If you’re a small business owner who is serious about boosting your income, listen up! Your profile picture matters.
 
I have seen thousands of profile pictures including those that are silly, indecent, weird and just plain unprofessional.

Obviously, if you are utilizing free-marketing strategies, you’re going to tap into social media marketing. And ALL of these sites allow you to upload your picture.

Remember, marketing is all about transparency, visibility and connectiveness.  That is, people want to get to know the person “behind the company.”

When people come to your profile page on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, what is the very first thing that they look at? Your picture of course!

Now, obviously it’s not a beauty contest. As of right now, there aren’t any prizes for the “Best-Looking Facebook Profile Picture.”  So, please don’t start down the path of “I’m too fat, too ugly, too old…”  There are some “great-looking” marketers and some rather “unexceptional-looking” marketers out there.  It’s not their beauty that scores them points. But, what all good marketers have in common is that they do put up a professional profile picture to better relate with their audience.

Here are the Top Ten Profile Picture Disasters (that I have personally witnessed):

1. The “Trying To Be Sexy” Profile Picture. You absolutely must cover yourself up. There is nothing less professional than a scantily clothed business-person. (Except, for #5)

2. The “Blurred” or “Too Dark” Profile Picture.  If it’s not a clear picture, don’t use it.

3. “Your Child” As Your Profile Picture.  If you use your child as your profile picture, there will be many misconceptions.  Believe it or not, people will actually think that your child is YOU and immediately exit your page. So, keep your children in your photo albums where they belong.

4. “Your Dog” As Your Profile Picture. Those who know me, know that I am absolutely crazy about my little Chihuahua.  But, as adorable as she is, I do not use her as my profile picture.

5. The “Chugging A Beer” Profile Picture.  Enough said.

6. The “Sideways” Profile Picture.  If you upload your picture and it ends up sideways, you NEED to fix it. We don’t want to have to do acrobats to be able to see you.

7. The “Faraway” Profile Picture.  It is never fun to try and make out someone who is  1/16th  of an inch big. We should never have to get out a magnifying glass to see you.

8. The “Way Too Serious” Profile Picture. I truly believe that individuals should smile in their profile picture. In addition, there was a research study conducted on Twitter that suggested that people who smile gain 28% more followers.  Who wants to do business with Debbie-Downer? So put on a smile, it’s really not that bad.

9. The “Trying To Be Goofy For No Reason At All” Profile Picture. Until you have truly created your brand, don’t go for the goofy hats, clothes and antics. It really does send out the wrong message.
 
10. The “No Picture At All” Profile Picture. This is the worst offense of all. Please put up a profile picture if you are using social media sites. People want to see you. And I have heard time and time again that people oftentimes won’t connect with people without pictures. Social media is “social.” So, show us who you are.

If one of the above disasters describes your picture, then you have a decision to make. You can simply keep your profile picture “as is,” or you can take the time to upload a picture that represents you as a true professional.

Like it or not, your profile picture speaks volumes about you. So, do your best to use a picture that you want the world to see.