Why Biotech Professionals Need Executive Headshots
Biotech has seen a quick and steady revolution and become one of the most thriving industries in the United States. More innovations are being developed every day, and venture capital firms continue to increase funding for different biotech ventures. There is a growing need for industry professionals to ramp up their image and go more corporate. Executive headshots can help you achieve this.
While biotech companies tend to resist corporate structure, some elements tend to serve these companies well. Business casual dress codes and flexible work environments tend to be common in biotech companies. This shows off their decided strategy of not going corporate. There are definitely a lot of benefits to this approach. But as for seeking funding and investments, are you sure your biotech company is putting its best foot forward?
Balancing corporate with casual is not easy, but there are some ways to accomplish this without losing your unique touch. One of the best ways to accomplish this balance is by getting great executive headshots. This is an opportunity to show off your fun side while still presenting a professional image. And the great thing about executive headshots is that they are incredibly versatile in their use. You can use them in email signatures, or on your website, or beyond. But let’s start from the beginning to see how executive headshots provide a real return on investment for biotech professionals.
Website use
I always start with the website. In this day and age, it really does reign supreme. Your website now serves as a business card, and it is incredibly important to get it right. Without a website, people have trouble seeing you as a legitimate business. You do not want them to think it is some sort of sketchy, mysterious enterprise, right?
You want your website to be fully transparent, and show potential and existing clients why they can trust you.
Picking the right visuals for your website goes a long way in building trust with your audience. I always recommend staying away from stock photography. It might seem like the cheaper option initially, but it tends to be more costly in the long run. Stock photography needs updating every so often to keep it from looking stale. It also makes your website look and feel more generic. Ultimately, you want to stand out, and generic stock photography does the opposite of that.
The best way to solve this is to highlight more of what makes your company unique. Executive headshots show your technical depth and expertise, as well as your more traditional business side. You can use these on your “About Us” page to show your senior team. Coupled with biographies, this makes a huge improvement for your website.
You can also have a separate Professionals section, to show the wide variety of individuals you have, as well as highlight other key leaders. Executive headshots demonstrate the different roles you have, and provide a sense of openness or transparency that cannot be achieved by other means.
Investment materials
Whether your biotech company is just finding its feet, or it has been operating for a while, investment material is usually something you need. Different situations like new series funding rounds, or even going public, require a solid amount of print and digital material. Some companies use leaflets, or PowerPoints, or even white papers — again, they are dependent on a balance between content and visuals.
It’s best to avoid bombarding your readers with text. But you also do not want to rely solely on visuals to get your message across. Striking a balance might be difficult, but using the visual element strategically can really tie together these materials. This can have a strong impact and make you look stronger as an investment choice.
Most likely, the materials you choose to push out will be some form of thought leadership about the industry, some specific developments within the sector, or other content where you need to look like an expert. If you have great text to accompany it, which you likely do, make sure your visuals match. You do not want your content to look weak if the right visuals are not in place. That’s why I always recommend incorporating executive headshots, either at the beginning of the piece or at the end.
In addition, you want to make sure vendors or funders recognize you, and that people are able to put a face to the name. Executive headshots ensure that people are able to associate your company with the idea of expertise. This inevitably makes you look like a better prospect for investment and development. If you are looking to catch investor’s eyes and do funding rounds, having executive headshots in place ensure that you make a good first impression right off the bat.
Executive headshots play a critical role in brand exposure and networking
The above points support brand exposure and networking, no matter what stage your company is at. You want more people to pay attention to you, and as you go to different conferences and events, you want people to get to know you and your company on a more personal level. These executive headshots can communicate a great deal, depending on what you want to say.
You can work with your photographer to develop both traditional and more quirky headshots that balance professionalism and fun without losing sight of the bigger picture.
Your headshots will have a variety of uses, and will come in handy in social media posts to networking events. If you are worried that you might look too stuffy, or not professional enough, work with your photographer beforehand to establish messaging. They can give advice and recommendations on the environment and types of shots needed to communicate your message most effectively, as well as answer any questions you might have.
An experienced photographer can provide real value
If you have specific types of shots in mind, do not be afraid to get descriptive and give your photographer more context about your brand and what kind of exposure you are seeking. Even better, if you have seen styles of headshots you particularly like, you can provide that as a sample to your photographer to give them a better idea of what you want, and they can help you craft these shots seamlessly to make sure you can use these in as many ways as possible.
Depending on how they are used, biotech executive headshots have a long shelf life and can provide real value for businesses at all stages of growth. These are vital elements for print and digital marketing, as well as keeping your website relevant, informative, and trustworthy for clients, customers, and investors alike. Rather than using boring stock imagery, give your website an edge in distinctiveness by using fun, and cool executive headshots to give your content and company more depth.
