Okay, stop rolling your eyes. I’m not necessarily telling you to post a bunch of pictures you’ve taken in your bathroom mirror every day (but if that’s your thing, by all means go for it!)

But here’s the thing about selfies – they can really help to humanize your brand and put a face to it. A lot of the people who choose small or independent small businesses do so because of the people behind them. You can offer great products and services all day long, but the fact of the matter is that people can usually find something similar (and quite possibly cheaper) from a large company.

So the thing that sets you apart in a lot of situations is you. You are the personality, the idea person, and the face of your brand. So why not remind people of that from time to time?

People want to know the person behind your brand. They want to see the person they’d be working with or buying from if they choose to do business with you. They want to see you at work. They want to see your products or services in action. Show them!

Here are some of the potential business benefits of posting selfies:

• It adds a face to your brand
• It shows customers who they’d be working with if they choose to do business with you
• It can help to build up your confidence
• If you make wearable products, you can show them off too
• Customers can see how/where you work
• They can serve as your profile images for various accounts (though having other people take these is often preferable)
• It can be a fun creative activity

There are plenty benefits, depending on your business. But not all selfies are created equal! If you post the same ones over and over again, they’re not going to have as much of an impact. But if you get really creative with your selfie taking, you could notice even more benefits.

Here are some creative ways to incorporate selfies into your social media/blog strategy:

• Take a photo of yourself actually working on your craft
• Show off a fun new outfit
• Wear one of your products in a fun new way
• Include friends or family members in your photos (particularly if you talk about them a lot online – so people can attach names to faces)
• Use artwork as a background
• Show off your workspace with you in it
• Use Boomerang or a similar app to create a gif/short video of you doing something
• Work on creating an actual self portrait that captures your personality

Posting these creative selfies takes a bit more work than just extending your arm and making a winking face, or posing in front of your bathroom mirror. It might sound strange, but if you’re going to use them, you should put as much care into them as you would with the rest of your social media strategy.

Here are some tips for getting the best selfies possible:

• Get the right tools – a self-timer app, phone tripod, or even a selfie stick can help you get some unique and interesting pictures
• Try out different filters/backgrounds
• Find the best lighting (outside or near windows is almost always best)
• Play around with different locations
• Practice! You’ll need to take a lot of selfies before finding your best looks/sides/etc.

Of course, every business is different. Yours could very well be one that doesn’t really lend itself to posting selfies online. And that’s totally fine! But I do think that a lot of creative businesses could benefit from taking/posting selfies when done in a unique/creative way (something I’m still working on myself, honestly).

So what do you think? Could selfies benefit your creative brand?