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Getting more brand engagement is a want of every business owner I work with. They don’t want to waste their time on social media if their content goes unnoticed. In my experience… using my face in my visuals and my story in my copywriting deepens connections and boosts conversions more than any other strategy. In this article, I share five straightforward ways to show your face on Instagram to boost your brand engagement. And yes, even if you are uncomfortable showing your face on Instagram, these tips will work for you!
Should you show your face in your brand marketing?
Getting more brand engagement is a want of every business owner I work with. They don’t want to waste their time on social media if their content goes unnoticed.
As I mentioned in episode 30, Smith Company – an experiential commerce agency, conducted a study where they asked shoppers which emotions drove their shopping and buying decisions. Of the eight emotional modes that influence shopping and purchase decision-making – the most frequently experienced emotion was NEEDS VALIDATION.
What that means is everyday shoppers, especially online, are indecisive.
Your potential clients want to connect with someone’s recommendation before purchasing.
They need help to make the leap actually to make a purchase. In short, your potential clients’ shop by opinions… whether it’s their own or a mix of his, hers, and yours.
Besides a well-thought-out content strategy, face-to-face marketing interaction is another way to overcome their doubt and fear of making the wrong decision.
And since we are talking about online marketing using Instagram – YOUR FACE on their phone or computer is the best you can do besides sitting down physically with them.
The Simple Instagram Hashtag Formula For Beginners
RESULTS: My Instagram insights for engagement
When I look back at my Instagram insights for the past year, over 50% of my top 15 posts for likes, comments, interactions, and impressions have my face in them.
The only time posts with my face on them came in under 50% for my top 15 posts over the last year were for shares and saves. Posts that perform well for shares and saves are quotes, educational carousals, and tweet boxes.
How to become a memorable brand
Being the face of your brand allows you to build that much-needed connection with your potential client. Our brains are naturally wired to be drawn to faces. So having your face spotted throughout your feed makes your brand more familiar, approachable, and authentic.
The more you can control your visual branding and brand messaging so your potential clients can build a memory structure around who you are, the value you offer that puts you in an incredibly powerful position.
And in my experience… using my face in my visuals and my story in my copywriting deepens connections and boosts conversions more than any other strategy.
5 Ways to Show Your Face on Instagram To Boost Brand Engagement
So since Instagram remains a popular social media platform, here are five straightforward Ways to Get Your Face on Instagram to Boost Your brand engagement. And yes, even if you are uncomfortable showing your face, these tips will work for you!
1. Post a full Photograph of yourself in your Instagram feed.
This is the simplest way to get your face on Instagram, but having your photos professionally taken can be a bit overwhelming.
How I get around this is to snap pictures of myself when I feel and look good. This way, it’s up to you when you feel put together and not about feeling anxious about a booked appt on a calendar.
Whether it’s a face-forward photo or you aren’t even looking at the camera, the point is to show a realistic representation of you as the front of your brand.
And these don’t need to be close-ups. So sit in a chair, staring out a window, or grab your pup to be in the photo with you – whatever makes you more comfortable! I share all my DIY Photoshoot secrets inside this kit!
Level Up Your Brand Photography with Easy At-Home Photos – Learn More Here! Yes! I’m teaching you how to take your own headshots.
2. Create cutouts of yourself to use on your Instagram feed as a graphic.
These are probably my favorite way to show my face in my feed for two reasons.
- One is they stay visually on-brand because I can still use my brand color in the graphic background.
- The second reason is I can add text to the image.
You see me using these mainly when I point to a text bubble or headline text. They are attention-grabbing while still offering some insight into what my caption is about. Canva business accounts have this feature that makes it simple to remove the background from your photos.
3. Get your face in an Instagram stories video at least once a day.
The quickest way is to shoot a 15-30sec video and post it to stories. You don’t even need to use the video feature inside stories if you don’t want to.
You can simply pre-record these on your phone and then post them.
Again this option gives you the chance to batch videos when you feel and look good. Look into the camera, share some product info or helpful tips that your ideal client would appreciate hearing!
But remember you are talking to ONE person – make it personal and use the word YOU. Don’t start your video with “Hey guys!” Instead, start your video with something like, “I know you want to use Instagram to grow your business… here are five tips for you to boost engagement.”
4. Use the Reels feature at least once a week.
This short-form video feature on Instagram is still here and not going anywhere, so you might as well put your toes in the water if you haven’t tried Reels just yet.
If you’ve been worrying about how to differentiate yourself from others in your industry… this is your answer.
Reels are the perfect way to inject your personality while sharing helpful information for your niche audience.
No, I’m not suggesting you dance and point to bubbles in your reels. Any reel I produce will be educational to my ideal client. My reel content mimics the same I blog and record my podcasts about.
5. Hop on a live Instagram Video.
Once you get used to sharing pre-recorded stories, your next step is to hop on for a LIVE video.
Many people use these for Q&A sessions with their audience, but I use them mainly for more significant product announcements and launches.
It’s a great way to make connections with your audience in real-time as it allows them to ask questions of comments, and you reply live on air.
Recap: Putting a face to the brand
So I hope you’ll be open about putting your face front and center of your brand to form a strong human connection with your niche audience. It shows a heartbeat and real human behind your content.
And in my experience… using my face in my visuals and my story in my copywriting deepens connections and boosts conversions more than any other strategy.
Showing your face as your brand gives you an identity. And don’t get me wrong – I’m a creative girl, and I love logos and brand palettes – and YES! those should be used to identify you, but without a face, your identity can appear a bit impersonal and even cold to your audience.
And truthfully, your audience isn’t going to connect with a logo or stock image in the same way they connect with your face … which we hope is friendly and relatable.
Ep 75: One Simple Way To Align Your Content With Your Target Audience
How to use your face in business marketing
And even though it may seem uncomfortable at first – I’ve developed a simple technique to take candid lifestyle photos of yourself without using an unreliable self-timer or friend to snap a camera. I have a quick tutorial video and pdf download so you can boost your engagement using Lifestyle marketing images today.
Get Access to the Lifestyle Headshots for Amateurs tutorial HERE!
Inside my Lifestyle Headshots for Amateurs Video Tutorial – I teach you how to use props, your phone, Canva for desktop editing software, and a little creativity to create endless photos for all your online marketing needs. Instantly download this tutorial kit HERE.
Level Up Your Brand Photography with Easy At-Home Photos – Learn More Here! Yes! I’m teaching you how to take your own headshots.
How To Do A Self Photoshoot At Home With Your Phone – CLICK HERE!
The most important thing to remember about differentiating yourself and standing out is posting visuals that don’t look like everyone else. And your face allows that to happen when you show your face on social media. Showing your face in half of your Instagram posts is the most effective way to encourage your potential clients to get to know you and your brand on a deeper level.
Another episode you may enjoy is “Ep 30: Putting Your Face Front And Center To Immediately Connect“
