This blog post has been authored by Faith James, The Personal Branding Consultancy, LLC
Now more than ever people have been Zooming like they have never Zoomed before!
I mean honestly 🙂 I am doing wardrobe changes in between Zoom meetings like I’m a celebrity. But seriously if you are an employee, business owner or entrepreneur I am sure your Zooming days have been up there.
So how is your brand showing up? Are people seeing you as a pro, a subject matter expert, or are they more focused on what’s hanging behind your chair or wondering who is iPhone 234455?
You are your brand always! So keep that in mind. You should treat your Zoom sessions the same way you would if you had to show up to an in-person meeting. It’s just common sense.
Here are 3 tips to help you level up your brand image on Zoom.
Zoom Pro Tip #1 – You are your brand. You are not your iPhone or Android phone number. Your name, title and company name should be what people see at the bottom of your video. To do this, click on the 3 dots (…) on your picture. Then click on rename and type in your name, title and company. Ideally you would have this set up in your Zoom profile ahead of time so every time you host a Zoom meeting or attend a Zoom meeting, it’s already in place and your are ready for your close up.
Zoom Pro Tip #2 -Your video off button shows a black screen!? Why?? The black screen is not a good look and it’s definitely not a pro look! It’s analogous to you putting a paper bag over your head in a meeting. You would not do that, I hope, so let’s stop doing that in your Zoom meetings. To fix this, you need to have a professional head shot added to your Zoom profile so that when you do need to go off camera for any reason you are still “present” in the meeting.
Zoom Pro Tip #3 – You know the saying don’t air your dirty laundry in public, well the same goes for Zoom. Look I want to be comfortable and relaxed like the next CEO—in fact I am typing the blog from the comfort of my bedroom. But please, for the love of all things holy, don’t join a Zoom meeting from your bedroom. It’s not a pro look. No one needs to see your night gown or bra hanging from the back of your chair. I’ll say it louder for the people in the back row…It’s not a pro look.
What’s the fix? Take your meetings from your home office. If you don’t have a home office then from your living room or kitchen. But no laundry… neither dirty nor clean…should be shown in your background. I have seen many well intended entrepreneurs use virtual backgrounds to try and address this issue but many miss the key ingredient…the green screen. Without a green screen, your image looks like a shaky ghost with the jitters. You really should get the green screen. I recommend getting a chair option if you don’t have a lot of space to work with.
Hope these tips serve you well. If you want to learn more tips on how to build an all-star, amped up brand join us over in the Savvy Branders Tribe – https://www.facebook.com/groups/97732086241817
25+ year corporate advertising and marketing executive and Fortune 500 brand influencer. Previous brand experience includes IBM, Mary Kay, Microsoft, Frito Lay, Pepsi, Liberty Mutual, Edward Jones to name a few. CEO and Founder of The Personal Branding Consultancy, LLC and Creator of The Brand Accelerator Online Course and Accountability Program. Serving leaning forward female entrepreneurs and a few enlightened men across the globe from Atlanta to Austria.