#7 Social Media pt 2

19 September 2020 - 10:39 BY Louw

By the time you’re reading this blog post, I presume that you are all set up on social media and your profiles are streamlined. In this month’s delivery, we will be taking a closer look at finalising your profile before you start creating some magical content.

Profile Pictures

Your profile picture on your social media accounts is your logo. It’s the face that sells. Take the same precision in choosing the right profile picture as to when selecting your headshot. Your profile picture is the first element of your profile users encounter. There are various tips and tricks on how to get the perfect profile picture. You don’t need a professional photographer to get a professional picture. Smartphone cameras can produce similar quality photos like that of a DSLR camera. Ensure that you use the same profile picture across all platforms. This creates unity across your accounts and once again enhances your search engine optimisation results.

Tips & Tricks

Keep it simple; ensure you get ahead and shoulder photo, without it looking like an ID photo.

Your profile picture should resemble the essence of who you are.

Wear something you are comfortable in.

Get a friend who you trust to take the picture for you, avoid selfies.

Avoid busy backgrounds – the focus is on you.

Stay away from group photos – once again, the focus is on you.

Ensure your profile picture is large enough to be cropped to the specific platform’s profile picture size. Check out a link to a cheat sheet to assist you with this task.

Examples

Ellen de Generes is not only a talk show host and comedian, but also an active social media user. (I avoid using the word influencer – more on that later). Ellen’s profile picture is a graphic drawing of herself, wearing a mask with here “tag line” on it. Why does this work? First of all, it’s unique. Everyone can identify that it is Ellen. Wearing a mask on the profile picture shows her support for practising safety measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. To round it all off her mask contains her “tag line” that she is known for. Her profile picture is a simple design that captures the essence of who she is and stands for.

Co-founder of Novie-Guide, Edwin van der Walt, paid me a steep amount of money to include his profile picture as part of the examples. No, shame he did not. The reason I choose Edwin’s picture is that it meets the criteria of a good profile picture. Firstly it’s a professional photo, taken from the side against a black background. It captures a non-posed look that embraces who he is.

Tom Hanks is probably one of the world’s best-known actors. His social media is an extension of his success. His profile picture is accurate of who he is. Funny and creative. Once again, easy to identify who it is and what he stands for. Trying to seek the meaning behind his picture one could probably conclude “Run Tom, run”?

Header Images

Header images are visible to users visiting your Twitter & Facebook profiles. It is a rectangular image above your profile picture. This can be seen as an extension of your profile picture. You can use this space to showcase more about yourself visually.

Tips & Tricks

It does not have to be a picture of yourself, but rather something that forms part of who you are.

Be creative – there are various creative way to utilise this space

This space can be used as notice board: info about upcoming shows etc.

Examples

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah’s Twitter header is an image that is an excellent example of a unique header. It’s not a photo of herself or her show, but rather her furry friends. Her dogs are significant to her and showcase many times on her social media. It’s a clear cut picture that works well.

Zac Effron

Zac Effron used his header space to showcase this epic photo. Apart from the fact that he is a well-known actor, he is also an avid traveller. This photo captures his love for the outdoors and travel, which is an extension of his brand.

Dean-John Smith

Dean John Smith decided to use this space to show a piece of himself as an actor. Here he is seen acting alongside veteran actress, Sandra Prinsloo. This immediately puts his brand in the acting sphere. So if someone stumbles upon his profile, not knowing who he is, they can immediately see from the picture what he does for a living.

Social Media Bio’s

Your social media bio is exactly what it says. It’s your biography in three lines. Writing a good bio is a skill in its self. It’s the blurb at the back of the book, just about yourself and on social media. It’s here where you grab the user’s attention and want them to take action, to follow you. Beneath your bio, you will also find a place to insert your website.

Tips & Tricks

Keep it short and to the point

Try to show something about yourself, that sets you apart.

Look at examples and formulate your structure.

A basic guide is: Who you are, what you do and what makes you tick.

Use humour, if it’s fitting to who you are.

Examples

Trevor Noah

Short and sweet, loaded with humour. This is who Trevor Noah is.

Arno Greeff

Arno went with showcasing his latest Netflix series, together with the title of his latest video, with a link in the bio. People can easily get an overview of what he is busy with.

Donna-Lee Roberts

She is one of South Africa’s most well-known actresses and her bio shows why. Donna-Lee’s bio contains all the aspects of what she does. Together with a short disclaimer and a link to buying tickets to one of her online talks.

Challenge

Now it’s your turn to round-off your profile. Use the tips & tricks to polish your online profiles. The above are only guidelines. Go with what you are comfortable with. Remember to stay authentic online to who you are. If you’ve got any questions or want to showcase your profile, reach out to me @PeterPentz or use the hashtag #NovieTribe. Next month we will start looking into content development.

Till then.

Take Care

Peter Pentz

#7 Social Media pt 2

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