Your LinkedIn Brand – Yes, Your Profile Picture is Important

Last month I attended the Content Marketing Institute conference in Cleveland Ohio.

I was excited (since I’m geeked out about social media these days) to see a LinkedIn exhibit. Their booth only contained a sparse table with a few promo pens and familiar LI banner, but I then saw a stool, camera and white backdrop.  The lone photographer wasn’t an LI employee, but he was hired that day to take photos of conference attendees–to impress that you need a professional headshot on LinkedIn.

It was working. People were lining up for free LI headshots. Forrest Briggs of Greenville SC-based Forrest Briggs Photography preaches this mantra too. Much of his business is based on capturing professionals in their corporate or at least their professional environments for social media channels. Some of these shots for certain industries can be a little more creative. An ad agency creative director can wear a cool T-shirt and jeans and show off his dog at work for instance. Many others have to be more buttoned up. “I analyze the person’s environment, how they work, who their target markets are and coach the best image from them that organically represents there profession and persona,” Forrest said.