![]() The first thing I would recommend is to get a professional photographer to take some headshots for you. I know that isn’t in everyone’s budget so if you can’t afford that, or the thought of it is too excruciating here’s plan B. 1. Find a friend with an iPhone 11 or thereabouts. 2. An overcast day is better than a sunny day, try 10amish or 3pmish, for the best light. 3. Get ready as if you’re going to a coffee date with a friend that you haven’t seen in awhile. Don’t go to too much trouble but put a bit of effort into it. 4. Go outside and stand about 4 feet in front of something like a bush, brick wall, garage door… 5. Get your good friend, the iPhone owner, to set the camera on portrait, w/natural light. They should be standing a few feet away from you. Make sure that they are far enough back from you so that there is a good amount of space around your head so that you can adjust the picture to fit into the different platforms, but not so far that zooming will need to happen. TIP: Make sure the light is behind the photographer. 6. Now the photographer should start clicking away while telling you a funny story or something that makes you feel good… The photographer should be looking for head & shoulders shots, not full body. While they are doing this, you are smiling and looking here and then over there, maybe try laughing… NO TALKING just looking pleasantly vauge, smiling and laughing. You will look a little deranged but dig deep and work it, this will give you the best chance of getting a good shot. If you are really uncomfortable try sitting on stairs or holding something, leaning against a tree or sitting on the floor. Sitting at a table, leaning on your hands, you get the idea. TIP: Try to be looking up at the photographer rather than down. 7. Now have a look at the images. If there isn’t one that you really like, don’t lose faith. In the olden days it was considered a good shoot if you got one decent image from a roll of film, that's one in 24. Have a look at them all and see what minor changes you can make to improve the pictures. Maybe ask the photographer to help you, they will see you differently than you see yourself. 8. Buy your friend a drink and destroy any of the pictures that you find personally offensive, but you have to save at least ONE! Hopefully now you won’t have to do this again for another year or so!
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![]() Social media, where do you start? The first thing you need to do is decide which channels on which to post! I suggest that you start with one and then add more if you think you want more exposure. For most businesses I recommend Facebook. It’s still by far the largest social media platform and it’s friendly to sharing, making it a bit easier to build a true community. Instagram is beautiful but is more difficult to build a realistic following and Twitter can be a bit risky, depending on who you are trying to reach. Linked In is a more "serious" platform useful in a more formal business setting or with some service industries. Each platform has it’s pros and cons and it makes sense to go where you think your customer will look for you. There are other channels but these are definitely the biggest and best for most small businesses. If you are new to using social media for your business I would suggest starting by creating a Facebook business page (you'll need a personal Facebook page to do that) and a personal Linked In account. I would treat Linked In like a CV, make sure it's up to date and has the correct contact information. Once you’ve created a business account on Facebook and started to post on it regularly you might be ready to branch out to a 2nd or 3rd platform. Good luck! If you need any help give me a shout! First hour is free! |
AuthourHi, I'm Shirley. This blog is all about providing you with tips & tricks that will help you make your social media platforms, website & newsletters the best that they can be. Archives
December 2022
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