Wait - where did you go? I feel like I just got to know you and now I've lost you. Oh - that's you now with the baby as your icon. Or, are you the dog with bright red glasses now? Help!
As you delve into social media, all the advice out there implores you to add a photo to your profile. And, I do agree! You must. After all, I follow you visually, so I want to be able to recognize you as quickly as possible. I've got 500 people on Twitter to sift through, so I need to identify you and mentally connect quickly.
Now, if you're my buddy down the street, chances are good that I'm going to see your baby niece's picture and smile or get the dog joke and chuckle, BUT if you're online and using your profile to do business, you take a chance by changing your photo out too often.
Why? Because, your photo becomes you. Certainly, that's an overstatement in real life, but online, your photo (or icon or logo or whatever image you initially use in your profile) becomes your brand. It's how I recognize you if I don't know you . It's how I connected with you when I first "met" you.
So, think long and hard when you make your first choice of profile picture. And, think again before you go and change it. Change it too often and you may find yourself confusing your customers.
Yep, yep...I see this happen and it definitely makes me wonder who I'm following. Sure, photos can and need to change now and again. I've done it. But I think there is a difference between freshening something up and changing something out on a weekly basis, which I've seen some people do.
Posted by: Michelle | October 19, 2009 at 02:32 PM