Your Profile Picture is Very Important:
When people visit your website, or one of your social media accounts, it is important to have a good profile picture of yourself. People want to see who they are dealing with. If your picture is out of focus, or poor quality, it does not leave a good impression.
Also, if you look unprofessional in your profile picture people may not trust you. If they don’t trust you, they won’t buy from you.
Here are some tips for picking the best profile picture:
- Dress professionally for your photo. If you are wearing old clothing or funky clothing you will not look as professional as you would if you were wearing a suit or a white blouse and blazer.
- Make it a head-shot. When you use a head-shot, it looks more professional and people will be able to easily see what you look like. If the photo is of your whole body, they won’t clearly see your face. Your face is what they want to see.
- Look head on. Some people, especially women, tend to tilt their head. It is ok to have a slight tilt to look natural, but don’t tilt your head too much. Look straight at the camera. It gives a more professional look, and you look like you have confidence.
- Some photos I have seen show only part of the face. So, don’t look down, to the side, or try to get fancy and cut the face in half. Show your whole face so you don’t look like you are trying to hide something.
- Take notice of the background. Avoid vacation photos. Your background should be business like, plain or neutral.
Once you have a good photo, you can test it. Go to PhotoFeeler and upload your picture. It is free if you vote on a few photos. Within a few hours you will have some feedback on your profile picture. People will score you on how competent you look, how likable you look and how influential you look. They also can leave a short comment.
I know criticism can be hard to take, which made me a little hesitant to try it. But, I did and I got some great feedback. I changed the photo of me on my site to a new one that did well in the feedback. Then I updated my profile picture on all my social media accounts. We all want to look competent, likable and influential. With this tool, you can put forward the best you!