Yesterday we talked about how creating your personal brand isn't about being a guru, a ninja, or a rockstar.

It's about how you can use the right words to plant the seed that grows into the idea of you that exists in your prospect's mind, the idea that you can help solve their problem, the idea of you as being helpful and competent,

Words are powerful. There's no doubt about it. They can change how your customers think of you.

But IMAGES, images can change the way they SEE you, now and forever.

That small little square for your social media profile pics may well be the single most valuable piece of real estate you ever control.

Human beings are hardwired to recognize faces, and more importantly, to make snap decisions about them. Is that a friend or foe? Is that a warm, fuzzy kitten face or a hungry, lion face? These lasting impressions are formed within a tenth of a second, long before we’ve had time to read the words near the picture.

There’s growing evidence detailed in articles from the Journal Science, Scientific American, and others that facial images are determining factors in a variety of human interactions ranging from how long judges will sentence convicts to prison to which candidates voters will put in the White House.

One study shows that children as young as 5 years old can predict, with an amazing degree of accuracy, the outcome of an election simply by choosing which candidate “looks” more competent in a photo.

First impressions are visual. And you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Your profile pic will, in large part, determine whether or not people like and trust you.

Here are 6 keys to likable, trustworthy profile pics:

1. Use a pic of you and only you. Not your logo. Not your car. Not your dog. Not you and your dog. Not you and your spouse, your kids, or that random celebrity you met that one time. And please, please, please not you and 2/3rds of an arm and one eyeball of whoever it is that you cropped out of a picture from last year’s office Christmas party because you liked the dress you were wearing. You and only you.
2. Use a face shot. Sure every professional photographer and wannabe actor in Hollywood calls them headshots. But it’s not about your head. It’s called Facebook for a reason
3. Make eye contact. It’s the first thing they teach you in Sales 101. People don’t trust you if you can’t look them in the eye. It works in the real world. And it works online.
4. Get the lighting right. You don’t want shadows on your face and you don’t want lights so bright they make you squint. Nobody likes a squinter. Paying a professional photographer will be the best hundred bucks you’ve ever spent, but if you’re not ready for that yet, just step outside, away from the fluorescent lights, on a nice partly sunny day. Keep the sun in front of you. Easy Peasy.
5. Stay away from cluttered backgrounds. A clear blue sky makes a great background. Or a blank wall. Those are your options. The only thing you want people making snap judgments about is you, not the leftover pizza on the desk behind you.
6. Smile. You’ve told your people a thousand times to answer the phone with a smile. Smiling at others makes them smile, it makes them happy, and it makes them like you whether they want to or not. And please, for the love of everything you hold dear… no duck lips!

You’ll have plenty of opportunities to display your unique personality; your social media profile pic isn’t it.

Get one good, simple, boring headshot and use it across all of your social media profiles.

One consistent image of you for people to see wherever they find you and to maintain in their mind.

One consistent image to boost your warmth, your trustworthiness, and your sales.

TODAY'S ASSIGNMENT

You can get a professional headshot made for $100 to $200 and I strongly encourage you to do just that, but for today just scour your phone and find the best picture you already have or step outside and have someone snap a quick pic that follows the 6 tips you just learned.

Eyes and teeth, baby. Eyes and teeth.

Be sure to post your new profile pic in the Personal Branding Mastermind Group to get credit for today's assignment. We call can't wait to see your pearly whites

Tomorrow is our last day and you'll learn the Number One Strategy for dominating searches for your name. The only strategy that matters for teaching Google and Facebook to stand up, roll over, and do the tricks you want them to do.

"Terry leaves you with the feeling that you can do it. Better than that, he leaves you with the feeling that you would be crazy NOT to."

- Carol Lynn Rivera, Web.Search.Social

PS

Time is running out to book your 1-on-1 strategy session. If you've run into any problems over the last 4 days, if you have any questions that I haven't answered, if you need any advice or just an ear to bounce some ideas off of, this is your chance. I only have time to book a handful of these no-cost-no obligation sessions per week so lock your time in on my calendar while you can.