3 Places to Get a Great LinkedIn Profile Photo

If you want to get some ideas about what makes for a great LinkedIn Profile photo, check out our article here.  But once you know the shot you want, how can you get it without having someone take a poorly lit head shot with their iPhone against the white wall in your office?

Yes, I’ve seen that one a lot, and everyone who sees that photo knows exactly where it was taken.  And yes, your profile visitors are judging you because of that.  It’s almost as common as the “I have this nice picture of me at a wedding so I just cropped out my significant other and the glass of wine I was holding” picture.  These types of photos are sending a brand message that you just don’t want to send!

Pay a professional to take a great shot.

This is a good investment for anyone; but it’s especially important if you interact with your prospects or clients online.  You’ll be able to use your photo on LinkedIn, and also on your website and other social media platforms.  Many photographers have packages specifically for social media head shots.  Even in an expensive city like Chicago, you can get a good, professional-looking photo for under $200.  To find someone near you, do a Google search on ” professional head shot social media (your city)”.

Look for networking events in your area that feature a photographer.

For example, in Chicago there is a huge LinkedIn group, Linked N Chicago, that regularly organizes offline networking events.  At many of the events they have a photographer set up in the corner taking head shots.  So for the price of admission, you can get a professional head shot.  Look around to see if you have a local networking group that offers something similar.

Talk to your marketing department about hiring a photographer to take photos of the entire team.

If you work in an office, this has the added bonus of creating consistency among all of your colleagues.  When your LinkedIn visitors see that everyone in your firm has a similar style and quality to their phots, it reinforces your brand message – both on a company level and an individual level.

These are just a few of the ways you can get a professional, high-quality photo.  The most important thing you can do, though, is act!  Someone could be on your LinkedIn profile right now, deciding whether or not to do business with you.  Make sure that your photo is helping your cause, not hurting it!

Let me know how you got yours.

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This article originally ran at theDigitalFA. You can visit it here; and be sure to check out the site – it’s full of great ideas on building a digital presence for financial professionals (and the rest of us).