This is really a pet peeve of mine.

Designers: Why do so many of you resist putting a photo of yourself on the “About Us” section of your website?

And it frustrates me not just because I personally like to see the picture of who I’m dealing with or who I’m going to buy from.

Here are a few of the main reasons YOU, indie designers, need to put your picture on your site:

• People don’t relate to inanimate objects. A logo is not alive. If you believe in relationship marketing at all – and I believe in it a LOT –  then give the consumer someone to relate to.
• You’re not selling just a product. You’re selling the culture of your business, the lifestyle, you’re selling your personality! Oftentimes, part of why they buy from you is that they want to BE you. So they need to see you.
• People buy from those they know, like and trust. When they look into your eyes and see your smile, they get a read on you and if they want to hang around long enough to see if they should buy.
• The days of the aloof company are long over. You have something over big brands, you have a FACE behind the brand. This is a huge advantage and something the GAP doesn’t have, so use it.
• If your goal is to acquire a customer, a long-term buyer and not just the quick sale, we need to be real people and show ourselves.
• We live in an increasingly transparent society. Hiding behind logos or cartoons on your site or in social media is just bad for business. It makes people uncomfortable in ways they don’t even consciously understand.  It’s a “what is she hiding?” sort of thing.

Also, you want to put the same picture on each social media platform. This way a quick glance tells the consumer it’s you. There’s a certain comfort and safety to it that we like. It’s just human nature.

And here’s another tip. Consider what your photo says about yourself. If you look at mine above, it tells you things. It says:

• I am a casual person (wearing a T-shirt)
• I am creative (the dotted background)
• I’m not fussy (my hair’s a little messy and I’m not afraid to show my forehead wrinkles)
• I look honest (I have a Midwestern look that’s easy to understand)

Then it gives the consumer a choice. Does this look like a person you’d want to work with or not? If she’s not your style, click away and save the tire-kicking. If she is your style, keep exploring the website and let’s see if we want to connect.

Here’s a terrific example of a designer who understands that part of why people buy   from him is because he’s cool. – Diego Rocha gets it and uses it to his advantage. Check out this picture below – who wouldn’t want to buy from this dude? The message we get is “My coolness factor will go up and I’ll be in style if I buy one of these bags”.

So what do you think? Do you agree with what I say or not? Leave a comment below and let’s get a discussion going! You can also post comments here, on facebook.

I really want to know what you think!