Is Your Profile Picture Sending The Message You Want?
First impressions are a thing. It doesn’t matter if you are at a party, on social media, or walking your dog. People make judgments by what they see. We are hard wired to connect with others, but if your profile picture does not connect, you may be sending the wrong message and don’t know it.
What does it take to have a good bio picture on social media? First off, it does not take having someone take professional pictures. Plenty of people have built their brand initially with selfies.
Selfie Tips
To take a decent selfie for your profile picture, look at the camera, smile and have good lighting.
When taking a selfie, it’s tempting to look at yourself because you want to make sure you look good. However, when you look at you and not the lens of the camera, you will not be looking into the eyes of your audience. People connect with people when they look each other in the eye.
You want to look friendly and approachable to your audience. People want to be hang out with people who show warmth. Your smile helps people to connect with you on a personal level and provides an air of friendliness.
Don’t hide in the shadows. Typically, the best light is natural and behind the camera. Practice spinning around before you take your selfie so you can see how the lighting makes a difference.
Something else to consider is your background. You don’t want the laundry you need to fold to be in the background. Try to find a neutral location and not have anything funky behind you.
Remember, you want to be seen as someone that others want to hang out with, the best profile pictures are from the chest or collarbone up. If you have a full body picture, it’s hard for others to see your gorgeous eyes. Looking at someone in the eyes helps to cultivate trust.
You are branding you, not your dog, family, or friends. Your profile picture needs to be of you and only you. You can share your cute puppy, beautiful kids and spouse in your posts, but not in your profile picture.
One other thing to avoid is using your logo. No one gets all warm and fuzzy with a logo. It’s YOU that people need to connect with, not some fancy graphic.
Positioning
How you hold the camera and position yourself are also important. Hold the camera up not directly in front of you. To look slimmer, use your angles. Position your shoulders and hips in opposite directions. Twist your body slightly whether standing or sitting.
How you angle your face is also important. Stick you chin out slightly and down then tilt your head.
Practice
Try out different locations at home and when you are out and about. Take multiple pictures. Smile a little. Smile a lot. Tilt your head differently. Have fun. Get inspired by someone who you admire on social media. Look at their pictures and think about why do you like them. How are they positioned? What are they doing? If you find someone’s profile picture you really like, try to mimic it and see if it works for you.
Be Consistent
Use the same picture across platforms. You want people to recognize you. Don’t change it too often. People get used to seeing your picture and will remember you more if you are not always changing.
I hope you found these words useful and perhaps inspiring. I would love for you to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I am Alanda Carter on all the socials.
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