Consistency in your profile photo: the importance, rationale and contribution to personal branding

Many of us (all of us?) are active on more than one social network.

Each platform has its own unique style and tone; each network has its particular rules and user interface; and often there are even differences in the algorithms of the various platforms. A smart management strategy for your professional and personal brand is such that adjusts the message, design, timing and other parameters to the distinct character of each platform.

Besides catering to the uniqueness of each network, maintaining consistency between social media channels can have a huge impact on your reputation and personal branding.

One of the most effective ways to create such consistency is to use the same profile picture in all the social media channels you are active on.

If you’ve created an excellent profile picture, one that works for you, just stick with it. Our profile picture is our showcase and a key factor in the first impression we leave on visitors who check out our profile pages. If these visitors are methodically and repeatedly exposed to the same profile picture on all social media platforms, their long-term memory processing will be more effective (encoding => storage), and they will begin to quickly recognize your brand (retrieval from the memory of the scheme: picture + name). I assume most of us want to be remembered…

Such is the case when developing and managing a commercial brand, but the same goes for personal branding too. Consistency increases recall rate and recognizability, and boosts confidence. All of these have a positive impact on the visitor’s desire to make a purchase.

Picture yourself entering a chain store in a foreign country and the feeling you get when you recognize a familiar packaging of a beloved brand on the shelf.

Your profile picture is part of your packaging. You are the brand.

Your image should be eternal (well, maybe that’s a stretch...). There is no need to change your profile picture every week, or even every month. The longer you can use the same profile picture, the better.

Make sure your profile picture illustrates who you are professionally, personally and ethically.

And now, a short exercise:

Take 10 minutes to check your profile picture on all the social networks and other digital channels you are active on. Answer the following two questions:

   1. Are you using the same profile picture on all or most networks?

   2. Are you satisfied with your profile picture?

If the answer to one of them is “no”, make corrections accordingly. Remember that you never get a second chance to make a first impression...

These are the professional networks I am active on, and you will find the same profile picture in almost* all of them:

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• My personal website: tomerzuker.com
• WhatsApp
• Instagram
• Quora
• Medium
• TikTok
• Telegram
• meetup
• Various Google services
• Various Microsoft services

 Ready for a Challenge?

 * I wrote "almost" earlier. In two of the networks I mentioned above I use a different profile picture than the one I use in the other networks. One network is accessible to anyone and the other is partially accessible. If you’ve figured out where I deviated from the rule, send me a private message or leave a comment below and we'll see if you managed to catch my glitch...

Bottom Line:

Consistent use of a single profile picture will enhance your brand recognition among your target audiences and thus strengthen your personal branding. It is best not to make frequent changes to your profile picture. Such consistency is a powerful tool not only on social media but also in other important interfaces, such as:

 ?      Your resume (if you tend to include a photo)

?      Articles and PR interviews you publish

?      Invitations to events and conferences you attend

?      Banners and advertisements in which you are featured

 And now, Say Cheese!