How can we take better pictures for social media that allow us to show up as the authentic, trustworthy, professionals we are?
I was recently asked that question and more in an episode of the She Built This podcast hosted by the wonderful Emily Aborn. If you haven’t heard of this podcast before then please click here to subscribe to it.
Emily asked me fantastic and super relevant business visibility questions, which will give you a snapshot of how to take better pictures for social media and create a scroll-stopping first impression online.
There were so many gold nuggets of business visibility and business branding tips in this She Built This episode that below you will find a lovely, flowy transcript of our interview together.
If you prefer to listen to the podcast then please click here.
Emily:
Hi, Bonnie and welcome to the She Built This podcast.
Bonnie:
Thank you so much for having me.
Emily:
We’re going to be talking today about strategy and visual planning for our business + how we can keep the images that we’re posting online consistent, and how to do that simply by walking around and using our iPhones to take pictures of things.
This is a new topic for the She Built This podcast, I'm super excited today to talk to you about this.
Before we get into all the goodness in the conversation, I would love for you to tell us in your own words, what brought you to what you do today, and maybe how your brand or business has shifted and pivoted a little bit as you've gone?
Bonnie:
That's a great question. I used to work in visual effects for feature film and commercials. I learned so much about visual storytelling from working in that realm, both as an artist and then later in production.
I had honed a lot of my photography skills during my tenure in visual effects. And I thought how can I help business owners be seen online. I knew so many business owners that had a dream, that thing they were pursuing, and they really wanted to show up online, but they didn't know how.
I realized that I could help them with that, through visual strategy and photography to utilize imagery effectively to really show up online.
One of the things that I've seen as a shift or change in my business, my business and brand have had an exciting growth spurt since the end of last year, which was a result of a two and a half month business road trip across Western Canada. I packed up all my photo gear, my portable studio, everything in my car and drove West. I met with many business owners and had incredible conversations and photo sessions.
I learned that there was a common problem for each of the businesses. Which was that they didn't know how, where or when to use their images. So all the wonderful photos ended up on their hard drive never seeing the light of day or their ideal clients eyes.
My takeaway from that was to expand my business to include a visibility strategy checklist, which is a guide for business owners, and literally details exactly which images the business owner should use & when to use them.
I made it as easy as possible because I know business owners are super busy and already have lengthy to do lists. So this checklist is something they can simply check off or hand to their marketing team or social media guru niece and nephew and say: Here are the images, and here's where & when to use it. This visibility strategy checklist takes all the guesswork out of how business owners post images online. So that is a pretty cool extension and growth within my business.
Emily:
I love how you came up with the concept after seeing all of these common issues that business owners had.
When you're looking on social media these days, in your professional opinion, what are some things to keep in mind that we shouldn't be doing when it comes to our photos, as small business owners, and in many of my listeners case, solopreneurs
Bonnie:
I think I'll speak specifically about Instagram in this situation. Because I find that there's a lot of things happening there that can be confusing for business owners or solo business owners.
First you need to decide if your Instagram page is going to be mainly used for business or personal use. Because if you decide you want to be posting to Instagram for business, then you should have 80% of the content be about your business.
Definitely focus approximately 20% of your posts as personal content, so that people get to learn more about you, and why they want to spend their time and money with you and not another business.
If you decide you want to be posting on social media, and you prefer to keep it more personal, and less business, because maybe you just want your business vibes to be on your website, then in your social posts, post whatever you like, but perhaps make the account private, so that it's for your friends only. Otherwise, remember that your images work for you while you sleep. And if your party photos or your nights out are not something that you want your ideal customer to see, then either don't post them or make that account private for just your friends.
Emily:
You're echoing what I often say about content too with the 80% and 20%. So I love that we're on the same page from both a written or visual perspective, that's so good.
Bonnie:
Awesome! And another tip that I would say would be to show up authentically, as a business owner.
That means less filters, people want to see the REAL you. It's so easy to want to throw a Snapchat filter or, really smooth out all the imperfections. But people want to see the authenticity.
And I also suggest to show up consistently, because people get used to seeing you, and you build that feeling of familiarity. Many marketing experts talk about the coveted “know, like and trust factor”. So the more you show up consistently, the more familiar your ideal customer feels with you.
Emily:
Yeah, you want to be the girl or boy next door. Do you have any unpopular opinions around photos that you see people sharing on the internet? Things that just really get under your skin when you see them? For example if I can share one of mine? Like when photos are tilted, you know, and I can’t help but wonder, why did you do that? Why didn't you straighten it out?
Bonnie:
Yes, yes, definitely the crooked pictures should be avoided. I think that there are some simple photo techniques that you can do in order to get everything in the picture and not have it be crooked.
But definitely, as a visual strategist, I'm often curious what the reason is behind business owners posting photos of themselves, say in their pajamas, or screenshots from a Zoom meeting that shows they didn't get dressed that day. And they look disheveled.
What business owners need to remember is that a photograph speaks 1000 words for you. So if you show that you can't be bothered to dress presentably for a zoom call, or in your social media posts, then potential customers will instantly get doubt in their mind about how much effort you will put into your product or service. And you definitely don't want your potential customer to doubt anything about you. So posting pictures like that on social media, it always leaves me baffled.
Emily:
Yeah, I think that's a really good question to check in with ourselves and say like, Okay, if I saw this photo from somebody else would I doubt their ability to follow through? Would I doubt their professionalism, that's a really good way to phrase it for yourself. Before you hit post.
Bonnie:
Yes, and I'm not saying don't be authentic and real and not post who you really are. But have some fun with it. Knowing that people make assumptions based on what they see, they don't always read the caption. If you want to show up with the “life is busy” vibe, you know, juggling the kids and the job and walking the dog and all the things, have fun with that image, make it look playful and fun, funny in a disheveled way. Not in a Oh, I couldn't be bothered to brush my hair kind of way.
Emily:
Let’s shift gears into how we actually share photos that do align for us personally & that align for our brands. How do you even get started figuring out what those should look like? And does it come down to some of the colors that you choose and things like that?
Bonnie:
Yes, I love this question. And this is so important because the best place to start is by figuring out what is unique about you and your business.
Ask yourself; what is that one thing that sets you apart from ALL other businesses and especially within your niche? That is what you want to photograph.
You definitely want to take into consideration your branding colors. For me the color teal is a main theme in my branding, so I want to have that included within my colors and social media posts. Other businesses may use mustard yellow or purples within their branding. You want to make sure that if you're photographing something, you're maybe wearing a mustard yellow shirt, or things just to help tie in the branding and feel
Emily:
I need to go buy some more pink, purple and periwinkle clothes. Okay, so that actually leads me to my next question, can I take great photos at home?
Bonnie:
Absolutely, you can take great photos anywhere, just plan them ahead, clean up the space. If you're showing you're in work from home mode, then make sure you clean up any dirty dishes in the kitchen behind you. Remember to keep your business images looking professional.
Emily:
I love that. I see people in their stories showing up & they're always on the go. They always have something interesting about their day-to-day life which they are sharing in their stories. What if your life feels a bit boring? What if you are sort of a homebody? And you're like, I mostly just stay home and work in sweatpants? How do you get great pictures then? How can we kind of create some curiosity in our photos, wherever it may be? Even when it seems like it doesn't exist?
Bonnie:
Well, I don't think anyone's life is boring. It comes down to perspective and what you want your potential customers to know about you. Some potential customers might see other people's posts, and think, well, they're always busy, they're always on the go, do they have time to work with me? So showing they're always out and about isn’t always a positive thing. Sometimes a post of you working on your couch with a cozy cup of tea beside you, with a caption that says, “I'm in my cozy concentration & working through certain tasks, and giving my full focus.” It might look boring to people who are always out and about and doing things. But to your ideal customer, you're showing what it is that makes you and your business unique, because you're showing one of the character traits of your business, which is “I give my client 100% attention”. And that's very important.
Emily:
I love that spin on it. And I want to also add to that, and remind listeners that when we think of the word boring, we need to reframe that to actually be relatable. So the most boring things you do every day, I don't know, make yourself a cup of coffee, drink two glasses of water and take your vitamins in the morning. That's the very thing that makes you relatable to other people. They want to see themselves in what we're sharing. So again, I wouldn't sit there and take a picture of the same exact coffee mug every single day and post it to Instagram. But I just want to remind people that routine, that mundane thing that you do every single day, that's actually what makes you relatable to the people watching.
Bonnie:
Absolutely and it's a good point if they see themselves in you.
Emily:
What are some tips you have specifically speaking to this person who's kind of at home right now and they're like, how am I gonna get some great pictures of my day to day life? What are some tips you have that can help them to take some better photographs themselves?
Bonnie:
The first tip would be to use natural lighting. Open up your windows, your blinds your curtains, allow natural lighting to flood the space and turn off your overhead lights and things like that because ceiling lights can create a lot of shadows and darken under eye shadows and be less flattering. If you're actually standing facing a window, natural window light can be softening and more flattering to your face.
Emily:
I can attest to this. I was in TJ Maxx yesterday and I was like, oh dear, this is not nice lighting at all. So yeah, natural lighting was definitely in need in that moment.
Bonnie:
And it's free. It doesn't cost anything. You don't need fancy lighting equipment. Just open your blinds.
Emily:
What's another tip you might offer?
Bonnie:
Another tip would be to explore the angles that you're taking your picture. You mentioned earlier, seeing pictures on a tilt. Don't tilt them but instead of always photographing from eye level, get down lower. Put your cell phone actually on top of your coffee table and photograph your laptop and coffee mug and you in the background from that direction. Show people a different perspective of your daily life.
Emily:
I love that, bringing in different perspectives. And I think that is also captivating in an image. That's sort of what draws people in to say, Oh, I wonder what exactly is happening on the other side? So I love that.
Okay, is there anything just in your opinion, especially for that person who's focusing on the 80% business in their photos, that you shouldn’t share in your social media photos? Such as anything we talked about, like going out and partying? And I totally agree with you on that.
Bonnie:
Yes, I think anything that takes away from your professionalism shouldn't be shown. And I think really, also, being careful and aware of sharing your location too much, especially if you're a female solo business owner, your safety should always come first. Giving too much information or tagging too many neighborhoods close to your house, if you share that you work from home, often, it can give people a pattern of where you might be. I think it's safer to include less of your location, where you're going to be or where you have been.
Emily:
I want to add to that, you might also consider when you're on vacation, waiting until you come home from the vacation if your house is vacant. And if your spouse is away. You might also wait until they return before saying like I'm home alone for 10 days. I totally love these reminders, I'm like a safety-first kind of person when it comes to my health and safety. So thank you for reminding us of that.
Bonnie:
My pleasure. Because it's so easy when we get in a pattern of posting multiple times a week to say, hey, here's what I'm up to. Here's what's going on, hey, my spouse just left for 10 days. And people go oh, she's alone. You never really know who is following your social media.
Emily:
The Internet is a strange place. I love to wrap up with a fun question. Who or what is inspiring you and your life right now?
Bonnie:
What's inspiring me right now, I would have to say is actually not at all photography related. But instead, it's music related. I've just been catching up on musicians who are starting to return back to live concerts and live performances. And I've always found it so inspiring to see somebody perform live. I think it's so brave. They can be at a sold-out stadium or can be a solo musician with a guitar in the corner of a coffee shop. It's just so incredible to me.
Emily:
It is so lovely to have those things back in person. We're going to a concert this month. And I'm really excited for it, because I haven't done this in so long. So that's a really good one. And if you are a person listening that loves music, maybe this will give you the little nudge to do the same.
What is your answer to something maybe boring, that is actually really super unique to you?
Bonnie:
A boring thing I do… I'm going to keep with the theme of music here and nerd out a little bit. But I update my concert binder. Yes, I'm that type of live music fan where I have a binder with all of my concert ticket stubs, and a very fancy spreadsheet to match where I rate the performance & track if the band or musician was the opening act or the headliner, it's nerdy and boring to others but it makes my heart so happy because I love live music and I'm able to look back and reminisce on all the musicians that I've seen.
Emily:
We might be the same person with different things that we do this with, see this is what I love about sharing your boring thing right? Because actually this now makes me connect with you and say oh my gosh, I do the same thing. But I do it with my books and I do it with the shows that I watch and I like literally rate them on a scale of one to 10 in a spreadsheet. So that boring fact is what connects you to other people. I just want to point that out for listeners because that was amazing. That is so up my alley.
Bonnie:
And you're right, this type of small nugget about me or small nugget of value, these are great things to photograph and include as that 20% with a caption that might say: Hey, Did you know this little fact about me? And what is your thing? You know, do you have spreadsheets to track things?
Emily:
Okay, that's gonna be what I do right after we close out this interview, and I'll make sure to tag you in it. I love it.
How can listeners find and connect with you online? I know that you have a really great checklist to offer, but I'm curious to hear how else you work with people virtually.
Bonnie:
Sure. People can connect with me directly at my website, which is www.bonniedickson.com. Please also feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. I love connecting with business owners, having a conversation and really starting from that strategy portion of figuring out, you know, do your images work for you? Do you need new images, and figuring out how I can best support your business visibility needs?
Emily:
Thank you so much for being my guest, Bonnie.
~ To explore more episodes from the She Built This podcast, please click the following link: https://emilyaborn.podbean.com/
