Does A Photo On Your Site Really Increase Business?

Hello World,

Today, I just want to give some of my thoughts about placing photos on websites. I decided to keep today somewhat light-hearted. Yesterday, January 18, 2006, was a benchmark day for me. Over the five years that I have been active on the internet, it was not until yesterday that I placed my first photo online.

Within the past year, the pressure has been on to place a photo of myself at a few of my affiliate sites. Certainly, I don’t want to place photos on all the sites I join because often I join to research and test various programs. When I am satisfied the programs or systems do all they say they do and is indeed a useful tool for internet marketers, only then will I recommend them. In fact, I probably need to take the time to unsubscribe to some of them, many which I have even forgot I joined.

However, I really love researching and testing out products, services and programs. I guess some things are just difficult to get out your blood. Prior to entering my entrepreneurial mode, I worked for the Ohio Department of Corrections. One of the positions I held was, Inspector of Institutional Services. My major responsibility was to review institutional programs and services, ensuring they were in compliance with departmental policy and guidelines, state and federal laws. When they were not I made recommendations to bring them in compliance. Of the several positions I held, this was definitely my favorite one. It seems very natural transferring the skills I acquired in that position to internet marketing.

Anyway, back to placing my personal photo online. One of the reasons I have delayed placing my photo on the internet is because I was a previous employee of the Department of Corrections. So now I have come to this conclusion; after 12 years, if someone was going to come after they have had plenty time to do it. Also, in this information age it is very easy to locate almost anyone. Oh, I do want to just mention I became the department’s fourth female Deputy Warden of Programs in the state of Ohio for male prisons.

Let me get back on track here. I have read several articles from the experts and gurus in the industry regarding the importance of having your photo on your web site. One of the reasons given is people want to see who they are doing business with, they feel like they know you and are more inclined to join your program and buy from you.

Yet, when I have considered all the programs and business opportunities I joined or products and services I purchased, there was not one single time did I make the decision based upon a photo at the site. I took action to buy or join solely based upon the words used in the text ad. First, the ad was compelling enough to want me to read more. Secondly, it seemed to fulfill a need that I had or satisfy a desire I had - to accomplish something I wanted to do. Next, it was affordable and within my budget. Lastly, others were cited as having experienced success with it. Yes, testimonials most definitely played a part in my online purchasing decisions.

Despite my feelings and thoughts on this, others seemed to think a photo on your web site is a “Big Deal”. I even recently joined a program which will not pay your commission unless you have placed your photo on your affiliate site. I really like the program, I heavily promote the program, so needless to say this served as the catapulting force to get this photo business taken care of once and for all.

So some time back, I turned to my friend, Jeneene Crowell, insurance agent for Glenn Crowell Nationwide Insurance Agency. Jeneene and I have been doing business together for several years. Our offices are in the same building. When I need homeowner’s insurance coverage binders for the mortgage loans I process, Janeene provides excellent and fast service. She calls the borrower immediately, takes the application promptly and gets right out there taking pictures of the property.

I stopped Janeene one day in the hall and told her I really needed to get my photo on my affiliate web sites, could she take some pictures. Of course she agreed. Janeene really got into my posing for these photos. When we were finished, she said I email them right away to you, Christine. Well, I waited over a month still no photos sent to my email. I’m thinking this totally unlike Janeene. I gave Janeene a call and asked, did you forget to email me my photos? Her tone sounded a little strange when she said yeah, I did forget. I’ll do it right now. After, I opened the attachment and saw the photos, I couldn’t call Janeene back fast enough. When she answered, I blurted out, now I see why it took you over a month to email these pictures. We both burst out laughing! She said I don't why it is, but those pictures don't do you justice!

I saved the pictures to my hard drive and just sort of forgot they were there until this week. I received an email from one of my Global Domain International upline sponsors who said he visited my RangeWorldWide.com web site and it would have been nice to see my picture. That did it! I veered totally from my “things to do” list, just to place a photo on at least one of my sites.

My first attempt was to place it on www.RangeWorldwide.com. Obviously, I had not resized it correctly because the photo did not display. I am a firm believer in not wasting a whole lot of time on things I don’t know that much about. Find an alternative. So I go to www.Blogger.com and decided to see how to place a photo on my blog right here:
www.rangeonlineworldwide.blogspot.com. It asked for the URL where the photo was located, then reads, Find out how to get free “photo hosting”. I clicked the button. And, this is what I got....

Introducing BloggerBot: Now you can use Hello to publish pictures to any Blogger blog.

Meet BloggerBot: Just use Hello to send your pictures to BloggerBot. BloggerBot will automatically resize your JPG pictures, add captions and publish your photos to the web. You don’t have to resize by hand, transfer files, format, HTML post or even find a place to host your image –Hello does all the work for you. And it’s totally free. This is EXACTLY what I needed!

To get started you need to be a Blogger.com member. Through Blogger Bot’s partnership with Google they offer all Blogspot members free image hosting. If you’re hosting your own Blogger blog , you can use Hello to transfer pictures to your own server too. Hello also provides access to download Picasa, picture organization software, that manages all your pictures.

Thanks to Blogger.com, BloggerBot, Hello and Picasa, I was able to publish my first online photo to my first blogger site! It was a breeze and I would recommend this photo management account to anyone, especially if you are unfamiliar with this whole photo publishing thing.

Thanks to www.DirectMatches.com, I was able to place my photo on my Business and Social Network site at: http://www.directmatches.com/crange
Actually here it was even easier – I just emailed my photo to their help email address and they place it on my affiliate site.

Well, I am totally off schedule placing photos online. However, now that it’s done, I am anxiously awaiting for all those new sign-ups and purchases from visitors to my site who can now see my face and feel more comfortable joining my programs and purchasing the products and services I promote.

Enjoy for now, photos SOON to be removed and replaced!

Christine Range
www.RangeWorldWide.com