How to write a Great Bio for your profile

If you’ve joined a network and they have a directory and you don’t bother updating the profile for you and your company, then you’re missing an opportunity. People like to try to do business with other people in their networks, not faceless brands.

This article will give you some simple tips on how to write a great bio profile as a business owner.

1.  Your profile is not your employment CV.

You’re not applying for a job as an employee, so your profile content needs to sell your company and position you as owner of the company. You can always add your previous wealth of experience, volunteer work, awards etc after the current position and company content, to add further support to your capabilities. Just make sure that the business you run is promoted and who you are in that business, is front and centre.

2. You are the ambassador of your companies’ brand.

That means the summary content and details you insert into the body of the profile, needs to be written in the third person as if someone was writing it about you e.g. “Kerrie is the Managing Director of ABC Corporation and leads the ABC Corporation in serving our clients….”

3.  In the description section, make sure the content is written all about your business and what it does. This is an opportunity to add calls to action as well as information about your services eg. “Contact us to find out how we can help you”

4.  Consistency is important, what people read about you on one platform they should see echoed across all other mediums. That includes the images you use.

5.  A professional headshot is essential – You should always have a profile image on any business page/platform that you have a presence on. Whilst it’s good for people to see you’re human, if it’s a selfie of you on holidays or in your car, it doesn’t really convey ‘professional business owner’ to your potential clients and referral partners. Professional headshots are not as expensive as you think, but not having one, costs you business.

6.  Don’t make grammar and spelling mistakes – This is your opportunity to set a first impression. If you need someone else to review what you’ve written before it goes to print, do so. Get help from a good content writer if you’re having trouble articulating what you do. Especially if English is your second language – people can be very harsh judges of your expertise based on whether you attend to the details of language.

7.  Be concise – As a business owner you possibly wear lots of hats, especially if you help local charities and clubs, or serve on boards. For each situation that you’re writing your profile bio for, consider what matters to the reader. Just stick to the parts of your bio that matter to that audience and what will make them buy from you and your business.

8.  Structure your content so its easy to read quickly – Keeping things short, clear and simple, avoids confusion and increases engagement. Here’s an example format guide:  Position Title: (Focus on the primary position and company name P.S. those cute, fun sounding company titles are annoying and confusing, keep it simple) – Managing Director at Foundational Business Pty Ltd

Summary Intro Paragraph (Max: 5 lines, apx 50 words):  

Kerrie is the Managing Director of the small business solutions company Foundational Business Pty Ltd. She has worked with micro and small business owners, helping them grow their businesses for over 10 years as a business consultant through our service divisions the Foundational Business Centre, Foundational Business Consulting, Foundational Non Profit Consulting and Foundational Retail Consulting.

Background Content Summary (Max: 2 lines, 25 words)

Prior to starting her own business, her career in large corporates included senior management roles for PwC Australia, MCI Worldcom, AAPT and Optus.

Personal Touch or Professional Credentials (Max 50 words) Kerrie is passionate about business and community connection, she is actively involved in the Sydney Hills Business Chamber and local BNI groups, and serves on the board of charity organisation Men In Action Inc, and as chairperson of the Hills Mental Health Interagency.

Your Why (Max 40 -50 words) Kerrie’s key business driver is to increase the effectiveness of small businesses, reducing the rate of failure by providing practical and achievable help to small business owners, to empower and equip them to succeed.

Bullet Style Summary of Experience/Skills (100 words, in easy to read short sentences or Hashtags)
Experienced Specialist with a demonstrated history of working with micro and small business owners | Skilled in Negotiation | Business Planning |Operations Management | Software & Process Documentation | Practical Sales & Marketing Strategy | and Risk Management| Strong professional with a Post Graduate Certificate in Business from The University of Notre Dame Australia | Works actively on several charity boards and Preventative Mental Health Service projects in the community.

Make the most of your marketing opportunities for your business.  Set aside a couple of hours, to get your profiles and bio’s written and online, so people can find you 2020.