UPDATED MAY 2020
Is your branding consistent for your complete online presence? This means your website, your social media profiles and really anywhere you are making a statement online.
Your image should not only be consistent, but it should also be clear and noticeable. What I mean by that is, if you are using a logo for your profile image, it shouldn’t be so crammed into that spot that it just looks like a colorful blurb.
Some will try and get away with using an image they already have and “make it work” for their social profiles. This rarely ends up with the person/company looking professional. Think about it like this: would you show up for a business meeting looking like you just rolled out of bed and threw on some sweats? I don’t think so. You will make sure you have on clean, ironed clothes, your hair is neat, etc. You will look as if you put some effort into looking professional. You are your brand, whether in person or online, so you need to make sure your online presence looks as if you put some effort into as well.
Profile Photos
Each social media platform you are on will ask you to upload a profile photo. The sizes will vary, but will generally follow the same ratios, meaning you can create one photo and use it pretty much everywhere online. Some social media sites use a square photo, some use a circle, but if you create a square image with enough whitespace around it (meaning the photo does not go right up to the edges) you will be able to use it for the platforms that use a circle. Be sure and check and see how your profile will look in a circle.
Here is an example of using a logo that is not a square and “trying to make it work” for a square profile image.
It doesn’t work, does it?
Would you take this company seriously? I kid you not – I see this all over on social media (and now you will too, trust me).
What about this one? Would you trust this company a little more?
And guess what? This took me about 2 minutes total to create in Canva, download, and optimize.
This is what my current profile photo looks like on the various social media platforms:
You will see that I have used the same profile photo on each platform. This gives my brand a consistent look as well as letting people know they have found the right person if they search for me.
Gravatar
My profile photo is also used on my website by using Gravatar. You can login to Gravatar using your WordPress.com password. Once you are logged in, you can upload a photo, or two, to associate with your email address. If you would like to use separate pictures for business and personal, you can do so easily here as well. You can tell Gravatar which image to use for each email.
For instance, let’s say for the business you use the email yourname@yourdomain.com and for personal you use yourname@gmail.com, Gravatar will let you upload a separate picture for each. This is the image that will come up when you comment on someone’s blog post so you may want a different image to show up if you are commenting on a recipe post than if you are commenting on a blog post relating to your business.
Here is my profile on Gravatar. Right now I have the same profile image for all 3 email addresses, but I can easily change one of them to use one of the other images I have uploaded.
Now, because I have set up my Gravatar profile, this is what my profile looks like on my website. This image shows up in my author box (see the end of this post) and when I comment, or reply to someone’s comments, on my posts.
This is so easy to set up, so I strongly encourage you to head on over to Gravatar and set up your profile right away. It’s so much better than showing up like this:
Your Turn
Take a good look at the profile pictures you have on social media. Are they consistent? Are they clear? Are they professional? Ask yourself if you would want to do business with the person behind that profile picture, based on how it looks to you.
If your answer is “no”, you need to get working on that ASAP. How will you fix it? New headshot? Crop your current headshot differently? Maybe you need to reposition your logo (if using a logo instead of a headshot) and maybe you need to work with your graphic designer to create a simple version of your logo to use as your profile picture – one that still represents you well, but that will be clearer and easier to recognize in the newsfeed.
For help with this, or even just a second pair of eyes, send me a quick note and I’ll be happy to take a look!
A timely post in view of the Facebook changes, Mindy. I must get around to seeing what my pic will look like when it changes. I use Gravatar and the same picture that is on my blog is also on all my social media platforms.
Tamuria, if you are using the same image on the other platforms and they look ok in the circle then you should be fine. I am already seeing the profiles images in circles in the newsfeed.
This is so helpful. I’m planning to update my photo and will take into account the oval shape. Thanks, for letting us know about Facebook going oval, as well.
I use Gravatar now too and although it doesn’t show in a circle there, I guess that is good for other sites. Good info Mindy, thank you.
Gravatar is awesome, isn’t it, Teresa!?
Great tips, Mindy. Plus, your picture and branding is stand out!
Thank you, Reba! 🙂
What a great idea Mindy! I think my profile photo works, but I do want a logo and this is the perfect information to know beforehand!
Glad to hear this helps, Candess. Although, if you are to be known for you, it is suggested by many that you keep your face as the profile for your business.
I thought I was fairly consistent, but you prompted me to take a look. I found out 2 things: 1) it’s not as consistent as I thought, and 2) man, I need new headshots!
Awesome, Jennifer! Your social media is definitely rockin’ but happy to hear you took the time to check it. New headshots are on my list too! I want something fun! 🙂
Very helpful information. Your tips are the difference between professional and tossed in. Thanks.
That is exactly it, Cathy! Many people just put something together, thinking they are saving time maybe, but in reality it doesn’t take much more time to do it right, and the reward is definitely worth it!
Thank you, very good tips for how to make the profile images synchronized. Though I am not sure I would go with the exact same photo everywhere. On Instagram, for example, it is often better to have a more outstanding photo that grabs attention. While on other channels it is better to have a more ‘professional’ photo.
That is a good point about Instagram, Katarina. I am going to start looking into that and see what others are doing.
Very helpful insights! Time to go check my social media pics.
So far, I think I have used the same photo in everything. It is a lot of work to put a new set in all of my social media, so it has been the same for a while.