Page 35 - Visual Marketing
P. 35
It’s beautiful, but it looks like it People make judgments about Success Metrics
belongs on Match.com—it’s not you within the first 3 seconds of
the you we met today.” meeting you.” Villalobos adds, • Since embracing the Michelle
that she finds most people are Villalobos personal brand and
Why It Works much more comfortable working the “Sharpie Girl” portrait,
with a person rather than a busi- Villalobos has added 15 new
Villalobos decided to prac- ness. “The Sharpie picture was corporate clients, including Burger
tice what she preaches and the catalyst that has made my King, Everglades National Park,
selected a photo of herself that image the personal brand for my LexisNexis, and Constant Contact.
emphasized her creative side. company.” Villalobos changed
Fortunately, during the photo her URL from MivistaConsulting • Villalobos’s mailing list has
sessions with photographer .com, her business name, to grown from 2,500 names to
Gio Alma she was warming up MichelleVillalobos.com to reflect more than 9,500.
with her trade tool of choice, a her personal brand, and she
handful of Sharpie markers. She now receives 45 percent of her • In the past year, revenues have
initially dismissed these photos, new business leads from Google nearly tripled.
“I thought the Sharpie pics were searches.
silly, obviously not something Takeaway Tip
I would use professionally,”
says Villalobos with a chuckle. When you are selling you (i.e., your services as
And yet, she realized that they a consultant or other professional), then having
captured the side of her that a standout photograph is crucial for marketing
resonated with clients. Villalobos online. A little creativity can transform a plain
says, “I’m blown away by how vanilla head shot into one that people will remem-
much my headshot has done ber based on the pose, facial expression, or props
to boost my business online . . . you use. Make your photograph a friendly and
accessible face for your personal brand. Clients
and prospects will respond and will remember you.
MUCH MO RE THAN JUST A W E BS I TE 14