How Selfies Can Help Your Business

Image Credit: Ralph van der Geest

You have probably heard the term "selfie" in recent years, regarding a new wave of self portraits on the internet. The phrase, officially Oxford Dictionary's 2013 word of the year, mostly refers to self portraits taken with a cell phone camera (usually at arms length) and posted to social media. While the idea has been gaining traction with youth and adults (and Pelicans) alike for several years, the term became prolific during the 2014 Oscars, when Ellen Degeneres orchestrated a group selfie with a host of celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Brad Pitt. The photo, which Degeneres posted to Twitter, became viral in a mater of hours, and has now been retweeted over 3.3 Million times. That makes it the most retweeted Twitter post in the history of the social network. So what does this have to do with your business? Keep reading for the answers.

 

The proliferation of the selfie as we know it can largely be attributed to the popularity of smartphones and social media, the main platforms for composing and sharing the photos. According to The Verge, the first known use of the word "selfie" online came from a post in an Australian forum in 2002. The word appeared as #selfie on Flickr roughly two years later, and began it's ascent to the top of our vocabulary list. Ten years on, 56% of the population owns a smartphone, many of which have two cameras; one unit on the back for regular use, and another on the front for self portraits and video chat.

NYC Selfie - Image Credit: Mollybob

More than just an internet phenomenon, the selfie in it's current form represents deeply rooted social protocols, and the ways in which we represent and perceive our self image. Surprisingly, there are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between individual motivation for sharing selfies, and the motivations of a business for doing the same. Mashable quotes comedian Chelsea Peretti why she posts selfies, and the performer jokingly responded "loneliness and desperation for attention are crucial ingredients". Peretti's joke is actually an astute observation, one which points to larger social issues surrounding self-portraits. While that is a conversation for another day, businesses have largely the same motivations for being active on social media; to show off their stuff and attract an audience. Businesses, in reality, are "desperate" for customers, albeit it to varying degrees. So how can posting selfies to social media help your business? The key is exactly the same as personal selfies, ownership. Self composed images give you the opportunity to represent the parts of your business that you really want to highlight, rather than say, Yelp reviews, which focus on the perspective from the other end. Selfies put you in control of your own image, making you the architect, weaving the visual rhetoric that dictates how others see your business.

Bar Selfie - Image Credit: IamNotUnique

So go crazy with your smartphone in the kitchen, at the bar, after hours, and even with guests. Social media, for a business, is all about interacting with fans. Using selfies, you can create personal connections with customers, and make them feel like a real, valuable part of your business. Chances are the more of yourself you share, the more affinity your customers will feel for your brand. Source: Mashable