Put your best face forward

How professional is your Facebook profile picture?

I’m betting for most execs it’s not a photo you’d necessarily want your clients to see.

Read: Social media dos and don’ts

And that’s completely fine, since Facebook is generally used for casual networking and playing games. While some advisors may have brand pages, their personal accounts aren’t often viewed in connection with their business due to the informal environment of the platform.

Or are they?

It turns out some social media apps and tools allow people to link your emails and social accounts easily. So, more people may be viewing your photo than you think.

Read: Great expectations: What clients look for

One tech writer, Rick Broida, says he has a tool called the outlook social connector. It not only allows him to see past email history with any sender, but also shows him:

• Mutual meetings: The tools bring up all upcoming appointments including him and the sender of the message.
• Recent attachments sent to one another: He can quickly review attachments they’ve exchanged, as well as all related messages.
• Their activity feeds: Most importantly, he can stay on top of their activities in real time since the connector links him to their other business and social networks. This includes Facebook and Linkedin profiles.

In a recent article for MSN.com, Broida said he often gets emails from sales reps who have silly or personal photos posted on social sites. Due to the connector tool, he can see these pictures and finds them sometimes damaging to the sender’s reputation.

Read: Social media: Good or bad for business?

“We’re living in a social-network society, where nearly any image you post online has the potential to be viewed by others,” he says. “Even if it’s ostensibly for friends only, it’s your responsibility to [be cautious and] project a professional you.”

Read: 10 attributes of professionals