Let's "Face" It: 5 Reasons For Showing Up On Social Media

I’ve invited the amazing Hannah McCormick, Social Media expert and Virtual Assistant extraordinaire, to share the following guest post. Enjoy!

Psst! I’m going to let you in on a little secret....social media is SOCIAL! 

Okay, so that seems obvious but it’s something that a lot of businesses marketing on social media can forget. Whatever your reasons for being on social media, people want to connect with other people. 

To do that, you need to show up!

Before you object and shrink behind a photo of your latte or a pretty flower, here are 5 really important reasons why you should show your face on social media.

For your business

“Consumers trust other people more than they trust companies.” according to Business 2 Community.

Think about the last time someone reached out to you online, maybe through a DM or a cold email. What was the first thing you did? Likely you went searching for a picture of this person or their story before making a response. People buy from people. Plain and simple.

Having a face behind a brand builds trust.

For your brand

It’s much easier to remember a person than a logo or tagline. Your audience is more likely to remember your brand if they can put a face to a name. Auckland Brand Photographer, Jana, explains, “Repeated imagery gets embedded into our brains and builds strong visuals overtime making these personal brands unforgettable.”

Having a face behind a brand builds recognition.

For your audience

According to ResearchGate, “Photos with faces are 38% more likely to receive likes and 32% more likely to receive comments, even after controlling for social network reach and activity.”

Regular users of social media know that engagement is king! The more interactions your content is getting, the better it will perform. Again, humans being the social creatures that they are, your audience are more likely to engage with content that includes photos of you.

Having a face behind a brand builds a deeper connection with your audience.

For your community

Now this reason is less about your business and more about the greater good. The more variety of people posting real pictures of themselves online, the more everybody feels represented and included. 

Wouldn't you feel more comfortable posting photos of yourself if more people who looked like you posted too?⁣ It’s important for all of us to see an online community that represents our offline community. As Content Savvy puts it, “We can all play a part in creating a social media experience that shows how beautifully different we all are.”

Having a face (your face!) behind a brand builds diversity online.

For you!

I know that I am not alone in saying that fears about being judged have stopped me from sharing real photos of myself online. 

Will I be judged because my hair is messy or my skin is blotchy?⁣

Will I be judged because I've put on weight during the pandemic?⁣

Will I be judged because my house is a mess? 

If I do post pictures, will people think I'm vain?⁣

With trolls lurking under virtual bridges everywhere, it can be genuinely terrifying to be that vulnerable but the only way to get past these fears is to face them.

I promise you, the vast majority of people will be excited and non-judgemental - and the boost to your confidence will be electric!

To learn more about showing up online or using social media to market your business, check out my blog for more insights.

Guest blog post written by Hannah McCormick, HM Virtual Assistance