The line between social media and entertainment is razor thin. Some would even argue there is no line, that they’re one and the same thing, just from different angles or vantage points. Be that as it may, you need social media in order for your business to succeed these days.
There are endless blog posts about succeeding online and growing your following or how to create content or how to use video, and on and on and on. All of them are true and useful to one degree or another.
What you need to know and understand though is that you have about 1-2 seconds to grab a person’s attention as they scroll down a screen of accounts and posts. If you don’t capture their attention in those precious moments, you’ve probably lost them for good.
Visual Medium
The online world – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc., etc. – is a visual medium. You have to appeal to the most important of the five senses, sight, in order get a person’s attention and you have to do it in a matter of seconds. That means you need some eye candy on your posts. You also need a visual constant so every time somebody sees your post they instantly associate it you and your company.
Most companies will put their logo on all their posts, and while that’s a good thing to do, pictures of people are far better. The Smithsonian website features an article about a group of neuroscientists from the Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute who have studied people’s preferences and found that rounded shapes with shallow convex curves are what attract the most attention when people are presented with a variety of different objects to examine.
Those shallow convex surfaces are most reminiscent of human faces. So, no surprise, human faces attract the most attention in the shortest amount of time. Our eyes are drawn to them each and every time before we look at anything else in a picture or scrolling window on a computer screen.
Headshots
A headshot is a picture of a person, usually from the waist or chest up, where the person is the focus of the picture. They’re also known as beauty shots or publicity photographs. Politicians have headshots of themselves on their websites, usually with the American flag right behind them.
Trends are constantly changing; in clothes, architecture, cars, jewelry, you name it. They’re also changing online. 3D illustration is up and coming right now but in a few years, or less, something else will take its place. The human preference for looking at human faces won’t change. It’s built into our biology.
That means headshots will also have a place online because they’ll always attract attention.
We’re All Average
This complaint is very common. People think they’re too average or ordinary to be pictured on their company’s website or in their social media posts. Rather than trying to fight a losing battle in that regard you should hire some actors for your company headshots.
Celebrity endorsements are a tried and true method of bringing in customers. JA Headshots is a company that specializes in those kinds of headshots. They bring a stable of professional actors and photographers to the table to create exactly the image you need for your company. Whether it’s a model using one of your products or smiling in satisfaction at the result obtained from using it, they can tie the pictures to your company’s brand in a way that is attractive, compelling, and visually interesting.
A picture is worth a thousand words and the right picture of the right person in the right pose against the right background is worth 10 times that much.
Studio Photography Sessions
Professional headshots of photogenic actors posed with your company logo or products can do wonders for your social media following. Anyone can snap a selfie or take a quick picture with their smartphone, but the difference between those pictures and professionally done ones are instantly obvious.
A professional picture sends the message that your company is sincere about its image and brand, that you’re willing to do whatever it takes, and you should be taken seriously in the market where you’re competing.
You’re the professional in your business. They’re the professionals in theirs, they know what they’re doing, and it shows.
Studio photographs stand in a class by themselves and when a potential customer is scrolling down a list of selfies and amateur logos, your professionally done pictures and headshots will stand out like a pearl of great price.
