This is post 6 in a series of 10. You can read the previous 5 posts:
1. 5 Reasons Why You Should Use Facebook Ads
2. 7 Ways to Get More Followers On Social Media
3. 10 Ways to Build Your Credibility On Social Media
4. How to Become The Go-To Person In Your Industry
5. How To Gain The Trust of Your Audience on Social Media
Write An Appropriate Bio For Your Social Media Profiles
Remember, I've been talking about using social media for business. To establish authority and trust, it's very important to write a professional sounding bio for your profiles. When someone finds your account and is deciding whether or not to start following you, whether or not to follow your suggestions to buy X product, whether or not to buy from you, one of the first things they will do is to check your profile and to see what you're all about. Many decide based almost entirely on your bio, so you better make sure it sounds professional and compelling.
How do you ensure that it is?
Professional vs Personal
If this is a business account and you're trying to attract customers, network or otherwise build yourself a reputation then you make sure to use a professional tone. That means avoiding flippant remarks, using professional terms and checking your spelling and grammar. Because social media is personal (one to one interaction), adding just a little personal won't hurt. It helps flesh you out to be a real human being. How personal? Mention a few hobbies or your favorite book. Too personal? No need to have information about the dog and the food and the movies and the music and the clothes.
Clarity
Avoid using a lot of jargon and buzz words. Jargon: industry terms like SEO, SEM, PPC or Lean, Six Sigma. Your objective is not to sound clever, you want to be clear and precise about what it is that you do and not dress it up with buzzwords like ‘synergy', ‘integration', 'emerging markets'. Less is more, so be frugal with your use of words and use short sentences because most profiles have a word limit.
Think About Your Audience
If you're still having a hard time finding your ‘tone', then imagine the person you are marketing to. If you know someone personally who matches your market, that's even better. Keep them in mind as you're writing directly to them.
Right now I'm imagining that I'm writing to a 30-40 year old professional who is ready to move forward with their business online, who knows that social media is absolutely where they need to be to tell their story and become known as the ‘go-to' person…is excited, nervous, and uncertain how to actually use social media for business because until this point they've been working for someone else and relying on the company to tell them what to do.
Don't Repeat Yourself
If this is LinkedIn, then you'll have a chance to show your accomplishments in the Experience section. If it's Facebook, you can include details about your business in the Work section. The Bio section should be a short summary that tells people who you are, avoiding covering ground that will be addressed later.
Fill In the Blank
What structure should you use? Just how many characters do you have available and that will dictate the structure. As for exactly what to write, this is a basic bio format that you can use now, in varying numbers of characters according to the platform you're using it for:
I’m the owner/operator of (your business name, linked to your website). (your business name) provides (your service or product) to (your customers/target market) so they can (what your customers do with your service or product).
I got into this line of business in (year) when/because (tell how you got started).
My favorite part of having a (type of business) business is ____________, because it allows me to (why you enjoy it). Also, (a part of your job) can be a lot of fun!
When I’m not working on (your business name, linked to your website), I like to (your hobbies).
I’m a _________, ________ and _________ (list three things that describe you, e.g. small business owner, horse lover, writer) from (the general area you live in, e.g. country, state or city, but obviously: don’t ever give your address).
I think of myself as a (your temperament e.g. quiet, bubbly, shy, outgoing) person, although I’ve also been known to __________ when __________ .
The things I love most in life are ______, _________ and ________ (list your favorite things, e.g. hanging out with friends, my relationship with God, family, hiking, shooting pool).
I’ve been (your profession or hobby) for ____ years, and I really love it.
My idea of the perfect day would start with _________. And then I’d _______ and finish off by ________. The kinds of people I’d like to meet are ones who are ________ and ________. That’s important to me because __________.
The template is a modified/edited version found at this site that will also provide you with a lot of other templates to work from: BioTemplate.com
I hope you found this helpful.
If you truly want to be an authority on social media, this ebook Social Media Authority, is a great way to get organized and focused.
