It's Time for Your Close Up!
First impressions are key to building trust with potential guests, and for hosts that first impression begins with profile photo.
Studies from the journal of Tourism Management confirm that hosts’ profile photos on short term rental platforms have a significant impact on guest decision-making. In fact, your profile picture may be the single most important factor in gaining trust with guests.
Within 1/10th of a second, guests infer trustworthiness from these tiny images so much so that trustworthy looking hosts are able to command higher nightly rates and a higher number of confirmed bookings. Surprisingly, in striking contrast, hosts’ reviews had no effect on rates or guest bookings.
So it’s crystal clear that a bad profile photo is bad for business. Use these helpful tips to ensure the best (trustworthy and competent) profile photo possible. It’s true, a picture is worth a thousand words (and likely thousands of dollars too)!
Eye contact
Human beings are hard-wired to gather information from other people’s faces (specifically, the eyes). This phenomenon predates language and still remains our main source of assessing threats. Facing directly into the camera will help you appear as though you are not hiding your intentions and in fact, you are to be trusted.
Do not wear sunglasses and avoid hair covering the face or eyes. Beware of glare and shadow obstructing the face and eyes.
Smile
People who smile in photos are generally considered more trustworthy than those with neutral or angry expressions. A smile with teeth is much more “likable” than a closed mouth smile, however a laughing smile is not as influential as a smile without laughing.
Join the next coaching cohort to craft a stellar property listing including a trust-evoking personal profile.
Body
Take a head to shoulders or head to waist photograph. Full body photos as well as close-ups are generally less preferred.
Attire
Surprisingly, clothes are a major influencer in guest decision-making. The more formal the attire (suit and tie for men) the higher the trustworthy and competency ratings. Ratings dip when either the suit jacket or the tie are not present.
Background
Select a light and warm background color to evoke feelings of warmth, security and confidence.
Quality
Choose a clear, high resolution image that enables potential guests to clearly see you. Avoid dark or overly color saturated images. Do not use special effects or filters.
Composition
Although you might think that the setting would have a significant impact on perceived trustworthiness, it does not. As long as your background isn’t a distraction, you can decide for yourself what background best suits your personal brand.
The right profile picture will establish the beginning of a trusting relationship between you and your future guests. Your appearance as a likable and confident individual will set the tone for your hosting abilities and bolster increased nightly pricing and higher booking rates, ultimately resulting in greater revenue.
Although on the surface it may seem rather insignificant, the right profile photo will instantly connect you more fully with potential guests and guests are more likely to book with hosts they trust.
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