Whether you're a professional, business owner, or simply someone who's interested in your personal brand, having a social media profile has become essential.
Social media has become a powerful branding tool, which is why it's really important that you establish a good presence in social networking sites that enable you to reach out to the audience you want and engage your customers.
Though some may disagree with this, but having a good profile photo that represents you is also critical.
This is how people identify you online - no one really wants to interact with a faceless identity - people want to know with whom they're interacting with, and a photo helps them do that.
So what are some good practices in choosing a profile photo to help represent you and your brand? 1.
Your profile photo should be a photo of you Though some people enjoy using an avatar or logo as their profile photo, the best representation of you is still a real photo of you.
It really helps your personal brand if people can identify you through your photo, and they're not going to be able to do that if you have a logo, avatar, caricature, or cartoon character up as your profile photo.
Also, though some people enjoy putting up a profile picture that includes their significant other, children, and even a group shot, this is not a good idea.
After all, you don't want people who visit your profile to have to guess who you are in the picture.
And it's not very appropriate, especially when you want to convey a professional image.
2.
Make it a recent headshot photo that shows your features clearly A recent headshot makes a great profile photo, but make sure it shows your features clearly.
You want people to recognize you, especially when they meet you in person.
You don't want them to be surprised when they see you in person, because it seems that you've been using a photo of you that was taken more than ten years ago.
A blurry image or a body shot is also not a good idea, since this is not going to represent you well.
3.
Make the picture a good representation of what you do If you're a professional, such as a journalist or a doctor for example, a good photo would be a headshot of you with a background of where you work; you can either go casual or formal, whichever you prefer.
If you're a fashion designer, you may want to dress up a bit to show off your fashion sense.
Or if you're a writer, your profile picture could be a relaxed photo of you in your worktable.
4.
Get a professional photo done You can also consider getting a professional photo done since you want a really good profile picture to represent your online identity.
But make sure that the make up artist or photographer doesn't change or edit your looks so much, since you still want the photo to be an accurate representation of how you look.
But a professional photo can be a really good thing, especially for job seekers who want to make a good impression.
5.
Look and appear natural You can also go for a more natural look since this helps people relate with you more and see your personality.
You can have a friend or family member snap a happy picture of you where you're in a comfortable place and in a relaxed atmosphere.
6.
Use your profile photo consistently Though you may want to use different photos for your different social media profiles, it is far better to use one photo consistently across the board.
This really helps identify you as the person behind the name, so that no matter where you post, comment or participate in, people will immediately know that it's you.
Some people even put their online profile photo on their business card, so that when they give it out in events, people will be able to identify them with their online identity.
It really helps with their personal branding campaign.
In addition to your profile photo, you should also be careful about any photos that you share online.
Since other people are going to be able to see them, you should ensure that none of them place you in a negative light.
You should especially be on the lookout for photos that your friends tag you in - this is where it's a good idea to review your social media settings to see who has the ability to tag you indiscriminately.
You can actually change this setting so that you have to approve a photo before you're tagged on it.
Remember - you should really be on the lookout for your "look" online.
Make sure that your profile photo is a good representation of who you are, and always monitor the pictures you post as well as the pictures you're tagged on.
Social media has become a powerful branding tool, which is why it's really important that you establish a good presence in social networking sites that enable you to reach out to the audience you want and engage your customers.
Though some may disagree with this, but having a good profile photo that represents you is also critical.
This is how people identify you online - no one really wants to interact with a faceless identity - people want to know with whom they're interacting with, and a photo helps them do that.
So what are some good practices in choosing a profile photo to help represent you and your brand? 1.
Your profile photo should be a photo of you Though some people enjoy using an avatar or logo as their profile photo, the best representation of you is still a real photo of you.
It really helps your personal brand if people can identify you through your photo, and they're not going to be able to do that if you have a logo, avatar, caricature, or cartoon character up as your profile photo.
Also, though some people enjoy putting up a profile picture that includes their significant other, children, and even a group shot, this is not a good idea.
After all, you don't want people who visit your profile to have to guess who you are in the picture.
And it's not very appropriate, especially when you want to convey a professional image.
2.
Make it a recent headshot photo that shows your features clearly A recent headshot makes a great profile photo, but make sure it shows your features clearly.
You want people to recognize you, especially when they meet you in person.
You don't want them to be surprised when they see you in person, because it seems that you've been using a photo of you that was taken more than ten years ago.
A blurry image or a body shot is also not a good idea, since this is not going to represent you well.
3.
Make the picture a good representation of what you do If you're a professional, such as a journalist or a doctor for example, a good photo would be a headshot of you with a background of where you work; you can either go casual or formal, whichever you prefer.
If you're a fashion designer, you may want to dress up a bit to show off your fashion sense.
Or if you're a writer, your profile picture could be a relaxed photo of you in your worktable.
4.
Get a professional photo done You can also consider getting a professional photo done since you want a really good profile picture to represent your online identity.
But make sure that the make up artist or photographer doesn't change or edit your looks so much, since you still want the photo to be an accurate representation of how you look.
But a professional photo can be a really good thing, especially for job seekers who want to make a good impression.
5.
Look and appear natural You can also go for a more natural look since this helps people relate with you more and see your personality.
You can have a friend or family member snap a happy picture of you where you're in a comfortable place and in a relaxed atmosphere.
6.
Use your profile photo consistently Though you may want to use different photos for your different social media profiles, it is far better to use one photo consistently across the board.
This really helps identify you as the person behind the name, so that no matter where you post, comment or participate in, people will immediately know that it's you.
Some people even put their online profile photo on their business card, so that when they give it out in events, people will be able to identify them with their online identity.
It really helps with their personal branding campaign.
In addition to your profile photo, you should also be careful about any photos that you share online.
Since other people are going to be able to see them, you should ensure that none of them place you in a negative light.
You should especially be on the lookout for photos that your friends tag you in - this is where it's a good idea to review your social media settings to see who has the ability to tag you indiscriminately.
You can actually change this setting so that you have to approve a photo before you're tagged on it.
Remember - you should really be on the lookout for your "look" online.
Make sure that your profile photo is a good representation of who you are, and always monitor the pictures you post as well as the pictures you're tagged on.
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