Urgh, selfies.
For a lot of business owners, the last piece of advice you probably want to hear is that you need to get in front of the camera more.
But the fact is that this simple tip is one of the biggest things that will help improve your social media content, and even your business in general.
One of the best things you can do to connect with your customers and stand out from the crowd is to show your face. It’s a simple fact: people remember faces. By putting yourself out there, you become more human, relatable, and memorable.
Don’t be shy. Inject your personality into everything you do. Write with passion, show what you’re up to, and if you’re brave enough…talk on video. The more people feel like they know you, the more likely they are to choose your business. People like to work with other people, not faceless businesses.
This doesn’t just work for small businesses either. Check out the follower counts on Instagram for Richard Branson (4.7M) versus his company Virgin Group (213K). That’s over 20 times more followers for his personal profile.
For a more specific example, including yourself in your social media posts almost always boosts their visibility.
Here’s a comparison of two of my posts: one featuring me, the other showcasing my work.
As you can see, the posts with me in them tend to generate more engagement. This is kind of a virtuous cycle as platforms favour this type of content, and people seem to like it too. So, more people like and share it, leading to even more platform exposure.
By the way, this doesn’t mean you should never show your work or just post selfies on your social media all day. It’s important to have a mix of content.
What I mean is, it’s useful to throw in some posts now and again showing the face behind your business.
By the way, if you can show your work and include yourself in your posts (think an artist doing a time-lapse video of painting a beautiful mural), then this type of content is likely to be gold.
Here are a few other tips of how to include more of yourself in your content.
If you can, get a professional photographer to take a headshot and some pictures of you. Include these on your website and social media.
Also, write a compelling bio. Tell your story, share your passion, and let your personality shine. Be visible. Share insights, offer advice, and engage with your audience. And try to include yourself in your content, whether it’s pictures, videos or both.