The Importance of Self Photos in Social Media

Recently I came across a social media widget that I just didn’t understand the purpose of. I mean, why would anyone want to take a picture of him- or herself every day and post it on their blog or website for others to see? At first glance, that just seemed so self-centered and conceited to me.

Then I remembered what makes social media so powerful for building business relationships with your customers. Social media allows consumers to get to know the real you, not just a manufactured or staged business persona. Social media provides the opportunity to be transparent and authentic.

What better way to showcase the brand of You than to document different sides of your personality with a daily picture. Then take a sequence of those photo-booth style photos, switching up the pose a bit each time, and animate them with a flipbook type of action.

Two free services that do this are: Dailymugshot.com and DailyBooth.com.

With these kinds of widgets on your blog or website, your potential customers will no longer have to wonder if that static image on your site is truly of you, or if it is perhaps from a few years back, a few pounds lighter, or a few too many touches of Photoshop, etc. And, they won’t have to guess about the personality behind that single point-in-time snapshot either.

Who knows, once you start getting used to being more relaxed in your social media presence, you might also get more relaxed in other aspects of your business interactions with others, too. Maybe your next step might be to even consider graduating to making online business videos, too. But, we’ll take one step at a time for now.

So, do not even think about using the excuse that the camera doesn’t like you. Whether you think you are photogenic or not, it’s time to get out from behind the camera and start getting in front of the camera. Be the person that your customer would meet if they came into your store. You wouldn’t just hold up a poster of yourself when they walked into your store, would you? So why hide behind one static old photo of yourself on a website or blog.

Get a bit creative, and post other personality-revealing photos of yourself, too, but be sure to keep it professional, for example include photos from attending events or participating in other business-related activities. Be proud of who you are and what you do. Show your authentic self.

And remember, being authentic and transparent doesn’t require that everything be perfectly planned out and stiffly pre-arranged. A little spontaneity and naturalness by just being yourself is exactly what your potential customers are looking for. They want to know if they can trust you before they bring their business to you.

To read more articles written by Helen Hoefele, visit her blog at: http://www.Figmentations.com where she focuses on writing thoughtful articles that encourage more people to think in ways that are constructive to improving their lives and the world around them. On her blog, you can easily subscribe to her free (only once monthly) newsletter. You can also follow her on Twitter at: figmentations.

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