Your avatar, it’s a simple enough thing surely; just a little image to represent you or your alter ego online. Or is it? As more businesses start to venture into social media channels to connect with their customer base, the use of the avatar in the business environment is rapidly increasing.

This very moment you could be sat in an office, looking very neat and well presented in formal business attire as your company dress code dictates. At the same time you could be parading around the social networks conducting all your online business in a clown mask as far as your boss is concerned.

The point is, business is not yet even considering the impact of your online self in the same way it does your physical self. But perhaps it should.

What Your Avatar Says About You

Your avatar is the only visual clue your reader has to associate the words they’re reading with the writer. If you’re writing a serious article on the effect of global warming and your avatar is a picture of “Bobo the Clown”, your writing will not carry quite the same authority as you had hoped it might.

Let’s take a look at some of the most commonly use avatar types and interpret what we can from them:

• The Passport Photograph
  This is the standard head shot photograph, eyes forward and looking earnest. This exudes an air of professionalism but can come across as a little too formal, and perhaps too serious. Looking more relaxed and smiling can make this avatar work well.

• Face at Odd Angles
  There’s all kinds of variations on this theme with side profiles, close ups of just the eyes, face tilted at an angle, etc. They mostly portray some form of irreverence or quirkiness.

• Company Logo
  Not a bad choice to use for official company announcement type messages, but a little impersonal to properly engage with your customers as you’d probably like.

• Animals
  Most often signified by a picture of a cat or dog, animal pictures are usually very family orientated. I wouldn’t feel overly trustworthy were “Tiddles” offering advice on which Blue Ray Player was the best one to buy though!

• Anyone Famous
  While a picture of a celebrity might be funny to friends and family, to anyone who’s not in on the joke, it just looks weird. Avoid if you want to be taken seriously.

• Cartoons and Clip Art
  This depends greatly on the circumstances, and the actual art used. In some scenarios a well produced piece of clip art can stand out and impress, but too really work it should be in keeping with the subject matter. Use with caution.

• The Default Image
  You’d have thought not getting involved in this whole avatar minefield and just sticking with whatever the default image is would be an acceptable alternative. Unfortunately it’s not. Nothing shouts “Newbie” or “Spammer” quite like a web site’s default avatar.

And that’s just a small sample of avatar analysis to give you a flavour of what your avatar says about you. There are whole web sites dedicated to the subject.

Choosing the Right Avatar

If you want your social business to succeed it’s the details that make the difference. When you’re promoting your products and services in social media you should remember that first and foremost you’re joining a community.

To be listened to and respected in any community, you must get involved, become trusted and be seen as a friendly face, someone that can be relied on. Only when you’re in this position will social media come into its own as promotional tool for your business.

With this in mind, you should choose an avatar that will help you achieve this goal. There’s no definitive best avatar; it depends what you’re doing. Once you’re aware that your avatar is important, you can make intelligent choices that will help build your business, not hinder it.