Profile Pictures and Your Facebook Business Page

A friend posted this video on Facebook this morning and I thought it was interesting enough to share. While this video is geared towards personal Facebook profiles, I think there are some important take-aways that can apply to Facebook business pages as well.

When it comes to personal Facebook profiles, these are the three things the experts say to remember when choosing a profile picture.

1. Never post any photo where you're in a less than appropriate setting (no pictures involving alcohol, nudity, drugs, or any other compromising position). This one's a no-brainer, at least I hope it's a no brainer. You never get a chance to make a first impression.

2. Avoid using logos, photos of celebrities, cartoons, etc. Your profile should be about you. You should be smiling, have open body language, and seem approachable. Again, what do you want that first impression to be?

3. Don't put pictures of your kids, wedding, etc., unless you want people to view you in that specific light. This is your chance to put YOUR best face forward. Another element to keep in mind if you choose to put pictures of your kids as your Facebook profile is that of online predators. Do you want these questionable people to be viewing pictures of your kids?

So, how does this relate to business? Most of it doesn't, but it made me stop and think about the importance of choosing the right profile picture for your business page. Remember, you never get a second chance for a first impression and your profile picture is the very first thing potential customers will see. Here are three things to remember:

1. Make sure you use a high-quality image. No fuzziness, no pixelization . Make sure the profile picture is clean and crisp.

2. Utilize the available space. You're not constricted to a tiny, square profile picture. Facebook allows larger "banner" images as your profile photo on business pages. Take this opportunity to create a certain image of your practice. Or, use the additional space to communicate the most important information and/or calls-to-action to your page's visitors. These "banners" can be a maximum of 200px wide and no taller than 600px.

3. Don't change your image all the time. One of the most important roles of this profile image is branding for your practice. You want people to recognize your brand by just glancing at the image. If you're always changing it, then you lose that ability to create a consistent brand on Facebook.

Remembering these three simple steps will help you create the image you want on Facebook and avoid any negative publicity over a less-than-appropriate profile picture.

~JessicaE