Do you know that the simplest things make the greatest difference? You probably agree with this statement, but fail to see how it matters for the topics we are generally discussing on this blog – social media marketing. In fact, it has a tremendous significance, because many companies and solo entrepreneurs forget about a small aspect of their social media accounts and it hurts their potential reach to qualified leads.
This little thing is called the bio section of your profile on any platform. It is the first thing a person will read when they discover your page by accident or by recommendation. It is like meeting someone for the first time and looking at their business card. It should give people a basic idea about who you are, what you do and why they should like to know you better.
Unfortunately, many social media bios fail in this simple task, and we have decided to do something about it – to prepare a simple but effective guide to writing the perfect social media bio in 2017.
- Keep It Short and Relevant
A great social media bio does not make use of the maximum limit of characters you have available. People will scan through the first lines and pick out the main take-away points. This is why you need to spend time searching for the relevant words which truly convey what you are about and why people should follow your page.
Your social media bio should read like a Japanese haiku poem: short, punchy and full of meaning. Just look at how Sprout Social have penned their bio: “Sprout Social is a social media management platform for businesses. Give the 30-day trial a spin.”
- Use Hashtags, but Don’t Abuse Them
Hashtags have become popular across all social media platforms. They are not just useful for identifying specific topics and tracking conversations, but they also become proprietary social media tag lines for brands.
It is great to find a one-of-a-kind hashtag and include it in your bio, together with a few others. Mark the words “a few”, because some individuals and brands make almost every word in their bio a hashtag. This is not only annoying, but also looks like an overkill SEO strategy.
- Share Your Achievements
Social media is not the place for the meek and humble. It does not mean that you should build a cyber-shrine, but you should tell people something about your achievements, your skills and your relevance as a professional in your bio. After all, you are seeking potential customers on the social media, so be a little self-promotional and give prospects a reason to follow your account.
- Be Original and a Little Funny
“This bio sounds so corporate” is probably the last thing you want people to think when they look over your account details. Being social is all about being human. People want to connect to other people, even if they represent brands and companies. They do not want an abstract connection to a corporate machine spitting out ads and promotions.
They want to discover a lively personality, a bit humorous, gregarious and open to conversations. However, it is very important for you to find a balance between being original and funny and inspiring trust and confidence as a professional or a company.
- Include a Call to Action
The social media bio is not just a description of who you are, it is your mini billboard for inviting people to find more about what you do. Include a link to your website, to your newsletter sign-up page or to the trial versions of your products.
Calls to action are the simplest way of getting people engaged and ready to start a relationship with your business. Once they have gone through your information, how do you make them stay interested? That’s right: by telling them to do something, to find more about you and to stay connected with you.