Social Media Images: Best Practices

In addition to offering this valuable resource to help business owners know what to post on social media, Bonnie also shared her own best practices for better photos and social media images with us on her episode of the She Built This podcast HERE.

This blog is a quick recap of some of Bonnie’s tips and advice on how to take pictures for social media and what to post as a business owner online. 

3 Social Media Images Best Practices

Do’s and dont’s of what to post on social media for business. 

1. Consider Your Account and What It’s For.  

Is your account mostly going to be for business or personal use? 

Answering that question can help you determine what to post on social media as far as images for your business.

If your account is mainly going to be used for business, then approximately 80% of your content should reflect that, with only 20% of so being images that are on the more personal. You want to be sure to include personal photos so that people can learn more about you, but not be posting in a way that turns someone off to spending their time and money with you, and not with another business. 

Reminder: Your images work for you while you sleep. If last night’s party photos aren’t something you want your ideal clients and customer to see, either don’t post them or make that account private and share it with just your friends. 

2. Show Up Authentically as a Business Owner. 

How do you show up more authentically in your photos? Share images with fewer filters so people can see the real YOU. It can be tempting to throw a filter on, smooth over your imperfections, and hide your flaws, but remember that people want to see the real you. 

3. Show up Consistently in Photos as a Business Owner 

People get used to seeing you and your face in photos, the more you share images of yourself on social media. As they do, you will build up that know, like, and trust factor, as well as grow feelings of familiarity. The more you show up consistently in your content, the more comfortable and trusting they will feel with you. 

What Not to Post on Social Media: Best Practices for Images that Should Stay Unshared.

There are a few common mistakes that business owners and entrepreneurs when sharing photos online. 

Here are some Bonnie most often sees, so you can avoid them for yourself and show up as your best: 

• Don’t share tilted or crooked images on social media. Straighten, center, and take the time to snap the best show you can. No one wants to get motion sick from looking at your photos on social media. 
• Don’t post photos of you that paint you as unprofessional. It’s totally your call if you want to share photos of you in pajamas or showing up on Zoom without getting dressed first, but remember that as a business owner, a photo speaks 1,000 words. If you appear disheveled in your photos and show up as though you can’t be bothered to dress for a call, your potential clients may experience some doubt about how much effort you put into your product or service. “If they can’t even be bothered to get dressed, how much will they be bothered to help me?” You don’t want to create any reason for your potential client or customer to doubt anything about you. 
• When taking pictures at home, don’t take a selfie in front of a pile of dirty laundry (unless that’s part of the social media post) or a dirty sink of dishes. Plan ahead, clean up your space, and remember to keep your business images looking professional to follow best practices for social media images. 
• Don’t give too much information about your destination, current location, neighborhood you live in, regular patterns, or when you’re away on vacation (if your home is vacant). Remember to be safe first and foremost in the pictures you choose to share on social media. It’s always safer to include less about your location, where you’re going, or where you frequent. 

Social Media Images Should Align with Your Brand 

The best practice for sharing social media images as a business owner is to take some time to consider what your brand represents and what you’re trying to portray to the world as a business. 

What sets you apart from your competition? 

What makes you unique?

That’s what you want to highlight and photograph.

Are you super organized? A great networker or connector? A loyal listener? 

How can you show off your unique personality MORE in the photos you share on social media and online? 

Take into consideration your brand colors and try to include and incorporate them into the photos you take. You can easily find ways to bring your brand colors in through the clothing that you wear in your images for social media and objects that match your brand’s look and feel. 

What Pictures Can I Take for Social Media if My Life is Boring? 

Bonnie doesn’t believe that anyone’s life is boring! It all boils down to perspective and what you want others to know about you. 

Consider this: some potential clients might look at one of your competitors who’s always on the go and rarely at his/her desk and think that they’re too busy to dedicate time to their project. 

Conversely, they might see your “boring” images and see you as loyal, reliable, trustworthy, and able to follow through on what they need. 

Busy isn’t always interesting, and non-busy isn’t always boring. 

A social media image of you working from home on your couch with a mug of hot tea and a caption that reads, “In my cozy concentration nook,” might be the very thing that stands out to the client or customer looking to hire you because they know they’ll get your 100% focus and attention on their project. 

Your friendly content writer’s (me!) thoughts  on the art of being “boring”: 

Sometimes when we think we’re boring, what we actually are is relatable. So share the boring, the nerdy, the quirky, and the weird. You’re not the only one who drinks two giant glasses of water in the morning and can’t remember if you took your vitamins or not. Boring, routine, mundane, even normal… reframe it to being relatable. 

Bonnie’s Tips and Best Practices for Better Social Media Images at Home

• Use natural lighting – open your windows, blinds, and curtains and allow natural lighting to flood the space. Turn off your overhead lights and stand facing a window whenever possible for the softest, most natural, and most flattering look. 
• Explore the angles – photograph from a different perspective. Position your cell phone so that you’re in the background working, rather than the foreground. Show people a different perspective of your daily life. 
• Experiment with what works for you! Don’t be afraid to try new things and see which images feel most representative of YOU!

There are a few simple things we can do as business owners to show up more consistently and professionally in the photos we share on social media and online. By following these best practices for better photos,  you’ll get better social images that attract your ideal clients, and you won’t have to wonder what to post (and not post) online.