words life.

And they give your audience hope that you’re the solution to their problems. 

Back-tracking a little bit to this speaker’s naked website for a second.

If I had his ear and could impart some advice, I’d offer the following:

For his speaker topic page, I’d suggest he leverage photos of him in front of the room speaking to a packed house with the backs of heads in the photo. 

If he speaks in small rooms, then I’d tell him to post close-up images where he avoids revealing a small crowd and, instead, dominates the frame with a lot of expression and body language that illustrates his command of his expertise and passion for what he knows.

For his workshop page, I’d tell him that images where he’s in the front of the room with attendees feverishly taking notes would be valuable additions. 

Close-ups of hands typing and faces smiling while listening to him speak would also compliment the primary image of him in front of the room.

For his contact page?

The activity of the photo can vary, but the key is that he’s making direct eye contact with his audience while smiling. Greet someone who wants to ask you a question with a smile and that sets a positive tone for the upcoming interaction. It will set a confident, approachable and likable tone.

Although you’ve spent years crafting your expertise through a litany of experiences and education, the words words are not enough to build a community of potential clients. 

You need to establish a connection with those you serve by allowing them the opportunity to feel  what it would actually look like to invest in your specialized help.

Offer them a look into that world through branded lifestyle portraits.

If you'd like some inspiration regarding the types of dynamic and versatile portraits that can visually punctuate your website copy, check out my portrait gallery of speakers, authors and other expert-based business owners.

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