How to present yourself online
I’m talking social platforms here, as freelancers it’s sometimes hard to get the balance right, as WE are our brand we need to give an air of professionalism with an injection of personality.
But how far do you go?
The way you write
Is probably more important than the visuals, but only slightly.
- Speak from yourself, NEVER the third person. Nope, never do that.
- Be authentic, yeah, authenticity has lost its way a bit, and people are finding more and more sneaky ways to fake authenticity. “Oxymorontastic.”
- Speak from your truth. I’m not saying say everything that’s in your head, keep it professional and relevant, over-sharing is a definite no-no.
- As a modern lass, I’m all for a good swear, but swearing is something that can be used creatively and at a minimum, certainly on your professional networks. Swear wisely.
- Positivity goes a long way over being a negative noodle (see above). Think about your mood, evaluate whether you should post (so many times I’ve deleted posts because of this) 😶
Over-sharing is a definite no-no.
Visuals
As a designer, visuals and imagery are so important to me. I’m actively put off brands and their social platforms by seeing ugly branding, poorly put together social visuals and constant retweets of said ugly things.
Call me fickle. Or call me a visual perfectionist. I think a lot of people feel the same.
Take time on your brand, I could waffle on about how important your brand identity is here, but that’s another post — making sure you have a coherent brand identity that fits with your story is probably one of the most important things to think about as a business.
Freelancers can occasionally get it wrong though, lack of funds, knowledge of branding and understanding of their own story can force people to skimp in this area. Take a look at your favourite brands, and I’m not even talking about the big companies, look at all of your competitors, which ones do you regularly compare yourself with?
Social Media
Social platforms are probably the first thing a potential client looks at. So it’s a no-brainer to make sure these are up together.
- Bio photo. Freelancers, my personal preference is to see a photo of you, as you aren’t a huge corporate, I like to know who I’m talking to. Make sure it’s sized properly, it’s clear and not you on a Friday night after a few sherberts.
- If you’re not comfortable using a photo of yourself you can use your logo, make sure to size it correctly, there’s no need to have all information in here, remember how small it will be viewed at on mobile, you can always use an element of your full logo, a segment that represents your brand.
- Cover image. If the platform you’re using has a cover image option, utilise it. Create it at the right size, there’s nothing quite like seeing blurry half images in this space, size guides can be easily found online (Buffer have a great guide here) and make sure your resolutions are good, nothing under 72dpi. You can also use this space to create a bespoke image to place contact details, website address etc, be creative.
- Bio. Be short, sharp and to the point. Make it clear what you do and don’t forget to include appropriate links.
Trust is built by the way you are on your social platforms.
I know speaking from my own experiences that I’m actually put off going any further with a company if I don’t see tidy and regularly used social platforms. I want to work with someone organised, on their game and actually care about what they do.
And don’t forget, you don’t have to use every single platform, choose where to focus your attention.
Hello, I’m Nik, I specialise in Marketing & Brand Design for start-ups and small businesses. I also enjoy writing about authenticity, emotional + experience based thoughts and positive outcomes.
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Thanks for reading and don’t forget to hit me up with dem claps 👏👏
