[5 min read + 20 min Activity]
How to write a better professional bio in under 20 mins.
by Samantha Gordanier
A good professional bio is more valuable, and easier to create than you think.
Whether you’re a lawyer, a financial planner, a contractor, or any type of business owner – you should care about your online profile.
We’ve done the research so you don’t have to. We’ll break down the reasons why a better professional bio will help you be a better business. We’ve also put together an easy guide with simple actionable steps you can follow today. You’ll feel satisfied knowing that you have a better, more effective professional bio than most of your peers, or competition.
Making a good first impression is critical to attracting a new customer.
People choose to hire a professional based on 3 key factor (all of them related to a personal connection). People tend to hire professionals that 1) They like, 2) they trust, and 3) they feel like they know. This is supported specifically by a study of over 200 lawyer (or law firm) websites… where 85% of respondents stated that their most visited pages were their lawyers’ biographies.
An effective bio can make a good impression, build that initial relationship, and give people the information that they actually care about. They want to know about you as a person, first and foremost. This is by far and away one of our favourite hacktics (marketing tactics + hacking) for any small business.
There’s no question that a good bio can have a massive impact on your business.
Follow this simple guide to create a better bio today.
1. Write a basic outline
Start from scratch, and use this simple template (courtesy of the good folks at 99u) as a guide. I’ll use myself as an example so it’s super clear for you to follow along. Simply fill in the blanks below to get started.
I’m a ______.
I help ______ {make/build} ______.
When I’m not ______, you can find me ______.
Want to work together? I’d love to hear from you.
“I’m a Marketing Coordinator.
I help Beam Local make great marketing decisions.
When I’m not helping small businesses get better, you can find me on my couch watching Seinfeld.
Want to work together? I’d love to hear from you.”
Tip: Stick with a first person tone, it’s more personal and will connect with people (customers).
2. Mention the work you love
Your customers want to see what you’re passionate about to get a sense of who you are both personally and professionally. For this step just mention the work you love to do, what is it that you really want people to know you love doing.
“I’m a Marketing Coordinator.
I help Beam Local make great marketing decisions. I love working on small business strategy.
When I’m not helping small businesses get better, you can find me on my couch watching Seinfeld.
Want to work together? I’d love to hear from you.”
3. Mention the work you do best
Your customer needs to know what you’re an expert in so they can match up your strengths to their needs. So, add a line about what you’re good at doing for other people.
“I’m a Marketing Coordinator.
I help Beam Local make great marketing decisions. I love working on small business strategy. I’m best at helping business owners find uncomplicated ways to grow their own businesses.
When I’m not helping small businesses get better, you can find me on my couch watching Seinfeld.
Want to work together? I’d love to hear from you.”
4. Mention the work you want more of
Telling people what you’d like to do more of is the best way to start attracting those types of customers. Add a line to your bio explaining the type of work you’d like to do more of in the future, or the type of client you want to work with.
“I’m a Marketing Coordinator.
I help Beam Local make great marketing decisions. I love working on small business strategy. I’m best at helping business owners find uncomplicated ways to grow their own businesses. I’m always on the lookout for small businesses who are interested in applying innovative tech strategy to their marketing plans.
When I’m not helping small businesses get better, you can find me on my couch watching Seinfeld.
Want to work together? I’d love to hear from you.”
5. Mention your experience and expertise
You need to build a level of trust with your customer, they need to know specifically what makes you an expert at what you do. It will help build your credibility and more people will trust you from the start. Don’t be bashful here, but try and pick a couple things which would set you apart from the crowd.
“I’m a Marketing Coordinator.
I help Beam Local make great marketing decisions. I love working on small business strategy. I’m best at helping business owners find uncomplicated ways to grow their own businesses. I’m always on the lookout for small businesses who are interested in applying cutting edge tech strategy to their marketing plans. I’ve worked with over 100 small businesses, and have written 50 blog posts on small business marketing. When I’m not helping small businesses get better, you can find me on my couch watching Seinfeld.
Want to work together? I’d love to hear from you.”
6. Add contact details
People need to know the best ways to get in touch, but they don’t want to be bombarded with details so pick two ways and add those to your bio.
“I’m a Marketing Coordinator.
I help Beam Local make great marketing decisions. I love working on small business strategy. I’m best at helping business owners find uncomplicated ways to grow their own businesses. I’m always on the lookout for small businesses who are interested in applying cutting edge tech strategy to their marketing plans. I’ve worked with over 100 small businesses, and have written 50 blog posts on small business marketing. When I’m not helping small businesses get better, you can find me on my couch watching Seinfeld.
Want to work together? I’d love to hear from you. You can find me at www.website.com, or you can email me at samantha.gordanier@beamlocal.com”
Tip: If you’re active on social maybe you add a link to your Twitter, or maybe you prefer to get phone calls, or maybe you want to drive people to your website. There’s no wrong answer here but pick two; website, phone, email, LinkedIn, or social.
7. Add a touch of personality
Remember, People tend to hire professionals that 1) They like, 2) they trust, and 3) they feel like they know. So add a couple bits of personal flair to your bio which helps make you more likeable.
“Hey I’m Sam. I’m a Marketing Coordinator. I help Beam Local make great marketing decisions. I love working on small business strategy. I’m best at helping business owners find uncomplicated ways to grow their own businesses. I’m always on the lookout for small businesses who are interested in applying cutting edge tech strategy to their marketing plans. I’ve worked with over 100 small businesses, and have written 50 blog posts on small business marketing. When I’m not helping small businesses get better, you can find me on my couch with my cat watching Seinfeld.
Want to work together? I’d love to hear from you. You can find me at www.website.com, or you can email me at samantha.gordanier@beamlocal.com”
Tip: If “Hey” is too informal, try something else like “Hi there”, and think of hobbies, tastes, favourite movie, pets, kids, or food. Tell someone an interesting place where you lived, or where you like to go on vacation, or how much you like eating fresh pineapple on the beach. Add something personal and weave that into your bio to help people feel like they know you.
8. Choose a professional photo
First impressions count, and there’s no hiding from a bad picture. Use a recent, professional photograph for your bio. Make sure it’s high resolution so it works for any site or profile you add your bio to.
Tip: Please (please) avoid vintage yearbook styled photos. Don’t crop yourself out of a group shot or use a grad picture. It’s worth it – invest in great portraits. Also, lose the cheesy backgrounds, chess board, or the scales of justice. If you need help getting a headshot… here’s a useful link to find a photographer, or do it yourself.
9. Post and Share your profile
Go ahead and add your new bio to your professional profile on linkedin, your social channels, or other professional directories. Don’t forget to update you website with your new bio. If you don’t have a website you should read this post explaining why every business needs a website.
Tip: remember to keep it up to date and fresh, make it a habit to revisit your profile each year. You’ll find it refreshing as it almost resets who you are, and who you want to be each year. Like a miniature mission statement for you and your business.
Author’s Corner
Sam Gordanier
Hey I’m Sam, the Marketing Coordinator here at Beam Local, where I work on helping my team make great marketing decisions. What do I love about my work? Helping small business owners find uncomplicated ways to grow their own businesses. I’m always on the lookout for businesses who are interested in applying innovative tech strategy to their marketing plans. I’ve worked with hundreds of small businesses, and write content to help business owners get better at running their businesses. When I’m not helping small businesses get better, you can find me on my couch with my cat watching Seinfeld.
Let an expert guide you.
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