Ok, so I know it’s really easy to read the title of this post and assume I’m writing it because I just launched a course on how to take better pictures of yourself.
But the reality is that I actually created the course because I’ve come to believe that the selfie really is a very important type of online content when it comes to marketing your business.
I really resisted this for a long time, because I used to hate pictures of myself. But I couldn’t deny the fact that, when I did post a selfie to Instagram, those were the posts that always got the best engagement.
And when you stop to think about it, there’s a pretty clear reason why.
Before Etsy and online shops, the way that most makers, crafters, and artists sold their products was face to face.
Like many makers, I got my start selling in person, at craft shows.
And while I quickly transitioned to a wholesale-based business, most of my wholesale orders came when selling in person at trade shows.
Most of the time, the person buying from me was buying from me. They could see me, talk to me, and know I was a real person.
That builds immediate trust.
On the Internet, that trust is harder to come by. And the more expensive your products are, the more this trust is required.
Now, there are lots of ways to build trust on the Internet. You can include various security symbols on your website or show that you’ve been featured in the media.
But one of the best ways to build trust is to show that there’s a real person behind your website.
Of course, you can do this by posting an image of yourself with a nice little blurb on your about page. But for most businesses, building trust on the Internet is not a once and done occurrence.
Unless your product is an impulse buy price point, buyers are probably going to need to develop some level of familiarity with you and your brand before they hand over their credit card.
This is why social media and email marketing are so important. They let you build that relationship over time.
But the problem with social media and email marketing is that you can show up a lot and never actually show up as yourself. And on one hand, that’s ok. Not every image you share needs to (or should) be a selfie. But without at least occasionally showing up as yourself, you’re denying your potential customers the chance to build a personal connection with you.
Without at least some images of yourself, you’re missing out on the opportunity to make your online customers feel like they’re doing business with you face to face.
Which is why, far from being an act of vanity, posting selfies can actually be a really powerful tool for building trust when marketing your business.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Want to get comfortable posting more images of yourself online? (Or modeling your own products?) Want more images of yourself at work (or play) that you can use in your branding and social media? Registration is open for my new program, Market Your Selfie! Click here to join!