How to show up for your Business when you don’t like showing up.
The best way to stand out from the competition online, to be seen by your potential clients, and build their trust, is to show your face on your platforms regularly.
Check out your Instagram insights if you are in any doubt. Your best-performing posts probably contain an element of you? People love to see the face behind the business brand.
However, when you’d rather not face the camera, or just need inspiration for other options, you can still show YOU. Here’s how to do the next best thing without resorting to millions of boring product shots or stock photography.
Make your phone self-timer your friend
The self-timer on your phone will help you take images of yourself, whether showing your face or not. Your camera phone should have the option to delay the time between pressing the shutter and it taking the image. This is good to know when taking your own self-portraits because it means you can step away from your camera and not have that unattractive ‘selfie arm’ and shoulder in view. It’s also the way to go when you need to show both hands- handy when not showing your face.
Show your hands at work
Most of the suggestions below involve showing your hands. Hands can be emotive even when your face may not be visible. Show potential clients how you can help them by doing what you do. Photograph those hands working, creating, writing, texting, preparing… Your audience will love that ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse into your business world.
Bottom L-R: The Ricketty Desk, Your Wellness in Mind
Hold Something
It may sound obvious but holding an item allows you to plan your image easily to help set the scene. Holding an object close to you means you can use the colours of your clothing as the background, or hint at the surroundings, telling your story if you don’t crop too closely.
Images like this can be repurposed to portray different themes depending on your intended message. For example, I could use this image to illustrate a pensive day working from home, a post about my morning ritual (lots of tea), or my evening ritual (lots of wine!), or it could be used in a blog post about alternatives to portraits.
Choosing colours within your colour palette as Tracy did makes for a professional, on-brand feel.
You can also share a bit more of your personality, and hobbies to help potential clients and customers get to know and trust you. Pets also make excellent subjects as you can focus on their face instead of your own!
Bottom L-R: Kuka Studios doggo, Ethical Beauty with Tracy crocheting
Hold your message up
Convey your brand message by holding a framed quote. Or write your message on a chalkboard, in a notebook, or even on a piece of paper. If you’re competent in Photoshop or other editing software (like Canva), you could keep the paper / notebook / chalkboard blank and add text later (meaning you can re-purpose your images depending on your message or business campaign).
Show your feet
Consider showing your feet instead of your hands. The environment and mood can be conveyed through your choice of footwear and the location. You could wear your slippers on a furry rug, or your wellies in the mud. Or go barefoot in the sand if you feel like it.
Show your behind!
Photograph yourself from behind. It’s still a portrait. You could be walking the dogs, or your kids, heading to a business meeting, taking a photo…
Hand gestures
Images of hand gestures can be used to convey all sorts of messages in your business posts. Your hands rather than stock images add an extra level of authenticity that your customers will love.
Prop shots
Use your props in the foreground and position yourself in the background. This way you can hint that you’re there, without being the star of the show.
So…
…while you might not feel like showing up on camera every day, try to do it often, whatever you think you look like. Embrace this moment in time and get creative with your look. The trend of Instagram perfection is over. This is a time of realism- you have permission not to be perfectly groomed, and your audience will love you all the more for it.
And if you don’t think your mobile phone skills are up to the job. Book a Personal Branding shoot for your business…it’s easier and cheaper than you think!
