Are you a business owner, a consultant in a multi-level marketing company, an independent consultant, outside sales representative, real estate professional, hair or makeup artist? Have you ever sat down and thought about why people buy from you. They may like the product or service you are selling but they are choosing to buy it from you. You are the face of your brand. and your brand is reflection of your story. So let’s talk about your personal brand image. Your personal brandography concept.

Your Personal Brand Image

Your personal brand image is defined as the perceived impression your customers have of you and / or the products you sell. I say perceived because the impression people have of you may or may not be entirely accurate, however, that impression (accurate or not) will impact how they interact with you and ultimately whether or not they decide to make a purchase with you. So, what you need is to intentionally influence how you are perceived as it pertains to a potential client to increase their buying potential. And, all in all it starts with that very first impression. 

The First Impression

Typically, when we think of a first impression we think of that first in-person encounter. Which maybe 10 years ago that was entirely valid, but in today’s digital world, is it realistic to assume that an in-person encounter is truly the very first experience someone has with you? Not likely. Most of the time people have “met” you digitally before they met you in person and by that time they have already formed their first impression of you and your business. By the time you have a first in-person encounter its too late. As business owners and sales people, this is a paradigm shift from everything we have traditionally been taught in regards to a creating a good first impression. And, not to discount the previous pointers, such as dress, posture, mannerisms, etc … but these things are likely not creating the first impression anymore but reinforcing an already formed opinion. It gets worse … as a human race, we hate to be wrong, so if we have already formed an opinion, we subconsciously look for what we think are facts to validate our already made up mind. What?!? Yes, a first impression observation an be just that subjective. Not only that, but did you know that changing a bad first impression is really hard to do? Research shows it takes up to 8 subsequent positive interactions to change a bad first impression. 

With the increase of social media platforms allowing us to promote, socialize and interact in our digital world, publically, we must become conscience about our online impressionable presence. Yes, I said publically because even if you have set your profile to “private” their are still some aspects of visibility on many of these platforms, such as commenting on someone else’s wall or post and your profile picture. This is where many potential employers and customers alike are most likely to receive their first impression of who you are and make an opinion of your personal brand. I’ll be honest, let me share a personal story. Once I commented on a friend’s leggings and she recommended a consultant, a friend of hers, who sells them … what do you think the first thing I did was? I found this friend under the “friends list” of my friend on FaceBook and scouted out her page. Yup, and I formed an opinion about her and her business and whether or not I wanted to support her in seconds after clicking on her name … it happens all the time. And, worse yet, she had no idea… So, first things first, the first thing I saw was her name and her picture. What can your picture say about you and your brand? Well, let’s see… 

Your Impressionable Profile Photo

Your profile picture is the first thing people see no matter which social media platform they are using and regardless of whether or not your profile is set to public or private. Since its the first thing people see, your picture is what conveys your first impression. What does your picture say about you? What are your wearing in your picture? There is a lot that can be implied simply by your choice in clothing, how you wear your hair, your expression, your posture, etc …  and how it relates to you as well as to the position you seek. What you wear can tell people how professional you are, how serious you are at your job, how tidy or meticulous you are, if you are a quiet versus loud person, shy or outspoken (typically color choice relays this) … the list goes on. Pretty crazy, right? Most people throw up a profile photo without much thought to what its saying about them. And, yet if you are trying to get a job or wanting to sell something maybe its time to give your profile photos a little more thought?

A Professionally Taken Photo is a Must

A professional photo doesn’t have to be the stuffy corporate headshot that probably comes to mind. Find a photographer who will ask questions and partner with you to help you define what your brand and style is on paper. Even better work with a photographer and a marketing strategist. Then, together, strategize on how you want to portray yourself to correspond to the style and personality of your brand. You can opt for a professional photo that is modern but formal or one that is more laid-back, casual and maybe even outdoors. If you do a lot of connecting on social media, or you need to update your website, or you send out a newsletter, you may want to consider a personal branding session and not just a headshot session. A personal branding session is a lot more of an in-depth photo session designed not just to give you a somewhat stoic professional picture but to capture your unique “story”. In this manner, you are able to share tidbits of your life and what is important with your followers and potential clients through your stories. For more information on a brand photography session by Ethereal Exposures, click here. So how are you going to manage and promote your personal brand image? Have you thought about your online image before? Do you have a personal website? Resume site? LinkedIn page?

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