Web Marketing Strategy Update

If you’re active on LinkedIn, you may already understand how important it is to choose a profile picture that makes a good first impression. Unique, from both Twitter and Facebook, LinkedIn is a social network for business professionals.

Now more than ever before, the line between our personal and professional lives are blurred. In fact, many employers admitted googling job candidates before considering them for a position.

So, how do you make sure that you’re truly putting your best foot (or face in this case) forward? Follow these tips to make a solid first impression.

11 Tips for a Professional LinkedIn Profile Photo:

1. No photo is not acceptable. Nothing screams amateur or newbie more than the the grey silhouette of LinkedIn’s default image. If you’re going to jump on the social media bandwagon, find an image that looks good for your profile.
2. Use a current photo. You might love that old photo from twenty years ago because you were having a good hair day or you still had hair, but don’t use it for your LinkedIn profile picture. Your photo should look like you do today not when you graduated from high school. Staying current will also help others you’ve connected with identify you and avoid confusion. It’s a good idea to update your photo once a year.
3. Use a headshot. LinkedIn profile pictures are small. A headshot will scaledown much better than a full body photo. LinkedIn is about business relationships.
4. Avoid dark glasses and sunglasses. If you have glasses that transition to sunglasses make sure they are not dark for your photo. Let people see your eyes.
5. Do not use a group shot for your profile photo. Your profile is you, not you with a group. Using a group shot will confuse people visiting your profile too.
6. Dress in business attire. Think about how you dress at your job. If you wouldn’t wear the clothing you’re pictured in, consider a different outfit. You wouldn’t want your cleavage or chest hair to be the first thing someone notices about you in real life. Make sure it’s not the first thing they notice about you on LinkedIn too. If you’re new to the job market, dress for the job you’d like to get. If you are unsure about what to wear, search through other profiles in your industry and look at what other professionals are wearing.
7. Keep your business profile photo simple. Don’t use props. A good headshot is all you need. LinkedIn profiles are small. There’s no room for props.
8. Consider your expression. If you choose a photo where you look angry or sad you’ll be off putting to your audience. Select a photo that exudes happiness, confidence and friendliness. If you look friendly in your profile, people will be more likely to connect with you.
9. Red eyes are a no-no. Looking like a demon won’t do you any favors. Most photo editing software has fix red eye options. Remember, preventing red eyes is easier than fixing them. To prevent red eyes in photos, avoid using the flash function. Instead, try increasing the natural lighting or bouncing your flash.
10. No matter how cute they are, never, ever use a caricature or cartoon for your profile picture.
11. Now is not the time for an amaturer self portrait. Avoid cell phone mirror pictures or photos taken with a webcam. There are lots of photo studios that specialize in business photo packages. Book your session and let a professional handle the rest.

Flash Digital Portraits specializes in professional business portraits, family photo packages and baby portraits. “Like” Flash Digital Portraits on Facebook for special offers.

Related articles

• 8 Mistakes You Should Never Make On LinkedIn
• LinkedIn Endorsements: The New “Poke”
• Optimization Tips for your LinkedIn Profile Page
• How Complete Is Your LinkedIn Profile?
• Building a Better LinkedIn Profile
• How to add media to your new LinkedIn profile

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If you haven’t got time to record and post a full video to capture your audience every time you post, beautiful and unique images will in less time. The working descriptors here are, of course, “beautiful” and “unique.” Pictures taken with a flash in a dark room will do nothing for your brand, and worse, it may even hurt it by giving it an amateurish impression.
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I’ve been using the free Awstats web analytics software for years on many of my domains (I use Google Analytics on some as well now, but the advantage of Awstats is its single page format, giving instant access to the data without lot’s of clicking about).

The other day, I decided my Awstats installation was overdue an update and popped over to SourceForge to pick up the latest version.

While I was looking over the docs to refresh my memory on the upgrade process, I came across a link to a page of Awstats ExtraSection examples on another website.

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