LNCPracticeBuilder.com Blog

Just the other day a client asked me about putting her photograph on her business cards. I find that as a marketing professional, I field that question at least once a month. So, I found it ironic that one of my favorite blogs addressed the same subject this week and I was inspired to tackle the question on my own blog.

Should you put your photo on your website or business card or other marketing materials? Yes, well… maybe. How’s that for being definitive? My hesitation is two-fold. First, how thick skinned are you? I am speaking to women for a moment; we are generally very hard on our own. We comment secretly (and often not so secretly) about the woman hair across the room; her clothes and God-forbid her shoes. If you look good and you know it than paste away. Secondly, you run into the other problem that women have faced for years…being judged by our outsides rather than our skill and achievements. When you put your photo on your marketing materials you are inviting a potential client with their own set of prejudices, to consider how you look along with what you may have achieved.

The “yes” argument for a photo on your Legal Nurse Consultant marketing materials is that it humanizes you and makes you stand out. It can also give the attorney an immediate impression of how you will appear in court. But much like online dating, the photograph of you needs to actually look like you and be taken within the last three (3) months. If you do decide to put a photo on, there are a few rules you should follow:

1.  Make it discreet and fit the theme of the piece. If you are using it on your website, a perfect place to put it is on the “About Us” page.  And make it relevant to the message you’re trying to convey. Don’t put a photograph of you and your grandchildren on a postcard you’re mailing out to clients. (It has happened and I couldn’t talk the client out of it.)
2. Make it a good one. If you think that a camera phone headshot or the same one you have on your Facebook page will do then think again. You need to have your photos taken by a professional photographer? If you can’t afford one then don’t use one. Just as you wouldn’t recommend an attorney using a medical assistant to review their cases, don’t use your nephews Christmas shot of you for your marketing materials.
3. Dress professionally. Ok, this should be a given but it isn’t. Wear appropriate clothes that don’t scream ‘Crazy!” No complicated patterns or day-glow purple. Dress as if you were going to court.
4. Be energetic and smile. Don’t make it look as though it’s your LNC mug shot. Think of something funny and laugh. Now that will humanize you.
5. My personal favorite. Even if it’s only a headshot, wear great shoes. Preferably 3 inches or higher. Nothing makes you feel better than a great pair of Jimmy Chou’s. No one else may ever see them, but you will know that they are there and you will carry yourself differently.

 For these and other Legal Nurse Consulting marketing tips, visit our website at lncpracticebuilder.com .

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