How to get in front of your audience
If you’ve read our recent blog featuring illustrator Effie Theodosiou, you would have seen Effie talk about how hard it is to post about herself on her beautifully illustrated feed. And she is not alone!
With the constant additions of social media platforms AND new ways to post on each (looking at you, Instagram), the options can become overwhelming. You may see influencers talking to the camera in their stories/reels/IGTVs/posts and wonder: how the heck am I supposed to do that? Should I even be doing that? Does anyone care about what I have to say? What even is a reel?!
Posting yourself on your brand’s social media accounts can feel intimidating - but it doesn’t have to be. We can tell you with certainty that your audience would love to get to know you. Sharing more about yourself helps your community form a personal connection with your brand. We’ve put together some suggestions to help you get started on your journey of opening up to your internet friends.
Photo by Bruna Rico Photography // @brunarico)
Headshots and lifestyle photos
Let’s be honest, your display picture probably needs a refresher anyway. Take the plunge by booking a shoot with a photographer that you connect with. Look through their portfolio to see if their work resonates with your brand’s aesthetic, then hop on a call to see if your personalities mesh well. Sure, this may sound like dating advice, but finding love and finding a good photographer is almost the same thing. Behind every professional image of someone looking flawless on social media is their photographer, making them feel comfortable and natural from behind the camera. With professional guidance (and someone willing to laugh with you), the camera is nothing to be afraid of. We recommend starting with a quarterly shoot of about 10-15 photos to sprinkle throughout your feed. Once you start using these photos as posts, you’ll be surprised at how eager your community is to connect with you!
Illustration by Brianna Jade // @briannajade.creative
Illustrations
If you’ve ever spent a minute on our Instagram, you will know that we love illustrations! Another idea to get in front of your audience without a camera is to commission illustrations of yourself. You can turn a photo you already have of yourself into an illustration that matches your aesthetic and use it to share personal content pieces without having to get in front of the camera (if you’re not ready, or if you’ve been living in lockdown for the last 15 months). It’s a safer way to put yourself into the world as well as being a beautiful way to add more colour and art to your probably otherwise product/service-filled feed. Like photos, illustrations can be repurposed in other areas, like marketing materials or holiday cards.
Stories
So you’re ready to talk to the camera… we know, we know, no one’s actually been asking you about your morning routine - so what should you post? Stories are a great space to experiment and see what people want to hear from you since they only last a day. You can start with something as simple as a video of yourself asking what people would prefer to see more of on your feed and using the various IG stickers to collect their responses. This content can continue to evolve into unboxing new product as it arrives in your shop or even hosting live Q&As and discussions with your community on topics relevant to your audience. Our top recommendation? Don’t think about it too much! Social media is trial and error - so take a big step out of your comfort zone and give it a go.