The Importance of Professional Headshots for Realtors
To succeed in real estate, one of the most important tools you will need is the ability to set yourself apart from all of the other realtors in your area. With a total of 2 million Realtors in the United States (according to the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials), you’re likely not the only realtor in your town. So how do you set yourself apart from the others? What makes someone looking for a realtor choose you over all of the others?
What is Branding and Why Do I Need to Worry About it?
Entrepreneur.com defines branding as “The marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products. An effective brand strategy gives you a major edge in increasingly competitive markets.”
As a realtor, your brand and your image are what will determine whether you get million dollar listings or foreclosed properties. A head shot is one component of many in your overall branding strategy. Your image and your headshot need to convey that you are a professional with impeccable attention to detail and are most comfortable working with high-income clients. Can all of this be conveyed in a simple headshot? Absolutely. You also want to be certain that the headshot is cohesive with your brand identity. A good real estate photographer can help you pull all of these elements together.
Are Headshots As Important as the Real Estate Photographs?
Most realtors understand without question the need for professional real estate photographs. You only have a few seconds to catch the attention of a potential buyer, so photographs are the most important selling tool in your toolbox. But what about headshots? Is a headshot as important as the real estate photos? Especially if you have a great camera and a friend that’s an amateur photographer. You may wonder if you could just skate by on this piece of your marketing and have your headshot be a DIY job. However, remember that the consumer is very savvy now. Most people can easily spot the difference between a true professional photograph, especially a head shot, and one done on the side, as an afterthought.
When a potential client sees that you have possibly cut corners on your marketing, whether it be with your headshot, real estate images, or marketing material, they immediately believe that you may also cut corners in other areas of your business. This can be a big problem when someone is looking to find a professional to manage a million-dollar transaction for them. The last thing they will want is someone that does not pay attention to every detail of the process. Having a well thought out and professionally done headshot shows clients that not only are you serious about your business but that you pay attention to details and you wish only to present the most professional image.
When someone begins a search for a realtor, they typically search for someone that comes across as trustworthy and competent. Buying or selling a home could be one of the most important decisions in their life. No one wants to have an unsuccessful real estate experience. Your potential buyers and sellers need to know that they can trust you. They want to feel that you can guide them through this process and help them make the best decisions to set them up for a financial win. A properly photographed headshot that conveys emotion and looks professional but not overdone is the first step to landing new clients. Yes, the house photography may bring them to you first, but if they don’t like the appearance of the realtor listing the house, they may consider passing and looking somewhere else.
Why a Professional Real Estate Photographer?
Not all professional real estate photographers are qualified to do your headshots. You want to find a professional photographer that is known for their excellence in real estate photography, as well as one that has a portfolio showing any headshots that they have done. Northern Virginia Real Estate Photography has experience with providing headshots that can complement your brand and help you position yourself as a realtor who knows how to run their business and most importantly, sell homes.
Another advantage to having a professional handle your headshots is that your photographer can give you high-resolution images that can be shared across a variety of platforms whether you’re looking for a stand-up banner for a home show or postcards to hand out or your image on a business card. By having a high-resolution image, you ensure that regardless of where you use your images, they will always look sharp and crisp without any pixelation.
Considering the Type of Head Shots You Need for Your Business
A standard headshot, with just the head and shoulders showing, is a basic requirement for any realtor. These can be used on your real estate company’s website to be consistent with other realtors, as well as social media profiles, like LinkedIn and Facebook. You may also want to consider a shot that showcases one of your favorite and most popular properties in the background. A professional real estate photographer can get the shot with you in the foreground and the property in the background in such a way that it highlights the personality of you, the realtor, and shows that you’re passionate about your work of selling homes.
Surveys have shown that people are more likely to do business with people that smile in their headshots. This means you have to balance showing warmth and friendliness with showing that you’re a confident professional, all while not appearing too confident or arrogant. When you’re working with a professional photographer that has done headshots and understands the real estate industry, you’re going to get someone that works to get a shot that shows the balance between the important elements needed.
Creative Ways you can use your headshots
Most real estate agents know to use a headshot on business cards, but there are a variety of ways that you can be creative with the use of your headshot and further enhance your branding.
Here are some of the most effective ways to utilize your headshots:
~Open house flyers
~Website
~Social media profiles
~Billboards
~Press releases
~Cold mailers to potential clients
~Brochures
~Booklets or pamphlets on “How to Sell Your Home.”
~In your email signature line
In addition to the above ideas, your headshot should be on every single piece of promotional material that you use, whether it’s paper marketing or online.
How Head Shots Help with Relationship Building
The key to building any business is developing relationships. How does a headshot play into that? It’s the first step to potentially appealing to prospective clients. Then, as you use your headshots in other promotional pieces and throughout social media and web promotions, people begin to feel like they know you. The more they can see your face, paired with real estate listings the more people begin to trust you. People do business with people they know, like, and trust. A well-done headshot can help to begin or enhance your relationship building efforts.
With a variety of options available; location-lifestyle portraits, a mobile studio at your office or our studio in Springfield, Virginia we can handle all of your Professional Headshot and Portraiture needs. If you’d like further information on how your headshot can boost your marketing and help your real estate business grow, contact Northern Virginia Real Estate Photography for a consultation.
Northern Virginia Real Estate Photography
571.377.8681 757.348.3402
