ALPHA MALE: Why You Need To Redo Your Online Profile Photo

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Rob Babigian, GoLocalProv Men's Style Expert

In my industry of retail menswear, it is virtually a requirement in this digital age to develop and maintain a web presence and profile. Whether you are a customer buying goods, a retailer selling wares, or merely an observer surfing the machinations of the online world, social media plays a significant role in all of it nowadays.

As an individual, your online profile pictures—whether on a personal Facebook page, professional LinkedIn or corporate page, or even your Twitter feed say a lot about you. Yes, these pictures are worth a thousand words. So why do so many of these first impressions we leave like a trail of bread crumbs for all to find so often disappoint when so many of us are trying to sell our personal and/or professional brand online? Yes, folks, you can earn points for style (and depending on your goal, page views or even sales), for something as simple as a headshot.

A good friend of mine, Robyn Ivy, is a professional photographer in RI. Says Robyn, "I am happy when people use my pictures of themselves as a picture on their Facebook page or LinkedIn. But I am astounded by how bad many of my online friends' or even business clients' profile pictures are." And it is not just relegated to overblown mobile phone "selfies" (those pictures you take in a mirror or with the phone pointed at you in your other hand) either.

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"Even using a picture I did for you professionally, like at a family session, is not always appropriate," says Robyn.

Why that photo matters

I tend to agree. If you are a lawyer in a metropolitan area, how does a weekend family picture of you giving a piggyback to your child and taken by your wife convey any professionalism on your corporate law office site? Sure, you are a great dad (job #1, in my book), but is that the first impression you want your potential clients to see? Even on said lawyer's Facebook page, as online search becomes so ingrained in who we are, chances are a client will find your picture and not like what they see. And this means, your competition might close the deal instead.

It may sound extreme, but why take the chance? And that is not to say sit behind a desk with a stack of books to one side either. But I think there is a balance to strike between appropriateness and style for your individual online resume—be it professional, personal or otherwise. And you do not have to use just one across all your media! It is why as a professional, Robyn Ivy Photography, offers clients the opportunity to have a photo session devoted entirely to online profile shots. Robyn even has begun to offer a studio day on a quarterly basis devoted to client “walk-ins” so they can get a dozen or so shots “on the fly”. This requires a little more forethought by the client to be prepared as opposed to having a professional helping to style and shoot you, but it is still a great option compared to say, your best friend's Instagram picture of you holding a beer at the local pub.

Just recently, my store—WHARF—collaborated with Robyn Ivy Photography on our first, “RI Small Biz Team Up.” To help support multiple small businesses in Rhode Island, I styled and Robyn shot another local business owner, Ben Wood of Fire & Water Restaurant Group. Ben's group owns and operates Wildwood Catering (a high end catering service) as well as Caliente, Umelt and Burgershack, restaurants on the URI Kingston campus. The group is also considering an expansion into downtown Providence. All of this growth requires a more professional look as Ben is expanding his online and offline enterprises. The RI Small Biz Team Up allowed us all to get something out of the experience to use in our businesses—WHARF gets a look book of styled clothing, Ivy gets a series of portfolio shots for advertising to potential clients, and Wood gets a new series of professional looking profile pictures to use for his budding culinary empire.

Why the look matters

And it is this last point that is so poignant. You could literally see the transformation on display in the new pictures. Ben went from doting husband/father and hard-working entrepreneur/chef, dressed in his “daily comfy's” to dynamic and stylish representative of his business in styled and fitted apparel without losing any of the softer side that makes Ben, well Ben. And that is the beauty of a professional photographer at work. A pro like Robyn can breathe life into your 2-D self that you cannot in a self-taken photo or a headshot cropped from your holiday gathering picture.

There is a proliferation of connectivity in today's society here in America and abroad that requires equal parts savviness and fearlessness in order to successfully navigate the tech-infested waters of a global economy. Why risk not putting your best foot—or picture—forward to represent your personal or professional brand? It is a simple first step that can be stylishly done without feeling staged. And the benefits to you (and even your business) can be endless.

Robert Babigian is owner of WHARF Clothing & Wares, a menswear retail boutique located at 212 Westminster Street in Providence, RI. A native Rhode Islander, Rob started WHARF after 2 decades in marketing and sales to fulfill his desire to combine his loves of consumer branding, small business and style that would fulfill a niche for desirable men's clothing in the Providence market. The apparel and accessories found at WHARF reflect Rob's own personal aesthetic—a combination of traditional New England staples mixed with modern fits, construction and fabrics blended together with a touch of European style. For more tips or to shop the store, stop in and see Rob and his staff or reach them online at shopwharf.com.

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