First Impressions count in Social Networking

Posted under Online Branding by Linda Griffin

I got a kick out of Seth Godin’s ‘Tiny Picture’ blog post. Most social networking sites force you to insert your profile photo into a small handful of pixels. Seth has some great suggestions on how to use that space wisely. I’d like to offer up a recommendation that he didn’t – always put up a profile photo! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked at someone’s profile, only to see the default gray box, question mark,smiley face or whatever icon the site owners use as the default. 

When you meet someone at a networking event, you immediately form an impression based on how they look. It’s not fair but that’s the way it is. Some sources say that people form an impression about you in the first 3-5 seconds. They base that impression on how you’re dressed, whether you smile and seem approachable. Only then do they listen to the words you say. When you use social networking to build your brand online, a picture really is worth a thousand words because it must replace those clues that people would normally pick up in a face to face encounter.

What message are you sending to potential clients or business partners if your profile photo is a blank gray box? In my mind, it says that the individual is either too lazy to put in the effort or isn’t really serious about using the site. Either way, that’s not a person that I feel will bring value to me so I won’t follow them or friend them.

Other pet peeves of mine that are mentioned in Seth’s post are:

• Don’t have other people, pets, your boat or motorcycle in the photo with you. The photo is TINY! Other people and objects take up valuable space and prevent people from really seeing you.
• Smile. You want to give the impression that you would be fun to work with, not that you will be grumpy or scare small children.
• Crop your photo as tightly as you can to focus on your face. Did I mention the photo is TINY?

Putting a little effort into making a good first impression on social networking sites will give you the opportunity to make a second impression. What are your pet peeves about profile photos? Let me know in the comments. And if you want a copy of my Linked-In Profile Action Guide, you can request a copy here.

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Online Branding, personal branding, social networking

Branding Yourself three easy ways

Posted under Personal Branding Strategies by Linda Griffin

After you create your mission statement, the next step is to tie it to your business brand. It will do you no good to create a wonderful mission statement and then sit in your office waiting for the phone to ring. You must actively brand yourself and pursue your prospective customers.

 

One of the first things I recommend in branding yourself is to create a tag line and use that tag line as much as possible. It’s a quick way to tell people what to expect from your brand. Add it to your email signature line. My email signature line says: Showing you how to rise above the competition. It reflects back to my overall brand and business name which is ClearWind.

 

You want to tell everybody you encounter and work it into the conversation during networking events. Pretty soon, people will start to remember you by your tag line. Use it when you’re in line at the post office, when you’re traveling, after church when you’re socializing and at parties. Every interaction with another person is an opportunity to publicize your brand.

 

The second way you can brand yourself is with your business card. Business cards are one of the easiest ways to showcase your brand. They’re very inexpensive and you can change them frequently or have multiple versions that focus on different aspects of your brand. The key to having a memorable business card is to let it reflect your personality. Go beyond the standard templates and add a photo or graphic that highlights your unique traits.

 

The third way to brand yourself is with a web site. I believe that in today’s environment of widespread social networking, everyone should have a personal web page. At minimum you should have a profile on one or more social networking sites. Why? So that you control your brand image. You probably don’t want the pictures of you at the family reunion to be the first thing that pops up when a potential client is performing an online search on your name.

 

Try these three techniques and let me know how you make out.

 

 

Technorati Tags: personal branding, social networking