Executive Headshots: Finance Orgs Need Great Photography
Most financial services organizations need to move fast. There are a lot of clients to please, lots of work to do, and generally, it tends to be a bit of a pressure-cooker job. Despite all of this, investing in executive headshots is worth the reward, and companies who do this reap a lot of benefits.
One well-kept secret of the financial services industry is how great photography can keep you ahead of the game. This might not sound like an obvious conclusion! But here is an example of how one company boosted their success using consistent branding.
The Challenge
A company hired me to do their initial staff photography. The company leaders felt like their sales were flagging and wanted to boost their brand. So their strategy was to place their sales and marketing teams at the forefront, and they asked me to focus my efforts on that group.
They asked me to do executive headshots that were consistent with their overall brand. The team was extremely busy, and I had a very tight window of time to get these headshots done. Also, since the team was using the pictures for networking purposes and email signatures, they needed the photos as soon as possible.
Tight turnarounds are not a problem for me, because my system keeps things organized and right. My goal has always been to get headshots executed in the most professional way, without wasting anyone’s time. While this might be a challenge for some, it’s no problem for me to get everyone’s photos done within the allotted time.
Process
With projects like these, I employ a simple and easy 2 step process to get people ready to go.
1. I offer an online calendar that individuals can use to book time. When I have multiple executive headshots in a day, everyone can choose times that work best for them. Plus, I send helpful tips beforehand. This helps people prepare for their shoots and break the nerves a bit, and helps the appointment go smoothly.
2. A fast and easy photo shoot is one of my signature promises. I believe in working efficiently and quickly, and this in case, it was easier because I knew what we needed from these shots, and the subjects knew what they needed to do.
Knowing how the clients will use the photos makes it far easier to choose backgrounds and poses that will work best, and ensure everyone is comfortable throughout the process.
Solution
I understand the nature of the finance industry, and the speediness needed to get everyone their finished product. I did not need to waste time. Within 24 hours of the photo shoot, everyone received a link to a private web gallery with their respective images.
This allowed people to choose their headshots and decide on what worked best, in privacy and comfort. All the images are full-resolution and available to download, so people got to have a wide selection. Those highlighted as favorites were the ones I retouched.
48 hours after the clients chose their shots for retouching, the final product was ready! Everyone received a link to download their retouched images, and these were ready to use in a variety of places. Everyone was able to access their photos, and start using them as needed for their sales development needs.
Result
The results were incredibly successful. Firstly, the quick turnaround meant that the sales team did not have to wait long to hit the ground running with their new executive headshots. Everyone had what they needed, and I made myself available for any last-minute questions or requests.
Secondly, thanks to the fast pace of the project, the sales team started seeing results instantaneously. They were able to update their social media profiles with high-quality, professional photos that helped start conversations quicker. Plus, networking and conferences became better business development opportunities, now that they had a great headshot to submit. This helped boost revenue quickly, and the executive headshots ended up being a great return on investment.
Thirdly, other departments began seeing the value of executive headshots…especially how quickly they reaped the benefits. I was able to create a consistent relationship with the organization to handle their ever-growing needs and changes. This means that I am on-call to do photography for new hires and staff changes, as well as photograph other departments and teams such as financial advisors and management teams.
Having a consistent photographer in place allowed them to scale and grow quickly, without needing to slow down and find someone to manage these changes alongside. This was especially true in this case, because I already understood their brand, what they used their executive headshots for, and was able to quickly deliver the photos they needed that maintained these guidelines.
Financial services can benefit greatly from consistent executive headshot photography simply because it allows them to be distinctive, as this firm found. Executive headshots communicate professionalism, growth, and signal that team members are serious about their careers. And having a consistent photographer in places ensures that the shots all maintain the same look and feel, while still allowing team members to express their individuality.
