The Power Of Your Profile Picture

IF A PICTURE SAYS A THOUSAND WORDS, WHAT WORDS DOES YOUR PROFILE PICTURE SAY?

LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms are important tools to selling you and your business. Your profile picture sets the stage by sending a positive (or not) first impression. What does your profile picture say about you? Does is say polished, professional, competent and smart? Or does it say something else? Both your personal and professional social media pages contribute to building your own “personal brand”.

Photo of Victoria Adams, Creative Director, Excentric • Photography by Dwayne Brown

You are unique, you have a skill set to offer the world, friends and employers have an opinion about you. That is the general definition of a personal brand.

WHAT’S YOUR PERSONA?

When it comes to your profile picture, and your personal brand – invest in the best. It’s what I recommend to all my clients. We often coordinate with a professional photographer on behalf of our clients and can even art direct the photo shoot when needed. We start by brainstorming with the photographer to determine the style and persona our client wants to portray and determine the location and style of photography.

AN OBVIOUS (YET COMMON) NO NO!

Having no online presence is a liability if you are a professional.

Don’t choose default icons.

INVEST IN YOURSELF

It pays in spades to work with a professional. They will work with you to capture the perfect profile image that will leave a positive impression.

Recently, I decided to practice what I preach and hired one of my favourite photographers, Dwayne Brown, to update my profile picture. Check out my LinkedIn profile to see which photo I selected. And feel free to add me as a contact while you are at it.

Do you want to learn more about personal branding? Terry O’Reilly, the creator of Under the Influence on CBC Radio One, wrote an excellent article on Selling Yourself, the Art of Personal Branding. It’s a great read, and you’ll have a laugh.