Whether you’re looking for a new job, more clients, or the romantic partner of your dreams, you need to make sure your personal brand is on point. That’s the only way you’re going to get anyone’s attention online – no matter what your objective is.

To have a strong personal brand means to establish a clear representation of who you are and what you value. It’s something that should easily draw people in and make them want to know more about you.

Most importantly, though, your brand is something that people shouldn’t have to figure out!

It needs to send the right message to your audience from the moment they click on your profile. One way to effectively get your message across is to have a profile pic that resembles your brand.

Not sure what this means?

Here are 5 ways to create a clear connection between your profile pic and the rest of your online profile. Note: these steps apply to dating sites, professional platforms, and everything in-between!

1. Color Coordinate

When it comes to branding, colors are about much more than aesthetics. There’s a whole concept of color psychology that digital designers use when creating logos and websites, which you can also use for personal branding.

The key to doing this is to first define what your values are. Take a moment to consider what you want people to think about you when they see your profile pic and browse through your entire profile.

Identify what is most important to you and find a color that represents that. Then, pick one or two secondary colors to complete this step.

If you’re looking to update your professional profile picture, this step has already been done for you. You should use the colors of the company brand you represent.

2. Use a Simple Background

Keep in mind that color coordination can be subtle. You don’t have to dress in red from head to toe or go out and find a yellow dress. Incorporate your brand colors in more subtle ways like on your tie, your necklace or earrings, or layered into your clothing.

Or, set your primary brand color as your background. This has two major benefits for you: the first is the use of color psychology mentioned above, and the second is the simplicity that using a single-colored background creates.

Simple is good in this case. It means that your audience will be able to better focus on you because they’re not distracted by the background of your image. A single-colored background can also bring out some of your features and/or complement what you’re wearing.

3. Show Off Your Personality

Creating a personal brand online is basically like introducing your personality to people from behind a screen. You want it to be approachable and interesting, so it helps to have a little fun when shooting a new set of profile pictures.

Don’t be afraid to relax a little bit and have a few laughs with your photographer. Maybe play some music or take a handful of pictures outside and have the photographer create a focus on you.

Whatever you do to let loose, keep your end goal in mind. It’s much different to relax in a way that is still professional than it is to do so for a social profile pic or a dating profile.

4. Don’t Forget About Your Cover Photo

Since you’re going through all the trouble to make sure your profile picture fits your brand, you may as well do the same with your cover photo. Many online profile platforms now offer this feature, and it would be a shame to work so hard on a profile picture just to have a bad cover photo cast a shadow over it.

Upgrading your cover photo and your profile pic makes your overall brand a lot stronger. The two should complement one another in a way that tells people who you are and what you’re all about.

They don’t have to be a perfect match, though. Feel free to have fun with this combination and explore your options before you make your final decision.

5. Fit the Frame

If you’re not sure how to create an on-brand cover photo, refer back to steps 1-3 for insight. You can also go outside the lines and put a quote or an image of something you’re passionate about (a landscape, a hobby, your products, etc) as your cover photo.

No matter what you choose for either image, though, you need to make sure they each fit their respective frame! This is the final touch that makes all the difference.

Take your time to adjust your new profile photo in a way that represents it well no matter how it’s displayed.

Remember, your profile image will be used in various sizes once it is set. It’s going to be a small icon when people message you, it will be a bit bigger when you’re commenting on other posts, and it’s going to be much bigger when people actually click on your profile.

But, it has to be easy to understand everywhere it’s displayed, and your cover photo is no different. Make sure both images fit your online profile before you consider your brand complete.

Get the Perfect Profile Pic Every Time

It’s one thing to create a fun personal brand online and another to have a professional brand that makes people want to work with you.

However, the two should have some clear similarities between them, even if you don’t use the same exact profile pic each time.

To make sure you get this just right, check out these additional profile pic tips.