Have you ever been asked to explain what you do, or to provide a personal profile or Bio, and struggled to think what on earth to write?
Within nearly all social media accounts, we are given a space in which we can succinctly tell the world about us, and our products, but what happens if you don’t know where to begin?
The world of online marketing and social media has its pros and cons. When used correctly, it provides you with instant access to a huge, potential, online customer base. When someone clicks on your page, you have a window of opportunity to show what your brand and products are about. However when it’s not correct, it can damage your brand or product identity, and lose you potential custom.
We are here to help you get it right!
Let’s consider the purpose of your bio.
Your bio is what people first see when they click onto your social media accounts: whichever you use, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn,they all have an area in which you can enter information about yourself, or your products. This provides an opportunity to engage with existing, and capture potential customers’ attention. A successful bio will have people wanting to check out more of the links to your website, your Etsy shop or contacting you direct. It is a way by which you start interaction which may lead them to contacting you or purchasing from you.
If describing who you are and what you do in a limited amount of characters is an uncomfortable thought for you; rest assured. You are not alone. Most people don’t like talking about themselves, especially in a written form for millions of people to see. But it has to be done if you want to step into the world of online sales!
How do you know if your bio is up to scratch?
Fear not, this blog post is for you. With help from an online marketing expert, we have been able to put together 5 simple tips to ensure that your bio is truly representative of you and your brand and that it is effective and engaging, too.
Top Tip 1: Be mindful of character number size restrictions.
The bio character limit differs across social media platforms. This means you may need to modify what you write slightly for each. This way you ensure you are getting the most important information into each of your online profiles.
The following are the character limits for each of the bio fields on the most popular social media sites. By starting off being mindful of the character restrictions, it can help you formulate and optimise your words.
Instagram – 150 characters
Facebook – Short page description 155 characters,
(N.B) ‘Story’ option on Facebook page (not private profile) unlimited characters
Twitter – 160 characters long
LinkedIn – 120 characters
Pinterest – 160 characters
Etsy – Shop bio 5000 characters
Your profile and bio helps your audience to remember you, it provides an opportunity for them to be impressed and form a picture of you in their mind. Remember, what you write should reflect who you are and what you do!
Top Tip 2: Do not leave your profile blank
If you’re struggling with what to write in your bio, you might put as little information as possible, or worse still, leave the profile area blank.
When your social media profiles are a shop window to your work, it’s important to attract, interact and engage with you audience as quickly as possible. You want them to be interested by you.
Top Tip 3: What is your unique selling point (USP)?
What is it that makes you and your brand stand out from your competitors? This should be your opening sentence. Your viewers are subconsciously going to be comparing you to other people in your field that they’ve seen and if your bio spells out what makes you different then they will automatically be intrigued to find out more about you.
Take a look at the difference between these two opening bio sentences, the first includes a USP and the second doesn’t.
“Alexandra Sarah – award-winning illustrator, specialising in bright, quirky logo designs”
“Alexandra Sarah – illustrator & bright, quirky logo designer”
Now, it’s clear that the second opening sentence is just not as compelling as the first. That’s thanks to the USP, Alexandra Sarah sold herself as award-winning and mentioned her specialities. Don’t be afraid to sell yourself in your bio, it will make a world of difference.
Top Tip 4: Keep it short and sweet
It’s a fact. People are put off by large chunks of text. When it comes to your bio, you want to ignite people’s curiosity, give them a reason to want to find out more about you and your business.
Bearing in mind each platform has a different character allowance for bios and if you want to know more about how to write a bio for each different social media site then stay tuned because we are going to be publishing a free PDF download with more detailed information on this topic later this month (subscribe to our newsletter at the bottom of this page for updates) but for a general rule of thumb:
Opening sentence: Your name, your craft and your USP.
Mid section: A short description of what inspires you, or why you make your products, and where you sell them.
Finishing sentence: A call to action, such as ‘Get in touch today’, and links to your other social media platforms, website, email, address (if necessary) and telephone.
Top Tip 5: Align your “tone” with your brand
The vocabulary you use will decide who your target audience is. Young people respond to different words and tones to a more mature audience. If you are targeting a youth market, but your bio reads as if it an article for an elite magazine then you will fail to appeal or engage to your prospective audience. The words you use should reflect your brand and its brand guidelines.
Before you start your bio, ask yourself the following questions:
Who do I want to target?
What will attract their interest?
Which 3 words best describe me or my work?
Once you’ve drafted it, get it checked over. Some simple market research can really help. Try asking someone who fits into your target profile for some feedback. This way you can be sure that you are writing to represent your brand and are capturing the interest of your potential customers.
Remember, your bio is usually the first thing a person will read about you or your brand.
How are you getting on with your Bio?
If you are a Member of our Collective, then make sure you download our BIO CHECKLIST, or call one of the team to help you.
Leave us your comments or let us know if you have any other questions or queries about writing your Bio? Just fill in the comments box below.
We regularly post new features in our TOP TIPS series, and are happy to share detailed Help Sheets with our members. if you would like a bit more help, please contact us about our regular “Lets Talk About…..” training sessions, and “Lets do…..” group support sessions. For more information, dates and prices for our “Lets Talk About creating a great bio” sessions, please check the website or email our members team: enquiries@soldesigncollective.com
Are you feeling inspired to join the collective and find out more about how we can help you grow your creative business? We’d love to hear from you, get in touch or sign up here.