For a lot of you, I’d be willing to bet your facebook profile picture is bullshit. You probably have an animal, picture of your kid, or worst of all, an old ass picture that looks nowhere near what you look like now.  

STOP IT!!!!

What are you hiding from? When someone sends me a friend request, and I scroll through their profile pics to see what they look like [yes we all do it] and if it’s only kid pics or animation, I hit the delete button.  I’m an adult, I don’t want to be friends with kids and cartoons. Dexter Abraham is the only exception. 

I’m far from a “professional” but anytime someone sends me a private message I check to see who they are. If I can’t put a message with a real face, I don’t respond. I want to connect with REAL PEOPLE not figments of social media imaginations.  

This has got to be addressed.  I’ve scoured the internet and no one’s talking about this.  It’s a serious problem.  You have no idea how much business is lost due to your stupid facebook profile pictures.  Never fear, I’m here to save the day.  Call me “Captain Save A Photo”

Facebook, or even social media in general, is a place for people to connect.  As a general rule of thumb people like to connect with people who are like them.  Birds of a feather… You may be running more connections off then you are attracting.

Let’s say you’re a Realtor and you want to begin using facebook to market your business and grow your brand, yet your profile picture is of your kids.  When strangers find you via the internet and look at your profile (which they are 100% for sure doing) and they see a 6 year old it’s a turn off.  No one trusts a 6 year old to sell their home.  Put a damned picture of yourself up so they at least know what you look like.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used Jax as my profile pic before.  The difference is that he wasn’t my only profile pic. Not every single one of my profile pics is him.  Anyone could click one photo over and see what I look like.  The rest of my photos are me.  It’s my profile.  It SHOULD be about me.  Plus, no one wants to take a chance of Chris Matthews showing up like “Why’d you accept a 6 year olds friend request sir?”

What I’m about to say may piss a lot of people off.  Realtors are especially guilty of this.  If you are using a pic in which you are 50lbs lighter, 20 years younger, or 100% better looking than you are now, you are being deceptive [asshole].  If you and I build up trust online and I decide to work with you, you better be who you say you are.  If I show up to meet you and I realize that your high school photo is your profile pic, I’m gonna call you out.  

It’s no secret that consumers make their buying decision on looks.  Branding is key in 2014.  If a potential client selects you as the earner of their business and you show up on the job looking 180 degrees different than you led them on to be, you will never be trusted or referred.  Matter of fact, just know they are telling jokes at your expense. The one about that lady/dude who was such a fake and how they were shocked when they met them.  If you insist on committing this violation at least hashtag #tbt on the pic!

If every single one of your pics is of a sports logo, cartoon or animation you need to grow up too.  Who cares if you have acne.  Who cares if you are overweight?  Maybe if you came out and showed us who the fuck you really are, we might hold you accountable to help you look like you want to.  Instead you hide… Like a coward.

In 2014 the majority of new relationships will begin online.  Do you really want to start out with a lie or deceptive image of you?  Your profile pic is your image.  It’s a real life reflection of who you are.  On social media your pic is a living icon, representing your life. 

Also consider that in today’s online world we have about 4 degrees of separation.  If one person finds you out THEY WILL tell every connection you have in common.  Surely you don’t want to be the laughing stock of your new friends at the online party they call social media, do you?

I’ve made a shit ton of money on facebook over the years.  I’m a master at the psychology behind social media. Here’s my advice for what it’s worth.  

Even if it’s a seatbelt selfie, you need to put a pic of who you really are on your facebook profile.  You need to update this pic at least once every 6 month, but more often is better. People want to put a name with a face.  If you are keeping them from doing so, you are frustrating them and creating a trust barrier. If you don’t like your face you can buy some big ass sunglasses, they will cover a good majority of it up for you. 

You own a camera, cellphone with a camera, computer with a camera and just about every other device has a camera in it these days.  When you leave your audience confused as to why there are no recent pics of you they start thinking. Thinking things like “Wonder what they really look like? Are they shady?  Why isn’t there a pic of them on here?”

It’s just bad for biz. What about family and friends though?

Now some of you may say “I don’t use facebook for work” and when I stop laughing at you in a second, I’ll explain the other side of the coin.  When an old friend from high school searches your name on facebook, they are searching a database of over a billion people.  Surely you are not the only person in the world with your particular last name, first name combination.  Even if you are, there’s still a problem.

Most of us don’t live in the same town we grew up in.  Hell, a lot of us aren’t even in the same state.  So when old friends or lost family members search for you your picture is how they make the decision to ask you to connect.  What if you’re missing out on old friends because they are not sure it’s you?

Here’s the worst part of the family and friends side of this, in the future you are going to die. I’m not a psychic, but it’s a pretty good fucking guess.  Facebook is your online diary.  Your great-great-great grandkids will look back and see what you thought.  They will want to know if you looked like them.  Who you were etc..  Don’t rob them of who you are today and will be to them

Now that you’re almost done reading this and I have your attention, let’s rap.  It’s the little things like this that are costing you dollars in your business.  Who’d of thought a small thing like a fake ass profile pic would keep potential customers away?  I think like this.  That’s why people seek my advice for high level engagement on a regular basis.  If you’d like my help with your social media let’s talk.  Fill out the form below, I’ll be in touch.