When stepping into the world of Social Media, one of the first things any platform (such as LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter or Facebook) will ask you to do is upload a ‘Profile Picture’. Most people don’t like this step and many tend to skip it (probably because people tend not to like seeing themselves in photos!)
But having a photo of yourself for your various Social Media accounts is a crucial part of building client trust online. Neglecting to include a photo of yourself on Social Media not only looks lazy, but you are limiting your ability to begin forming relationships with prospective clients online (who wants to place their financial future in the hands of someone they’re not sure even exists?)
So today we present Part 1 of ‘The 8 Golden Rules of Profile Pictures’. How many of these boxes does your current Profile Picture tick?
- Golden Rule 1. YOU MUST HAVE A PHOTO! I know I am sounding like a broken record, but this can’t be understated. Yes, most people hate their own photos (and it is even worse with videos of themselves). But to be blunt, you need to get over it – by neglecting to show your potential clients your face online, you are costing yourself seriously by dampening (or even nullifying) the positive effect of anything else you are doing through Social Media (we also mentioned this in our Tip 7 Video).
- Golden Rule 2. Your face must be recognisable in your photo (i.e. a zoomed out photo or a group shot won’t cut the mustard). When you are a Social Adviser and meet a client for the first time in the flesh, they will jump up and greet you by name because they have seen photos (and videos) of you. They will speak like they know you, trust is already formed and they are ready to do business. Don’t mess with this process with a photo that doesn’t represent your face well.
- Golden Rule 3. Don’t cross your arms… ever. You may think this looks cool, but most people think it is an example of poor and uninviting body language. Would you ever cross your arms in front of a client unless you were firing them? So don’t do it in your Profile Picture.
- Golden Rule 4. You don’t have to be smiling. I’m not smiling in my photo at the bottom of this email because I regard myself as passionate, serious, motivated and thoughtful, and I like my Social Media profiles to represent that. Conversely, if you happen to be quite jovial and smile a lot, you need to reflect this in your Profile Picture. The key here is to set expectations from the outset – your Profile Picture is a reflection of who you are.
Part 2 is now online, check it out!