Tips and Tricks To Putting An Effective Profile Together

Ready to get building your network here at sup.biz?

Below are some basic guidelines to help you get started putting your profile together.

Make sure to use your full name. The idea is to be professional. You may like the screen name "Vaderblaster_007" but chances are your prospects won't think of you as a professional. And because of that they won't end up doing any business with you.

If you prefer anonymity for safety purposes that is quite alright and maybe even prudent. If you're going to go this route I suggest using your real first name and then creating a fictitious last name. You might consider using the first letter of your last name as the first letter of your made up name. That way you can use your real initials when commenting on other members blogs and forum posts. The reason I suggest that is for the simple fact it will be far easier for you to remember.

Upload a good professional photo of yourself to use as your profile picture. One of the biggest mistakes I see new marketers make on the social networks is they neglect to upload a photo to use on their profile page. Why that is a mistake is simple. Profiles without a profile pic receive 800% less traffic than profiles that do have them. So put a pic up!

Another common mistake I see marketers make on the social networks is to use an unprofessional looking photo as a profile pic. You may look good in a bathing suit but unless you're trying to get people to invite you to the beach or to call you for a late night booty call this a big no no. The idea is to look professional okay? People give their money to professionals. If you don't look the part then no money for you.

Another mistake to avoid is to upload a picture of something other than a human as your profile pic. Look you may like cats or racecars but that doesn't mean you should use them as you profile pics! People for the most part flock to the social networks because they are looking for social interaction. Provide them with that social interaction and they will stop and spend time with you. When you have a picture of a bulldog as your profile pic your potential prospects will pass right by your profile without even thinking twice about it.

Let others know where you live. This seems self explanatory but when you leave it blank you'll lose traffic as a result. When a new prospect hits your profile the first thing they do after looking at your profile picture is to see what part of the world you live in. By leaving it blank it makes you look like a made up spammy profile. If you're worried about Internet safety you can use a fake city name and then share the actual State you live in. There is nothing wrong or devious with this. I suggest you share the real State you are from just because a lot of people when they meet you will ask you regional oriented questions like "How's the weather there in the winter?" or "How's the golf there?" If you can't answer those questions because you lied about where you live then it will be harder for you to answer their questions genuinely.

Share what type of business you have. This is pretty important field to fill out too. I suggest you be careful with it though. If you're in Amway don't fill it out by sharing "Amway Independent Representative". If you do you risk being stereotyped and avoided almost immediately by would be prospects. It's much wiser to share something like "Helping Others", or "Problem Solving", or "Business Strategist". The idea is to get your prospects forming an opinion of who you are through other means than just the job title you happen to have at the moment.

Telephone Number. Whether or not you want to share your phone number on your profile is totally up to you. I prefer to do so because of my business background. I know from experience that when my phone rings it usually means someone's interested in what I'm doing and more often than not that means sales for me. If you're going to list your phone number make sure to share a business line because your prospects will not think it very professional if your three year old happens to pick up the phone when they call. Also if you're concerned with Internet safety you should know that anyone can take your number and go to whitepages.com and do a reverse look up to see who's phone it is. If it's your home phone number they may even get your name and address from doing so. If it's a cell number they will at least get the city and State where you live. So share your number with your eyes open!

Website Address. I normally share a link over to my blog in this field. Why? Because if I'm linking straight to a sales page then I'm afraid most people will think I am interacting with them only to make sales. Which is usually the case. But that's besides the point. When I share my blog link in the website field then when a prospect clicks it they see all the helpful information I share they will more likely continue interacting with me.

Put Together An Introductory Story. Locate the box in the middle column entitled, "Text Box". Click the button next to it that says, "edit". When you do a white box will appear and that is where you are going to formally introduce yourself to your visitors. Do so by sharing something about yourself that has nothing to do with your business whatsoever. You can share a funny story that happened to you as a kid or as an adult. Or let everyone know what your favorite flavor of ice cream is. What movie did you last see? Did you like it? Do you play a musical instrument? Are you good at card tricks? Did you grow up not knowing your dad? Did your grandmother live on a lake and whenever you'd visit her as a child she would bait your hook for you and cook the fish you caught just for you? The point is you need to share who you are as a human being in this box.

When a visitor hits your profile for the first time they are going to first look at your profile picture to see what you look like. Then immediately go to your text box to read your story. If you have a story for them to read that shares who you are as a person you stand a very good chance of bonding with your prospect.

When that happens you just set the stage to making a sale with that same person down the road.

The key is to to give people a chance to know you before you start sharing your product, service or opportunity with them.

There you have it. Now go put your profile together!

Post below if you have any questions whatsoever!