I subscribe to a number of blogs and online newsletters and pass along articles I find to be particularly applicable to our CTMH businesses. This one I found to be very timely and made me think. Because our team is diverse in locale and size, unless I've had the pleasure of meeting you at convention on other team events, you may not know who I am or what I look like. It's the same for many of your current and potential future customers or team members. Your Facebook page or other social media sites become a place for that all important first impression. In this day of easily accessed information, if a customers goes on to the CTMH consultant locator and has a choice of consultants, they might "google" the names to see what they can find out about you. What is the first impression they would get of you? What does your profile picture say about who you are? Do you need to update/change it? Try asking your friends to see what they say.
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| I had a professional headshot taken and used a photo from the Costa Rica incentive trip as my cover. I change my cover from time to time. |
By Jennifer Fong
For example, someone I know was considering joining a network marketing company. This was a pretty experienced person who could build a large team fairly quickly. It was one of those people you hope you can find for your team. They were matched with a potential sponsor who would be this person’s upline. When checking out this potential upline, my friend noticed that their profile picture was pretty off-putting. It was a photo that was a visual representation of a cause this person was very passionate about. And while my friend was on the same page as the potential upline about the cause, he found the profile photo to be a bit disturbing, and it caused him to reconsider joining this person’s team.
First impressions are a big deal.
Now this potential upline only used this photo for her personal profile picture. Her business presence had a different photo. But because she connected with my friend using her personal profile, and because of Facebook’s algorithm, my friend saw her mainly online through her personal profile. Every time my friend interacted with this potential upline, it was with this photo. And every time it turned my friend off.
You may think your business and personal profiles are separate. But if you intend to interact with potential customers and recruits online at all, what you do on your personal profile still matters.
Here are some tips for choosing an appropriate profile photo:
- Choose a Good Headshot – Your profile photo is your first “face-to-face” contact with someone online. It is the picture people will see EVERY TIME they interact with you. Choose a good photo of your face. It just makes sense. If it’s your personal profile you might include family members in this photo too, if you want to. But make sure your face is prominent.
- DON’T Use Your Logo – People connect with PEOPLE, not logos. Help people feel more connected with you by using your photo instead of an impersonal logo.
- DON’T Use Celebrity Photos – If you are doing business online, using celebrity photos makes you look unprofessional. If you are crazy about Justin Bieber, share a photo on your timeline, but help people connect with YOU by using your own photo as your profile photo.
- Save Your Cause for Your Posts – Of course you’re passionate about certain causes. Everyone is. But use your timeline posts for these causes. Let people connect with you first, and then you can share your cause once they get to know you.
Choosing a good profile photo matters a great deal when you plan to do business with online contacts. Make sure you consider the impression you’re giving. What tips would you give for profile photos? What have you seen that has turned you off? Would love to read your comments below.
Copyright © 2014 Direct Sales and Social Media | Jennifer Fong's Blog
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