If you’re serious about creating a great first impression online, you need to have great photos that are going to inspire trust in patients.
But, what kind of photos are best?
Here are three must-have photos you’ll need for online marketing:
1). Headshot
This is perhaps the most important photo of the three. A good, high-quality headshot photo will make you look more professional, trustworthy, and authoritative.
When having your headshot photo taken, be sure to look directly into the camera. A warm smile will also help establish a greater sense of comfort with potential new patients.
This photo should be used on your home page, about page, and sometimes on the appointments page.
As a bonus, you’ll be able to use this photo in many other areas as well, including as part of some social media images or YouTube thumbnails.
2). Website Hero Image
This is where action shots can be great. Having a picture of you consulting a patient can make a positive impression as a hero image (or header image) on your website.
It’s usually best if you’re positioned on the far left of the frame, leaving room for text and calls to action.
Plus, you should be using a responsive design for your website, meaning that everything scales down for mobile devices. Images and content are then sorted left-to-right, so patients can still see you when visiting a phone.
Similar to the headshot photo, you’ll want to make sure your facial expressions are warm and engaging. Your body language should reflect a warmness as well.
3). Avatar
This is the image you can use for all of your social media platforms.
You can use your headshot photo, but it’s nice to have a slight change from your website. Regardless, you’ll want to have the same avatar for all of your social media channels.
Pro Tip
Take a lot of photos for all three and in different settings. This will give you the widest range to select what you feel represents you best.
Plus, as any good digital marketing expert will tell you, you can never have too many images to choose from and use. Trust me, you’ll have a lot more uses for many different kinds of photos than you may think.
Bonus Photo Idea
It may sound strange, but I would encourage you to consider taking and adding some lifestyle photos to your photoshoot list.
Allowing patients to see a more personal side of you from time to time is another way to build credibility and trust online.
Here are a few ideas to help get you started:
- Having coffee
- Exercising
- Being with your family or playing with your children
- Playing with your pets
- Participating in a hobby
- Talking on the phone or sending a text
- Preparing a meal
- Relaxing in your home
Having great photos will go a long way in helping you succeed in attracting patients through online marketing.
Before you schedule your photoshoot, be sure to take note of the list above, and create a checklist of shots you will need and your ideas for them. Trust me, it’s not a great feeling to wrap up a photoshoot and realize when it’s too late that a key image was forgotten.
