I recently came across a LinkedIn discussion asking if you would ever do business with someone with no LinkedIn photo, and why. This is an excellent question that deserves discussion.

One of the commenters mentioned that at first, she thought that because it was a professional network, and not Facebook, that there was no need for people to see what she looked like. Many other profiles on LinkedIn at that time did not have a profile picture, she reasoned.

As the site grew, so did the profiles with pictures. People realized their importance in branding, and she added one because she did not want to be left out. Slowly, she came to see the necessity in the photo.

Whatever your stated purpose is for your LinkedIn account, people need to see who you are. If you are job hunting, you are branding yourself to future employers, and the picture is a huge part of that process. Your prospective employer wants to make sure your tattoos and piercings aren’t showing. They don’t want to hire someone who will show up in biker gear when they need to be wearing a suit. They’re just looking for someone who has put the time and effort into being professional and presentable.

If you are in business for yourself, you are branding yourself to potential customers, and they will want to see what you look like before they solicit your services. They have an investment in making sure that you are both kempt and competent, and a picture goes a long way in establishing that trust.

Me personally? I would never do business with someone that I met on LinkedIn who didn’t have a photo. That’s not being shallow and evaluating looks. That’s being thorough and only using someone who has taken the necessary steps to be professional, on a professional network. I’m a writer, and I see the value in the statement that a picture is worth a thousand words. It shows the full out commitment to your intentions, and that is important.

Matt Brennan is a Chicago-area marketing writer and copy editor. He is also the author of Write Right-Sell Now.