PPE stands for Professional, Personable and Engaging and FFF means Fuzzy, Faraway and Forgetful.
So if your image PPE or FFF?
Your profile photo is often the first stage of building a rapport with potential clients, associates and employers. As more of us use social media tools for marketing and networking purposes, it is increasingly more important that you get it right, especially if you want to make a powerful and lasting first impression.
If you look at a sample of the photos people use these can be divided into 2 separated categories, PPE or FFF.
If your image is PPE it will portray you as a confident professional within your area of expertise. It won’t be just a generic headshot with a cheesy grin, it will capture something of your personality. It should draw the viewer in and make them want to connect with you and find out more about you.
Your profile photo should also look like you. It should be instantly and easily recognisable by people you meet. It should be fairly recent i.e. taken within the last 12-18 months. Using an old photo not only kids yourself but also the people you connect with.
FFF stand out for all the wrong reasons. It says you don’t care about your image, brand or reputation. Your profile photo is like your wrapping. You wouldn’t expect an expensive gift to come in a cheap plastic bag.
FFF photos are the sort of thing snapped at a party, on holiday or at a wedding. Often taken on a mobile phone without any thought or consideration about lighting, composition or focus.
Once you’ve got a really great PPE image make sure you use it everywhere you can. Post it on all your social media profiles, blogs and websites. Use it on annual reports, white papers and for your conference key note speaker biography. Have it printed on your business cards and even include it on your email signatures.
Remember your face is your brand, the more it is seen, the more you will be remembered, for the right reasons…
If you are not sure whether you have a PPE or FFF and would like a free critique on your profile photo, just email me a low res version and I’ll let you know what I think.
