It is the first full week of March and this month on The Stress-Less Career Show, we are moving on from personal branding to focus on marketing ourselves. I'm so excited because in this episode I brought Photographer and branding expert, Anna Laura Sommer, on the show to talk about social media and give you practical tips on how you can improve your social media game.
Social Media can be overwhelming for all of us. It’s hard to know when to post or what to say when trends are always changing. That is why when I asked Anna what her advice was for taking your social media to the next level, her first tip was a simple one. Have fun!
Anna stressed that “If it gets to that point where you're just so wrapped up in posting for the sake of posting, it's not authentic… People are very smart and people catch onto that you're just posting to stay relevant and it's not actually coming from the heart.” Your social media content, Anna mentions, needs to add value and come from a genuine place in order to be effective.
“Before you go to post really just ask yourself, ‘Who is this helping? Is it helpful and where is it coming from inside?’”
When your social media doesn’t come from an authentic place, it can actually be detrimental to what social media is all about - connecting to your audience and building valuable relationships. Your posts should come from the heart. Though, Anna noted that you don’t need every post to be super deep or philosophical. You can post lighthearted content, the goal is to not let stress overrun the creation process and get so lost in the scheduling of regular content.
Anna also had some really great tips to share about taking great photos for Social Media. We all have been in a situation where we really want to get a good photo of ourselves somewhere, but no one is around. For this situation, Anna recommends going to Amazon and buying a remote that you can use to take a photo from several feet away from your camera or even your smartphone.
While you can always hire an amazing photographer like Anna to take great photos for your social media specifically, she shared more valuable tips for all of us with “insta-partners” or people that we often ask to take photos for us when we are out doing something fun that we want to capture. Her first tip is to avoid the top-down angle that everyone is so fond of and ask for a photo that is straight on.
Anna also mentioned that you should not be afraid to direct whoever is behind the camera to get the photo you want. “Our insta-hubbies and our insta-friends, a lot of times, they're not those pros. So just be clear in your vision.” She even suggested asking them to take multiple photos so you can experiment with different poses.
“Practice in the mirror if you need to. Whatever works for you. The more you do it, the more comfortable you feel. And honestly, if you feel silly whenever you're out and about taking photos, no one cares... I have to tell so many of my clients, ‘No one's actually paying any attention to us, Everyone's wrapped up in their own stuff, so have fun with it.”
You can find Anna Laura Sommer by going to her website here or searching for her on social media @annalaurasommer. Be sure to watch our full interview above to learn more about her journey and her work!
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