I didn’t mean to step on Dale Carnegie’s too much with that headline, but I wanted to convey the importance of a well-written bio. It’s a good practice to post short biographies of yourself and key employees on your website, often on or linked to an “About Us” page.
When writing bios consider the common search terms that people may be using to look for your business online. Sit down and brainstorm the search terms people to use if looking for a business like yours. For instance, if you offer chiropractic services in the Woodstock neighborhood, you might come up with the terms, “back pain,” “Woodstock,” “Southeast Portland,” and “sports injuries,” among others. Try to work those terms into your bio to increase the chances that people will come across your website during a Google search.
To get started on your own bio, answer these questions:
- Where did I go to college?
- What professional experience did I acquire after college?
- When did I decide to pursue my present career? What incident or personal history sparked my interest in my field?
- What do I love about my career? What makes me good at it?
- What sets me apart from my competitors? When people praise my work, what do they most often say?
- If you’re married or living with a partner, what is his or her name? If you have kids, what are their names? What part of Portland do you live in?
This last series of questions may strike you as too personal and, therefore, irrelevant, but people are looking to find out more about you when they read your bio. Warming it up with personal details makes you more approachable and likeable, which is the goal. Keeping it to a one-word sentence keeps it professional: “Kristin lives on Mt. Tabor with her husband Mac and their children Eli and Claire.”
Once you’ve answered your questions, incorporate what you’ve written into a few paragraphs – try to keep it to three or fewer. Don’t feel the need to share every detail. Keep the facts that are germane to your present position. By the same token, don’t dismiss personal anecdotes. Storytelling sticks in people’s minds much better than dry facts, so tell people that you became a baker because you were the one who always brought the treats to study group in college or that you sell insurance because you went through a personal tragedy that taught you the importance of protecting your assets.
Also, mention your community involvement. The bios for Adam and Jackie Sappington on the website for Country Cat Dinnerhouse & Bar mention their commitment to an outdoor learning garden, which is relevant to their use of locally grown foods and tells you a bit about their values. (It also fits nicely with the photo of Adam in his overalls.)
Once you’ve written your bio, show it to a few colleagues, friends and your partner and listen to their feedback. Ask them if it would compel them to call you if they didn’t otherwise know you. Take their advice on how to strengthen it but also trust your gut. You know yourself better than anyone, and, above all, your bio has to sound like a reflection of yourself.
If more than one person is telling you to tighten up the writing, consider hiring a professional writer. A gifted writer should be able to clean up your prose in an hour or less, making it well worth the expense.
By the same token, I can’t emphasize enough how effectively a decent, well-lit headshot can spruce up your marketing materials. People want to see you and believe that you’re approachable and trustworthy, and a good headshot goes a long way towards achieving that.
Tips for Writing About Your Business
- Keep it human. Don’t be afraid to show some personality.
- Avoid jargon. Know your audience.
- Tell people how you/your business got started and why. Briefly explain your philosophy/differential advantage. Keep it relevant to the reader.
- Include your academic history, awards, community service achievements, etc.
- Don’t overload the reader with too much information. Avoid overlong sentences.
- Break up your text with paragraphs and subheads and put a space between each paragraph.
- If writing a bio, include personal information like your spouse’s and children’s names, hobbies, and where you live.
- Have a brutally honest friend read what you’ve written and take his/her advice seriously. Hire a writer if you need to.
- Non-writing tip: Include headshots! Invest in professional photography.
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mixedmediapdx
Kristin Schuchman owns a marketing consulting business called Mixed Media. Find out more at www.mixedmediapdx.com.
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