Saturday, March 30, 2013

The Importance of the Profile Picture


When presenting yourself on social media, the first thing that any one person is attracted to when looking at your profile is your profile picture. Your profile picture, also known as an avatar, is the main attraction of your page; it sets the tone and allows your audience to get a feel for whom you are. Your avatar helps to aid you in developing either your personal or public brand. Here are a few things to consider when choosing a profile picture for your personal page or your professional/company page:


Personal Avatar:
Choose something that shows off your personality. A personal profile picture should show your character and display your own personal brand. You can incorporate your hobbies and experiences in to your picture.  Your avatar can be fun and creative or it can be serious as long as it communicates the image that you want to present. Always remember, that even personal networks and avatars can be viewed by professionals, so always keep your photos appropriate.


Professional Avatar:
The picture on your professional or company page should be a clear and organized. A professional headshot is acceptable as well as photos taken by a company. If it is a personal professional page, you should be the only one in the picture. Be sure that your actual profile page is consistent with the photo as well. If you are looking into working in childcare, a picture of you bullying a younger sibling just won't cut it.


Always make it a point to avoid pictures that could be deemed inappropriate. It is always important to consider the online reputation you are building for yourself. Having inappropriate behavior in your profile picture is never a good thing. Even if you are not looking for employment, any negative image that you present of yourself on the internet can always resurface at a later time and come back to haunt you. Do yourself a favor and just avoid negative images all together.



This guest blog post was written by PRowl Public Relations staff member Lexi Drexler.


No comments: