How can photos present you as an authority?
Present yourself as an authority in your space of expertise...
How exactly does that work?
In order to create distinction from other experts in your field, it’s important to present yourself throughout your online world as an authority through photos.
So, how exactly can photos contribute to this goal for you?
Well, we can boil it down to three ways:
1 - Illustrating photos of you at your best
What does it look like when you’re delivering your transformational value to those you serve? Are you on a screen? On a stage, talking to an audience? In front of a room drawing up frameworks on a white board? Sharing your knowledge in a book? A combination of them all?
Identify the areas that show how you share your magic with those you serve and collect visual assets that place your superpowers front and center for your audience to see.
And, you want these images to look and feel different from shot-to-shot - unique expressions, confident body language, and details of you presenting with your audience’s reaction.
The goal is show how much of a badass you are in your element WHILE ALSO offering viewers of these photos a chance to preview what learning from you looks like.
When you provide them the opportunity to envision sitting in the audience learning from you, it moves them closer to actually seeing themselves investing in your products and services.
2 - Diverse image content that creates a well-rounded picture of your business and life
Do you follow any celebrities online? If so, you’ve probably noticed the diversity in their image content - photos of them in the limelight at public events, shots of their sponsored products, behind the scenes images of whatever work looks like to them, images with friends and family, photos of them at play and random snapshots here and there, you know, just because :)
They’re sharing bits and pieces of what their day-to-day life looks like.
And that’s exactly how you can build celebrity-esque buzz and authority for your business and brand in the minds of those you serve - minus the red carpets and paparazzi harassing you, of course :)
When you deliberately curate a visual story that reveals your process, day-to-day life, and what matters most to you, that provides your audience of potential clients a full-scope view of who you are, who you serve, what problems you solve, how you solve them, and why you do what you do.
This approach makes you more memorable in the eyes of those who need your help the most. It also creates massive distinction from other folks who offer the same type of help as you do because we all live different lives, regardless of what we do for a living.
And, as an expert, you’re in the business of building long-term relationships, so it’s important to offer your people an entry point into your life with these photos and stories so that it compels them to engage, ask questions and stick around long enough to learn how you can help them.
3 - Consistency
None of this works without staying on course day-after-day.
Why?
You lose your audience’s trust.
If you engage your audience with content for a week, even a couple months, and you completely disappear for a couple weeks, that affects how your audience perceives you.
Put yourself in their shoes - how would you react if someone that you’ve been following for a while suddenly falls off the face of the planet? In my case, they’re forgotten.
People are always looking for ways to disqualify potential avenues for how they spend their money on help.
If you’re wishy-washy on how you share your messaging online, it could turn many people who would otherwise work with you away for good because they don’t trust that you’ll be there when you need them.
Don’t give them a reason to bail.
And it’s not just about the photos themselves - it’s the message, as well.
If your posts start off as value-driven pieces of content and then, all of a sudden, you start sharing stories that only talk about how awesome you are and your life is, that will also turn off a lot of potential clients.
Stick to a balance between adding valuable insights into their life and introducing them to who you are, and that will go a long way to establishing and maintaining a healthy level of trust between you and your audience.
If presenting yourself as an authority in your space of expertise were easy, everyone would be awesome at it. The reality is that it takes a lot of effort and dedication to achieve this goal.
But ultimately, the juice is worth the squeeze.
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