http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/ David Sandusky, business, career, marketing, strategy, personal brand, recruiter, speaker and entrepreneur offers a forum community on personal brand, career and business development. en Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:45:26 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/ http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/211-your-brand-lives-virtual-world.html Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:57:11 GMT I recently watched a very interesting program on PBS Frontline entitled Digital Nation (http://video.pbs.org/video/1402987791) that has some major implications for your business or personal brand. We are spending more time on our computers, notebooks, netbooks, PDAs, Smart phones iPhones, and soon... I recently watched a very interesting program on PBS Frontline entitled Digital Nation that has some major implications for your business or personal brand. We are spending more time on our computers, notebooks, netbooks, PDAs, Smart phones iPhones, and soon the iPad – increasingly we are using more than one of these devices at the same time.

We spend our time on talking on the phone, text messaging, emailing, Googling the world, social networking, shopping, and being entertained. By one estimate many people will spend half of their waking life in the virtual world online. Many people feel withdrawal if they are disconnected even for a few minutes – maybe this is where the term “crackberry” came from.

All of this connectedness and multitasking has come at a price. Studies are showing that multitasking is largely a myth. The more things we try to do at the same time the poorer we perform them all – witness the recent event where the airline pilots overflew the Minneapolis airport by several hundred miles while they were engrossed in their laptops. People’s concentration and attention spans are being reduced at an increasing rate.

So what does this have to do with your business or personal brand? We increasingly rely on the Virtual World to get our brand message out. Some of the traditional means we used are no longer relevant or effective. In a world of short concentration and attention spans, a world where people are multitasking on multiple devices your brand can easily be passed over in milliseconds .

Some things you can do:

• Make sure you have targeted your brand message to the right audience. Audiences are becoming more fragmented by the day. I have built my own “yellow pages” of resources through my relationships on social networking and other means. My real “yellow pages” are nothing more than a doorstop and Google may soon approach being its online equivalent.
  
  
• Make sure your brand message is authentic and it can be easily absorbed and understood in a very little amount of time. You don’t have a lot of time to capture your audience’s attention, so keep it short, interesting and to the point.
  
  
• Images can register in the mind a lot faster than text or even a catchy headline. Use your brand images to capture your prospect's attention and drive your message home.
  
  
• If you are portraying your brand with stock images think twice before you congratulate yourself on how much money you saved. Make your brand images authentic and tell a story about your brand – not just something to fill the white space on your website. Do you really think your audience gives a second look to images they have seen or think they have seen a hundred times before?
  
  
• If you are using an image of yourself to portray your personal brand keep it interesting and professionally done. When you use a personal brand image pretend that your reader is a casting director for a film. They are sorting through a stack of headshots and you only have a few seconds to capture their attention. Does your personal brand image elicit “That person looks interesting, I would like to get to know them better” in your audience?

Ok, in the time it took you to read this article, did you check your email, answer a Facebook message, make a Tweet, or do other activities in the Virtual World? See what I mean?

Neil McKenzie is a Denver based commercial photographer specializing in business and personal brand photography. He has over 30 years experience in business planning, advertising and marketing in both the consulting and corporate worlds. He has developed and currently teaches the course “Artrepreneurship” at the Center for Innovation at Metropolitan State College Denver. He will have an upcoming regular column entitled “Business for the Creative Enterprise (and everyone else)” in Colorado Business Magazine.

Website: Neil McKenzie Photography
Center For Innovation ]]> Neil McKenzie http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/211-your-brand-lives-virtual-world.html http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/62-some-thoughts-seth-godin-s-power-tiny-picture.html Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:39:39 GMT Recently while participating on Twitter I ran across a reference to a blog post by Seth Godin about how your profile picture on sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn affect your brand. I have been writing articles on Your Brand Image on just this very subject and I thought I would check out... Recently while participating on Twitter I ran across a reference to a blog post by Seth Godin about how your profile picture on sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn affect your brand. I have been writing articles on Your Brand Image on just this very subject and I thought I would check out what the author of the best selling book “Tribes” had to say on the subject. If you have read my previous articles you would have seen that I recommend having a great profile picture that supports your brand, a picture that is authentic and honest.

I want to take a look at some of the ideas in his article and make a few comments and observations of my own. For the most part I think that Seth got it “spot on”

“Have a professional or a dedicated amateur take your picture.”

I couldn’t agree more that you should have a great photograph. One that is well thought out, one that supports your brand, and one that is taken with skill. I can’t tell you many times a new client has come to me wanting to replace a profile picture that was taken by an amateur. Amateur images don’t add to your brand unless your brand is amateur.

“Use a white background, or at least a neutral one. No trees! No snowstorms!”

The background is not important in a profile picture – you are! While you may want to portray your brand in context with your surroundings, a small profile image is not the place to do it. Save these images for your websites or galleries where you post other images.


“If you are wearing a hat, you better have both a good reason and a good hat.”

If you are a cowboy, a hat probably makes sense for your brand. If you are a photographer with little hair and you are shooting outdoors in the Colorado sun then a hat also makes sense. Just make sure that the bill of the hat is turned backwards so as not to interfere with your lens and there is a catchy logo/type that reinforces your brand such as “Graphics Factory”

“I totally understand that you are shy, modest and self-effacing. But sabotaging your photo is not a good way to communicate that. We just assume you're a dork.”

I have to agree that many people are afraid to promote themselves and this is where a professional photographer can help you out. The job of the photographer is to make you look your best and support your brand. If your brand is that of a dork then by all means use a dorky image.

“Conceptual photos (your foot, a monkey wearing glasses) may give us insight into the real you, but perhaps you could save that insight for the second impression.”

Crazy images and the like are a becoming a real turn off in the world of social networking. Why would I want to become friends with or follow a “foot”? See above on being dorky.

“The idea of having your significant other in the picture is a good one, at least in terms of maintaining peace in the presence of a jealous or nervous spouse. But the thing is, I'm not friending your girlfriend, I'm friending you. I'd vote for the picture to be solo.”

I think I have to agree with this one. Unless there is a compelling reason to include others in your profile picture then don’t. There are exceptions if your social networking brand is a couple or partners. A profile image for the Pep Boys wouldn’t cut it if only one of the brothers was shown.

“How beautiful you are is a distant second to how happy you are. In my experience, photos that communicate openness and enthusiasm are far more appealing than photos that make you look like a supermodel.”

This goes to the whole authentic and honest principle of brand images. You are who you are. Be happy and confident and this will radiate to your audience. A good photographer can make you look good – trust me!

“Cropping is so important. I should have put this one first. A well cropped photo sends a huge, subliminal message to other people. If you don't know how to do this, browse through the work of professionals and see how they do it. It matters.”

Here is where a professional photographer can make your profile images really stand out and support your brand. A well cropped image starts out as a well composed image in the camera and highlights your most important features – usually your eyes. Most profile images are constrained to a small space so you need to use this space wisely. To quote an old marketing adage – “You can’t put 10 pounds of stuff in a 5 pound bag”


I encourage you to read Seth Godin’s original article here. I also encourage you to think out and plan your profile image so that it is authentic and supports your brand. If you need some help drop me a line.

Neil McKenzie Photography ]]> Neil McKenzie http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/62-some-thoughts-seth-godin-s-power-tiny-picture.html http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/51-how-use-social-networking-marketing-win-friends-influence-people.html Fri, 15 May 2009 21:46:08 GMT As a photographer specializing in business and personal brands am I finding that more and more of my images are appearing on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin as well as small niche sites built using programs such as Ning. These sites are a great way to build your brand and... As a photographer specializing in business and personal brands am I finding that more and more of my images are appearing on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin as well as small niche sites built using programs such as Ning. These sites are a great way to build your brand and expand your network for either business or personal purposes – if done right!

When I work on a personal brand I like to get to know my clients. It helps me paint a better story and really hone in on what their brand is all about – kind of like the marketing audits I used to do with companies only now for people. Here are some things you need to think about before you embark on your social media efforts. If you have already started you may want to think about areas you need to improve on or fine tune.

Tips For More Effective Social Networking

- Have a purpose in mind. This may sound simple and obvious but way too many people have no idea why they are engaging in social networking. It could be to position yourself as an authority, drive traffic to your website or blog, help others, promote a cause or just have a better social life. Decide on your purpose and stick to it.

- Target you audience or market. Once you have a purpose in mind, the targeting of your audience will probably only require some research on your part. Use the search function to find others and programs such as Twellow if you are in the Twitter world.

- Develop your profile. Take some time to plan and write your profile. Your profile should portray you as unique, authentic and someone worth connecting with. People will judge you after reading a few sentences or looking at your profile picture. You can look at your profile like an electronic version of your “60 Second Commercial” or “Elevator Speech”. You need to tailor your profile to match your purpose and target audience - something that says “I want to get to know that person better!” If you are on several social networking sites make sure that your profiles are consistent and I would argue they all be the same.

- Choose your friends or the people you follow carefully. A mistake many people make is to have as many friends or followers as possible. Your goal should be to have good friends not just a lot of friends. If you do it right, sooner or later you will have a lot of good friends. Besides what are you going to do with 80,000 friends or followers?

- Engage, interact and develop relationships. This is what the whole idea behind social networking and marketing is all about. You don’t need to report on every detail in your life. I know mine aren’t that interesting and I would be surprised if yours are either. You don’t need to endlessly pitch your product, service or yourself. If all you have to say is buy my product, buy my product, buy my product you will run out your welcome very quickly. Be genuine, authentic, helpful and all of those other things they taught you in Boy or Girl Scouts – they will position you as someone worthy of following.

- And my last tip is to get a great image for your profile picture. Your image should support or reinforce your profile and the interactions you have with others in your social networking world. When people I have met in the online world meet me for the first time more often than not they ask “Where is your hat?”


Being effective in the social networking world has a lot more to do with common sense and basic marketing principals. There is no “secret formula”. A couple of marketing quotes which are powerful in marketing are very appropriate in the world of social networking:

1. You can’t put 10 pounds of stuff in a 5 pound bag.
2. You can’t bore people into buying products of services from you.

I invite you to connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. If you don't have a profile or profile picture it may be a while before I follow you back.

Neil McKenzie on Facebook
neilmckenzphoto on Twitter
Neil McKenzie Photography ]]> Neil McKenzie http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/51-how-use-social-networking-marketing-win-friends-influence-people.html http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/50-your-customer-service-image.html Wed, 13 May 2009 00:41:41 GMT In these challenging economic times it is more important than ever to provide world class service. The old adage that keeping a customer is a lot cheaper than getting a new one rings even truer today. In a world of endless phone menus and computer voice recognition programs it seems that some... In these challenging economic times it is more important than ever to provide world class service. The old adage that keeping a customer is a lot cheaper than getting a new one rings even truer today. In a world of endless phone menus and computer voice recognition programs it seems that some organizations take their customers for granted. The organizations that don’t take their customers for granted are positioned to capture market share once the economy turns around.

When developing brand images for the customer service function or department I always ask my clients to tell me about their customer service efforts. The questions I ask go something like this:

- Does your customer service reinforce your brand?
- What makes your customer service unique?
- Are your customer service efforts authentic?
- Does your customer service function have the support and buy-in from top management?
- How do your customers rate your service?
- Is your service better than your competitors? If so, why or how? If not why?
- Do you track or measure the level of customer service you provide?

If you can’t answer these questions or answer them in a satisfactory way then your organization has some work to do. If you don’t get a handle on your customer service image then you are opening the door to your competition.

You may be asking why does a photographer want to know these things? You might say that the photographer is here just to make some images of our customer service department for the web page or our brochures. I do this for a couple of reasons. First, my “secret sauce” is to make images that are authentic and unique to help reinforce a brand. Without knowing what is authentic and unique makes my job much harder. Secondly, I am not into creating fiction, as that is what they have stock photography for.

Neil McKenzie Photography ]]> Neil McKenzie http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/50-your-customer-service-image.html http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/33-improve-your-images-improve-your-customer-service.html Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:56:34 GMT I have this idea that with the use of images you can improve how your customer service is perceived by your customers and help motivate your employees to provide world class service. The customer service you provide and its perception are a major part of your brand. You may be asking yourself,... I have this idea that with the use of images you can improve how your customer service is perceived by your customers and help motivate your employees to provide world class service. The customer service you provide and its perception are a major part of your brand.

You may be asking yourself, “What do images have to do with customer service”? The answer is more than you think. I spent many years measuring the level of customer service for major financial firms. We continually surveyed our customers asking them to rank our service on a variety of factors such as overall satisfaction, ability to solve problems, empathy for the customer, timeliness and follow through, etc. The answers to these and other questions allowed us to quickly make changes in the way we delivered our products and how we managed the customer service function. What was harder to measure was the relationship the representatives built with the customer and the bond the customer had with the company.

Check a website (try your own website first) that has a link for customer service and you will most likely see an image of beautiful people on a phone or in a call center. The interesting part about these images is that most are stock photos, some which have been used thousands of times. Is this what your customer service department looks like? Is this what your customer thinks your customer service department looks like?

If your customer service images don’t reflect your reality, then you are not being authentic in portraying your brand. In many businesses, your customers have direct contact with your customer service personnel, they know them from talking on the phone and they may even interact with them in person. Your customers know that your company doesn’t employ people who look like models. Authenticity is key in building your brand and the bond with your customers. Hot tip: use images of YOUR people.

Another but possibly less obvious advantage to using images of your own people is its effect on productivity – yes productivity! By using authentic images you are giving your people recognition for being a part of the organization. People who are recognized for their contribution, work harder, work smarter and are more likely to carry your brand “torch”.

Here are a few ideas on how to use images in your customer service department:

- Use authentic images on your web pages and printed materials.
- If possible, create a directory of all customer service personnel and have it accessible to both internal and external customers.
- Recognize your star performers and highlight their achievements including an image.
- Make sure the images are well done. The images don’t have to be formal or staged - candid photos may better reinforce your corporate culture. If you can’t do it yourself, hire a professional.

I urge you to give this a try. It is a variation of an old theme where the employee of the month gets their picture on the company bulletin board. All we are trying to do here is to make every employee an employee of the month!

Neil McKenzie Photography ]]> Neil McKenzie http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/33-improve-your-images-improve-your-customer-service.html http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/20-stock-images-killing-your-brand.html Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:04:48 GMT Ok, this is not a rant about using stock photography or stock images. They have their place but it may not be in representing your personal or business brand. What is stock photography? Stock photos are images created by photographers and either sold by the photographer or agencies that... Ok, this is not a rant about using stock photography or stock images. They have their place but it may not be in representing your personal or business brand.

What is stock photography? Stock photos are images created by photographers and either sold by the photographer or agencies that represent many photographers. With the increase in the number of people with digital cameras there has also come an increase in the number of stock photo agencies – most all are represented on the web. You can find a stock photo for almost any subject or object. As the number of stock images that are available has skyrocketed the price for images has plummeted – many can be had for a few dollars.

A lot of the images I photograph are used in helping to develop personal and business brands. In many instances the personal brand is the same as the business brand. These images are used in all kinds of printed materials from business cards to brochures and almost always on a website or social networking site.

In my travels I meet quite a few website developers and the conversation often goes like this:

Neil - “Hi, I am Neil McKenzie and I am a photographer specializing in people photography to help people with their personal and business brands and quite a few of my images end up on people’s websites.”

Web Developer – “We use stock photography, I can get an image from the web for a few dollars”

Neil – “Well that is certainly cheaper than I can take a picture for.”

Web Developer – “We can find just about anything we need on the web”

Neil – “Well keep me in mind if you need an image of the person(s) who you are designing a web site for, or if you need a picture of their particular type of widget, or you need an image of the person with their widget.”

Web Developer – “Most of my clients don’t have the budget for photography”

Here are a few ideas on how stock photography can detract from your personal brand:

- There is nothing unique about using an image that may have been used thousands of times by others including your competition. Here is a good example of what not to do - Embarrassing Royalty Free Stock Photography Blunders The fact that this was done by major companies makes you wonder.

- You probably wouldn’t consider using the image of someone else on your personal business card. Are your web presence or other printed materials any different?

- By using stock photography you run the risk that because the image or type of image has been used so much that it lacks any impact other than filler – most people don’t even bother to give them a second glance.

- Stock images do not help you build relationships/trust with your customers and they do not help you in developing a brand that is unique.

- A huge concept in brand strategy is “authenticity”. If you need an image of an object such as a red rose then stock photos will work just fine. If you are trying to depict your customer service department as a group of beautiful models with phone headsets standing by to take customer calls and the reality is “Mabel” who has been taking care of your customers for 20 years – what kind of “authentic” brand are you creating?

To sum it up: Be wise on how you use stock photos, be authentic on how you present yourself and your people, and budget money in your marketing programs to develop images that are unique to you and your business.

Remember: As David Sandusky would say, "Your business in not unique, you are!"

Neil McKenzie Photography ]]> Neil McKenzie http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/20-stock-images-killing-your-brand.html http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/16-get-most-out-your-personal-brand-web-2-0.html Thu, 05 Feb 2009 00:22:45 GMT Ok this blog is not about the technology of Web 2.0. I had an idea of what Web 2.0 meant but first I thought I had better do some research. I figured the easiest way was to check in out on Wikipedia. Here is a snippet from the reference: “The term "Web 2.0" describes the changing trends in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aim to enhance creativity, communications, secure information sharing, collaboration and functionality of the web. Web 2.0 concepts have led to the development and evolution of web-culture communities and hosted services, such as social-networking sites, video sharing sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies.”

What does this have to do with Your Brand Image? – Stay with me for just a bit.

Today I was talking with a friend of mine Stefanie Dalgar of Dalgar Communications on how we could collaborate on projects. Stefanie is a super bright and talented communication professional who came from a public relations background. She was leery about accepting some clients because she was afraid of being “pigeon holed” as doing a type of work that wasn’t along the lines of her brand plan. She also mentioned that she liked working with companies who developed web pages.

I told her that my images were ending up on a lot of web pages and that helping people with their brand was an important part of my business. I told her I was amazed by all of the money that was spent on developing a web site, on designers, technical folks, SEO consulting (search engine optimization or getting your site to show up at the top of a Google search) and the like. When it came to the images presented on the web, more often than not you see stock images which a thousand other web sites are using or worse yet amateur looking snapshots – not exactly a way to enhance your brand.

The old light bulb went on and I thought not only are there a lot of bad images but also most of the text is just as bad. I see an opportunity for a writer to help people with their brand. I told her, maybe you ought to be working for the clients of web site developers – these are the people who really need your help. Maybe we ought to collaborate on stamping out bad web sites.

Years ago an advertising executive gave me a couple of quotes that have stuck with me. One – “You can’t put 10 pounds of stuff in a 5 pound bag” and Two – “You can’t bore people into buying something from you”. I think these sayings are just as appropriate in how you present your online brand.

If you have read this far you have probably figured out you are a part of Web 2.0. You are reading a blog on YourBrandPlan.com, you probably participate in social networking and you may even have Twitter going off in the background – you ARE Web 2.0. In developing and maintaining your personal brand make sure you have good images and text to support your brand. Take control of Your Brand Image!

Neil McKenzie Photography ]]> Neil McKenzie http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/16-get-most-out-your-personal-brand-web-2-0.html http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/15-one-bad-image-can-ruin-your-brand.html Mon, 02 Feb 2009 23:07:44 GMT Today with social networking becoming an integral part of one’s personal or business brand. You not only need to be careful about what you say but also the physical image you present. As social networking sites evolve, images are becoming an integral part of the landscape, even LinkedIn which has... Today with social networking becoming an integral part of one’s personal or business brand. You not only need to be careful about what you say but also the physical image you present. As social networking sites evolve, images are becoming an integral part of the landscape, even LinkedIn which has been more experience driven allows for a personal image.

Many have heard about the Ivy League graduate business student who had lined up a high paying job as an investment banker with a Wall Street firm. Apparently someone decided to do a Google on him and found a Facebook page with an image of him in a situation that didn’t fit in the culture of the investment firm. Soon he was the subject of articles seen around the world. After many years of studying and who knows how many dollars, his promising career was dashed by one indiscretion. Be careful about your images, very careful.

Recently there has been a buzz in the media about Michael Phelps the Olympic swimmer who won eight gold medals in the recent summer Olympics. Apparently he was at a private party and someone took a picture of him with a marijuana pipe in his mouth. Here is a guy with sponsors standing in line to have him endorse their product or service and he has even become a poster boy for Wheaties Frosties. This transgression will likely end up costing him millions of dollars and much more costly will be the damage to his brand.

There are cameras everywhere around us. You are being photographed by surveillance cameras when you walk down the street or drive your car and you don’t know where these images will end up. Everybody has a camera, they have one in their cell phone or in their pocket and they can post these images online at the speed of light. Be careful where you are seen, who you are being seen with and ask yourself, “Is this good for my personal brand?”

The lesson from these examples is that not only do you need to be careful about the images you use for your brand but maybe more importantly about the images that others may post or publish of you. You need to take control of your social networking sites to make sure that you are not portrayed in a light that takes away from your brand. You don’t need to be a celebrity to have a bad image ruin your job prospects, career or personal brand. I have met people who have lost business just by association with others in social networks.

Here is a great link with some tips on how you can start to control your social networking brand - 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know

As a photographer I can control the brand image of my clients before they leave the studio. Once you step outside, you are on your own - take control of Your Brand Image.

Neil McKenzie Photography ]]> Neil McKenzie http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/15-one-bad-image-can-ruin-your-brand.html http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/14-so-you-think-headshots-just-actors-models-getting-noticed-hard.html Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:02:19 GMT In the acting and modeling world a headshot is an 8”x10” glossy photo which focuses on the actor’s or model’s face. A good headshot will stand out from a stack of other actor's and model's photos and will elicit a reaction of the viewer like, “I would like to get to know that person, they seem interesting”. So you are asking, “What does that have to do with me?”

With more and more people being found and judged (yes judged, sorry but people make decisions based on your image) on social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, the image you present for your personal brand is more important than ever.

A growing number of people are using a social networking sites to look for employment opportunities or to promote their personal brand. Someone looking to hire a new person will do a search to find the right candidate. What catches their eye? – Obviously someone with the right education, the right experience, someone with an industry fit and maybe not so obvious – your image.

The person looking to hire some new talent goes through a process. They have done searches on the social networking sites and they now have a pool of candidates who meet all of the basic requirements of experience and education etc. How do they whittle it down to the final candidates - the one’s they want to talk to? My premise is that the image you have used to represent your personal brand plays a major factor.

Here is how I got to this idea. If your personal brand image presents you as someone who is casual and likes to wear t-shirts then an organization where the culture is to wear business attire might not see you as a fit. If your personal brand image presents you as someone who is very formal then an organization where the culture is very casual might not see you as a fit. You may be saying to yourself, “This isn’t fair, I have better experience and credentials, how could they choose someone on the basis of a picture?” - “Life is not fair; get used to it”. -Bill Gates

Use your image to your advantage, if you are casual, do you really want to work in a culture that you need to wear a tie? If you are formal, would you be comfortable in a culture of T-shirts?

If you are following me so far you are probably asking yourself, “What does all of this have to do with headshots and actors?” Everyday film directors and art directors are looking for people to fill a roll in a film or advertisement. They have determined the basic requirements - experience, age, gender, height and maybe physical measurements. Next they have a pile of resumes where all of the experience and qualifications of the candidates are equal in front of them (for actors and models these just happen to be headshots) and then they start the selection process.

In the actor’s world the film director will thumb through a pile of headshots – each candidate may only have a second or two to catch the director’s eye. The talent with the good headshots will make it to the next cut or audition. These headshots show somebody you would like to get to know better, somebody who is interesting. The Discovery Channel did a show called The Human Face and you should take a look at this short clip from the show about headshots. It features Kevyn Major Howard who is the “King of Headshots” in Hollywood. You can find it here on YouTube. A couple of parts in the video remind me of hiring managers going through a stack of resumes to decide on who they will take to the next step.

So here is the bottom line:
- Consider using a headshot to help define your personal brand on social networking sites and other materials.
- A good headshot will help get you noticed – the rest is up to how you have developed your personal brand.
- Whether your personal style is a T-shirt or a suit, nobody can tell from a headshot and you can sort it out later.
- Make sure your headshot portrays you as “Somebody I would like to get to know better”
- Get a professional headshot; it will be worth the few hundred dollars.
- If you are in Los Angeles go see Kevyn Major Howard, If you are in Colorado come see me.


Neil McKenzie is a Colorado based photographer with over 40 years photographic and corporate marketing experience now specializing in "People Photography With Impact" - Helping to build better personal and corporate brands.
Neil McKenzie Photography ]]> Neil McKenzie http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/14-so-you-think-headshots-just-actors-models-getting-noticed-hard.html http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/13-real-you.html Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:25:35 GMT You have seen them – pictures of people on their websites, social networking sites, brochures and business cards. When you meet them in person there is a disconnect, the image they use to support their brand does not match the reality. Here are some examples: - The images show someone with a... You have seen them – pictures of people on their websites, social networking sites, brochures and business cards. When you meet them in person there is a disconnect, the image they use to support their brand does not match the reality.

Here are some examples:
- The images show someone with a full of head of hair – the reality is someone who doesn’t have a full head of hair.
- The images show someone who is sleek and slender - the reality is someone who has gained weight.
- The images show a young vibrant person participating in sports or other activities – the reality is someone who has aged 20 years.
- The images show a glamorous young woman – the reality is a mature woman who is probably still beautiful.

As a photographer and marketing professional who helps people build the images for their brand I see this disconnect quite often. People come up to me and show me their business card and ask, “What do you think of my picture?” I usually say “That is a nice image” and more often than not I follow it with “When you are ready to update your images to reinforce your brand let me know, I would love to see if I can help you out”

Don’t get me wrong, there are times and situations where the disconnect between the image and the reality may actually reinforce your brand. Something like “I have lost all of my hair in the many years I have been doing the worrying and stressing for my clients – that is what they pay me for”. For most of us this may not be the case.

I did a quick market research project by asking several people what they thought when they saw the disconnect from the images on a business card from the reality of what the person really looked like. Some of the responses surprised me and I thought some were quite harsh like:
- “I think this is dishonest”
- “I don’t know if I would trust this person”
- “It shows that they are insecure in who they are”
- “I don’t know if I would do business with them”
- “I don’t know if I would hire them.

Your physical images are an important part of your brand. Make sure that your images reinforce your brand and don’t create a disconnect. Here are some things to keep in mind for Your Brand Images:
- Be yourself, be honest, be genuine – you will be rewarded.
- Be proud of yourself, this will make you more confident and it will show.
- Think creatively about how you want your image to support your brand.
- A good photographer can bring out your best and show you in a great light.
- If you don’t have a good photographer – get one!



Neil McKenzie is a Colorado based photographer with over 40 years photographic and corporate marketing experience now specializing in "People Photography With Impact" - Helping to build better personal and corporate brands.

Please Check Out My Website: Neil McKenzie Photography ]]> Neil McKenzie http://www.yourbrandplan.com/forum/blogs/neil-mckenzie/13-real-you.html