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Why using unprofessional photos harms your reputation

Why unprofessional photos harm your reputation | Pulse Nigeria

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<h2>In today’s world, anything you do online that appears unprofessional or even controversial has the power to harm your reputation. </h2>

For example, if you or a company representative is caught saying something disrespectful to a customer or social media follower, it will get around, and people won’t forget. The same sentiment applies to any unprofessional photos you post, whether it’s stock photos, offensive memes, or bad photos of you and your staff members.

If you rely on online sales or conversions of any kind to run your business, you have every reason to care about (and protect) your reputation. Being committed to maintaining a professional presence online can help you avoid mistakes that can potentially hurt you.

Here’s why you need to pay close attention to how you use any type of image online.

Bad photos create bad first impressions

You’ve heard that first impressions are everything, and it’s true. A bad photo can ruin your reputation right out of the gate. It tells potential customers you’re lazy and not fully invested in your business.

Unprofessional photos of your staff can turn away customers

When potential customers are trying to narrow down several options for services, they’re more likely to choose the company with the most professional online presence. For many customers, this means judging a company by its website, which includes staff headshots from your “team” page.

If you choose to post photos of your staff, but the photos you get from them don’t look professional at a basic level, that will turn some people away. This doesn’t mean you can’t use silly or casual photos. Sometimes casual and silly photos work quite well. However, you don’t want some photos to be professional headshots and others to be candid photos taken from a distance, with a few heavily filtered photos with bunny ears in between.

The reality is not everyone is going to have a good headshot, and when most of your staff works remotely, you can’t just hire a photographer to come into the office and take everyone’s photo. If you’re serious about growing your business and establishing a positive, professional reputation, but you can’t get good headshots from everyone, try<a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://portraitpal.ai/"> Portrait Pal</a>. If you can get your staff to give you a handful of good photos, you can use them to generate professional headshots.

Posting offensive memes to social media will isolate some of your customers

Memes have become a central part of everyday life, but that doesn’t mean they should be mixed into your professional life. When you’re doom scrolling through social media, memes can be a hilarious way to relieve stress, but you don’t need to share those memes with your customers on your business page. Chances are, many of your customers probably won’t share your sense of humor, and will find it offensive and strange that you’re posting memes in the first place.

As with anything, there are always exceptions, and you might find a meme here and there that is G-rated, genuinely funny, and related to your business. However, outside of those parameters, don’t get into the habit of sharing memes to your business social media pages. No matter how cool you think your customers are, you will end up isolating segments of your market and it can stifle your ability to generate new customers.

Nobody wants to see your bathroom

It’s safe to say the “bathroom selfie” became popular when cell phones with cameras were introduced to the world since public restrooms often have giant mirrors, but those photos aren’t flattering. While we’re all used to it, nobody wants to see bathroom stall doors, toilets, urinals, or sinks in the background of your photos. If these are the kinds of photos you post, people aren’t going to take you seriously. You’ll just look like another random person uploading a bunch of selfies for attention.

Instead of taking photos in the bathroom mirror, have someone take photos of you outside the bathroom, or use a different mirror.&nbsp;

Stock photos make you look generic

It’s rare for a stock photo to provide value these days because<a data-link-role-code="open_new_tab" href="https://www.business.com/articles/stock-photography-is-ineffective-why-are-you-still-using-it/"> they miss the mark</a>. Most of today’s stock photos are a mix of amateur photography and AI-generated images and they all look the same. The more stock photos you use, the more generic your brand and services will be perceived. People want authenticity, and stock photos will never represent your brand like intentionally curated or commissioned photos.

Guard your reputation with authenticity and professionalism

Instead of taking the lazy way out and posting stock photos or random selfies, be intentional about representing yourself or your brand online. Don’t ruin your reputation by using the wrong photos.

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how social media can ruin your reputation

Why unprofessional photos harm your reputation

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