Your LinkedIn profile photo might seem like a small detail, far from it in fact.
For many people, it is the first thing someone sees when they visit your profile, receive a connection request, read one of your posts or look you up before a meeting.
And in business, those first impressions matter, as your photo is part of your brand
When you are building a personal brand, people are not just buying into what you do.
They are buying into you.
💜 Your knowledge.
💜 Your experience.
💜 Your personality.
💜 Your credibility.
💜 And ultimately, whether they feel they can trust you.
Your profile photograph is part of that.
A current, professional photograph helps people put a face to the name. It makes your profile feel more personal and makes it easier for people to recognise you when you meet in real life.
That might sound obvious but think about how often you look someone up on LinkedIn before meeting them.
You see their photograph.
You form a picture in your head of who you are going to meet, then you arrive at the meeting, and they look absolutely nothing like their profile photo or clearly they have an out of date or doctored photo on their profile.
We've all experienced it.
Perhaps the photograph is ten years old.
Perhaps they have a completely different hairstyle, beard, hair colour or glasses.
Perhaps they have lost or gained a significant amount of weight. (no judgement here)
Or perhaps the photograph is so heavily filtered and polished that the person sitting opposite you looks like a completely different human being.
And while it might seem funny, there is actually something important happening here.
Your expectations and reality don't match.
It can be surprisingly disappointing
Imagine you have been speaking to someone online for weeks.
You've exchanged messages. You've seen their posts. You've looked at their website and LinkedIn profile.
You've built up a sense of who they are.
Then you meet them.
And for a moment, you aren't entirely sure you've found the right person.
That disconnect can be hugely disappointing, I’ve found.
It isn't that someone has to look exactly like their photograph every single day. Of course not, we're human. We have good hair days and bad hair days. We age. Our appearance changes. We wear different clothes. We don't walk around looking camera-ready all the time.
But there is a difference between looking like yourself and using a photograph that no longer represents you.
Your profile photograph doesn't need to be perfect.
It needs to be recognisable. An up-to-date photo builds trust
Think about networking -if someone sees your LinkedIn photograph before attending a networking event, they can recognise you across the room.
That little bit of familiarity can make approaching someone much easier, and it works the other way too.
If you've connected with someone online and then meet them at an event, you want them to recognise you.
Your photograph becomes a bridge between your online and offline presence.
That's particularly important when your business relies on relationships.
If you're a consultant, coach, freelancer, business owner, salesperson, professional service provider or anyone whose work involves building relationships with people, trust is a huge part of the buying decision.
And trust starts long before someone becomes a customer.
What about having no photo at all?
A blank profile photograph creates a completely different problem.
When someone has no photograph, there is no face to connect with.
It can make a profile feel incomplete or impersonal.
And when you're asking people to connect with you, engage with you or potentially do business with you, why make that harder than it needs to be?
People connect with people.
Your face is part of your personal brand.
You don't need to look like you're auditioning for the cover of a business magazine, however a decent selfie that looks professional and not with your lips pouting, you on holiday or having Friday night drinks will go far.
If you can afford a professional headshot – even better!
You simply need a clear, current photograph that looks like you. This is something I think businesses and individuals can overcomplicate.
Your photograph doesn't need to be heavily edited.
It doesn't need to remove every line, wrinkle or imperfection.
In fact, trying too hard to create a “perfect” photograph can sometimes have the opposite effect.
People want to know who they are dealing with.
A genuine smile, a clear face and a photograph that reflects how you look now can be far more effective than an overly polished image that doesn't feel like you.
So, when did you last update yours?
Take a look at your LinkedIn profile today, look at your photograph and ask yourself:
“If I walked into a room today, would someone recognise me from this photo?”
If the answer is no, it might be time for an update, and while you're there, take a look at the rest of your profile too.
💃Does it still reflect what you do?
💃Does it sound like you?
💃Does it represent your business today?
Because your LinkedIn profile is often one of the first places people go when they want to find out more about you.
Make sure the person they see online is the person they are going to meet in real life.
If you need help with any aspect of your LinkedIn profile – please contact me to see if I can help.