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Your staff as your brand: 10 marketing ideas for employee headshots

If you’re a savvy marketing manager, you’re always thinking about new and innovative ways to promote your company to the public.

One avenue you may not have fully explored is investing in professional headshots for the key people at your company, then optimizing their images to help further your brand. Used in clever ways, well-conceived headshots can help others perceive your company as friendly, competent and professional. Research backs that up; one study found, for example, that when paired with human images on a website, product photos are perceived as more appealing while the website is perceived as more enjoyable.

Looking for smart ways to fully optimize those employee headshots? You might consider the following ideas.

Regular website content

Add warmth and personality to your brand — and show viewers there are real human beings behind your products — by adding a full company directory to your site and/or highlighting select headshots on different pages. Examples: They could be optimized with employee quotes or testimonials, make blog copy more visually appealing, accompany company news items or be added to product pages to call attention to the teams involved in its invention, production, sales, etc.

Press/media kits

Highlight the talents of key employees by including their photos next to short bios in the packages you make available to the media. Adding that human element may be just the ticket for making reporters and producers pay attention to your messaging.

Printed marketing collateral

Brochures and other printed materials created to publicize your firm may be more attractive and better-read if they include mention of some of the people behind your products. And putting a face to a name could be the first step in turning a cursory glance into a long-lasting customer relationship.

Video marketing materials

Not everyone making an appearance in video footage needs to be filmed live. Your staff headshots could come in handy when you want to identify key people in video presentations, but it doesn't make sense to feature them in person.

Company social media posts

As you feature your staff in posts that support the company brand, you’ll want well-designed headshots ready to rev up visual elements. They’re very handy for boosting content regarding employee news, accomplishments, presentations, upcoming appearances, testimonials, etc.

Employee social media posts

The fact is, employees make up a huge part of a company’s collective brand. That’s why savvy firms encourage their employees to promote the company through their personal sites (or at least LinkedIn) whenever possible. A recent survey, in fact, found that 71% of social marketers see employee advocacy as a cost-effective, scalable alternative to influencer marketing. But your goal should be to boost connections, not to sell.

Key employee posts might involve company job openings, feature stories about interesting co-workers or news about new products or achievements. Those free publicity opportunities also provide a good reason for providing free, sharp, attractive photos they can optimize, as well as easy-to-share posts on topics such as employee outings, press releases or company-sponsored charity events.

“By having your employees serve as ‘internal influencers,’ you can cultivate a personalized and authentic online identity that conveys what your company is really about,” explains Kiely Kuligowski in Business News Daily. “Consumer trust is low; however, communicating with your audience via your employees is a great way to be transparent about your company.”

Press releases

Regular news items sent to the media are made much more engaging when they include well-produced images of the people who are making news.

Business cards

Create more inviting business cards for your people by adding headshots so customers are more apt to connect names with faces. In general, being able to recognize the faces behind a brand boosts trust and a sense of credibility.

Recruitment materials

Add the headshots of your HR staff to your website’s career page so candidates know exactly with whom they’ll be interviewing or whom to contact for more information.

Interior décor

Some companies choose to post photos of their employees in their lobbies to give visitors a sense of the people who make up the brand.

If you’re a marketing manager, Lifetouch can efficiently manage your in-house or off-site employee headshot campaign from start to finish so you don't have to take time from other pursuits. Request a quote or find more information here.