Real Estate Marketing - What Does Your Head Shot Say About You?

Real estate marketing pretty much comes down to business cards, advertising, networking, social media, websites, blogs, signage and open houses. As much as we'd like to pretend otherwise, how we look counts for a lot. Since many real estate agents include their head shot on business cards, For Sale signs, advertising and more, it's important to think about what your photo says about you.

Your Real Esate Agent Head Shot Is Key to Your Business Image

Your head shot communicates a lot about you as a real estate agent and gives your prospective clients a sense of what it might be like working with you.

Subtle things like the lighting, angle of your head, and your wardrobe and hairstyle communicate a bit about your personality.

People make assumptions, rightly or wrongly and it happens in an instant. Here are some of the adjectives you’ll likely want your real estate clients, fellow agents, and the general public to think about you when looking at your head shot:

• Professional
• Trustworthy
• Easy to talk to
• Caring
• Personable
• Knowledgeable
• Contemporary
• Friendly
• Smart

Who doesn't hate getting their picture taken? We're rarely as young, rested, or thin as we'd like, and when was your last perfect hair day?

Fortunately we don't have to be "perfect" in real life to get our head shot taken because photo editing programs like PhotoShop can be used to camouflage those bags under our eyes and minimize wrinkles. Though you don't want to go overboard. After all, you want your real estate clients and fellow agents to still recognize you when they see you in person!

There's no advantage to using the same real estate agent head shot for 20 years unless you really haven't changed much. Otherwise, you're only going to look worse when they meet you in person because they'll be comparing you to their outdated mental image.

Whether you're a real estate agent, home stager, or decorator, please share your thoughts on this topic. Have you had a professional head shot taken or did you get a friend to shoot your photo? What tips would you share with other real estate agents and home stagers?

Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Home Staging and Voice Of Possibility Group Inc.

Debra Gould has an MBA in Marketing and has worked with hundreds of real estate agents. She developed the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to teach others how to earn a living from their creative talent by decorating homes to sell. Debra is frequently profiled in the media for her staging and real estate expertise and is the author of  Staging Diva Ultimate Portfolio Guide: Winning Clients With The Perfect Home Staging Portfolio which includes a whole section on getting the right head shot for your home staging marketing.