Your Face is a Fast-tracked Trust Builder

If I had a dollar for every client who told me they didn’t want to show their face on social media, I’d be able to retire! Using photos of ourselves in our marketing as small business owners is one of the single biggest obstacles many of my clients have (especially the women).

As we all become more disconnected from everyday interactions in a store, an office, or public, re-fabricating that connection with a photo becomes a very important marketing tool. A photo of you on your brand page will nearly always get double or more engagement than a photo of something you sell.

I know you may not be a fan of coming out and showing your face. You might even not let your significant others take a photo of you, let alone post them on social media! The idea of putting yourself out there is a terrifying notion.

One of my biggest blocks was that it felt narcissistic. I felt I might turn into a massive egomaniac. I also would happily film myself but then pick my appearance to pieces while watching the reply. I have perpetually unkempt hair! It was a jarring reminder that that is not the image we carry of ourselves in our own head.?

My defining moment was booking a brand shoot. My photographer Nykie was relaxed and encouraging. She liked it when I goofed off! I was so excited to see the images. But when they arrived I was distraught. All I could see was my flaws. I posted the worst images in a? group and someone said “I’d book you just because of that expression”.

I threw back my shoulders, took a deep breath and decided to go all in and use my photos everywhere. Engagement on my posts surged. The only comments I got on my posts were about my smile and energy.

People started to message me, and ask how to be as confident as me. Some got inspired to put photos of themselves more in their social media posts. Those who were laughing near me seemed to be laughing with me. (That’s what I’m telling myself anyway!)

That first brand shoot was a defining line in the sand where I showed up, and it turned a light on in our business. I work with my husband, and a team, but I'm the face of our business. I now using my face everywhere; in my event ads, my speaking slides, and even my printed materials. It took a few years before I stopped feeling I had to apologise for having my face as part of my brand. Now, I make videos dressed up as a road cone. How things have changed.

If I wear the same clothes in meetings, or at events that are in my brand shoot, some people remark it makes them feel they can trust me more. They feel they already know me. In my events, people have said it felt they already had rapport with me before I started.?

People would mention as they became clients that seeing photos of me helped them choose me to work with. In a sea of thousands of other marketers, I somehow reflected back what they needed. It's helped us attract the right people for us.?

Of course, equally, I was repelling people all the time too. For? the first time in my life I didn't care about that. I was finding my people. Now I'm so busy with them, I've got no time or energy to worry about the people who really don't like me.?

Our business has grown into one where every client we have is the perfect fit for us and what we're good at. My photos have helped act as a filter to draw in the ones that respond best to what we do best.

Flipping the story, when I outed my creative zany fun side, in all my ageing plus-size glory, I gained an amazing community of people who weirdly love it, and are motivated by it.

But even better, it's motivated me to be show up and be myself, to explore the things I really love to do, to spend my time and energy with people who get and like me, and not be so affected by all the others who don't.

Not everyone will like us (or me). I truly understand why we fear this. I did for a very very long time. But when we show ourselves as we are, the right people like us. And that's all that counts. For business. And for life.?

(THIS IS an EXCERPT from my new book "Be a Spider, Build a Web. - Sticky Content Marketing for Small Businesses." You can win a FREE copy HERE , and one winner will also win a one-to-one content strategy session valued at $995+gst)

Rachel Klaver is a marketing strategist who teaches small businesses how to create effective content marketing webs. She's the founder of Identify Marketin g , where she teaches, coaches, and creates marketing strategy for clients. She's also the host of the popular marketing podcast MAP IT Marketing . You can find out more about her here