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Your Picture IS Worth 1,000 Words -- Putting Your Photo on Your Business Card
After you've filled your pockets with real estate brokers' business cards sporting their stamp-sized photo in the corner, you've probably wondered, "Does this really help sell houses?"
Actually, those cards don't help sell houses -- they help sell trust, honesty, reliability. That's what a real estate broker's job is, to be the trustworthy, honest, and reliable seller of homes. A photo of the broker communicates those traits to prospective clients, and it could do the same for you.
So how do you know if it's appropriate to use your photo as part of your marketing strategy? Check out this profile and see if you qualify.
- When you're in a service-oriented business. Your photo sells the service you provide, not your products. The end result of your business may be to sell a product -- like a house, for example -- but if your business is to broker that sale, you're really in a service business, and using a photo might work for you.
- When you're the center of attention. Using a photo of yourself emphasizes you more than any other aspect of your business. If you are the product and the service -- the whole package -- then a photo might help. But if your business is team-oriented, a photo of just you might not hit the mark. So consider a photo of your team as part of a company brochure or newsletter, but not for your business card.
- When you need to get personal. If you're in a business where you may dig into the personal lives of your clients, it is even more important to sell yourself. You want your clients to know not only that you're trustworthy and honest, but also discreet, considerate, and confidential. A photo can convey that message.
- When you are more important than your credentials. In some professions, your credentials are your biggest selling point. If you're a doctor or nurse, a lawyer, or an accountant, you have degrees or certificates that sell your expertise. But in other professions, you are your biggest selling point. In that case, a photo may help sell you and your business.
Idea Cafe Resources
For more on using photos as part of your design, sample these articles on importing photos into your computer and page layout programs:
From The Darkroom to the Desktop -- How to Digitize Your Photos
Photo CD -- An Inexpensive Way to Scan and Store Promo Photos
And don't forget to check out these articles as part of our whole series on business cards:
Your Online Business Card -- Don't Leave Cyberspace without It!
Colorful Business Cards that Are Easy -- and Inexpensive
Business Card Information in the Information Age
A Recipe for Homemade Biz Cards that Don't Look Homemade
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