#AwesomeBios - How Your Bio Helps People Find You

Most people miss this important section in their Social Media Accounts! Do you know what it is? Bios. A bio is the first impression for anyone who doesn’t know or understand what you do. Not only is it one of the first things people see, it’s also the heart of the social media platform’s internal search engine.

The bio can be a section that says bio or it can be part of the “About Us” area. Either way, it’s a key part of your profile, and is usually set up at the beginning of your account. If you haven’t looked at it in a while, you’re not alone.

A fully fleshed bio loaded with the right keywords are how people will find you. The way you write them will vary depending on the platform. For twitter, you have 160 characters. In Instagram, using emojis can save space and connect with the right crowd. It’s also encouraged to use one or two common hashtags that represents a brand campaign or two. Your website is also necessary. A Facebook bio has a short bio and a long one.

Here are some top tips for developing an #AwesomeBio that you and your audience will love.

Be accurate. People are more willing to follow you based on what you over your attempts to be clever.

Write your bio according to your purpose. Your mission statement should dictate that.

Keep it exciting. Who you are is exciting to you, isn’t it? Make sure you use a little enthusiasm. Show a little upbeat tone and optimistic verbiage. Use active voice to show maximum impact. Which one is more appealing?

We are helping you get the clients you deserve.

We help you get the clients you deserve.

If you need a helping verb in the sentence, you’re probably deep in passive voice-land. Passive voice has its place in the world, but your bio should be full of powerful verbs that appeal to your potential customers and clients.

Include a call to action (if possible). How are you going to convert social media followers into leads? You put in a call to action that appeals to them. Here are some examples:

• Shop everything
• Download the free guide now
• Latest blog post
• Join the Adventure

A key note here: If you have a brick and mortar location, you should ALWAYS include your address and opening hours, when possible.

Develop multiple sizes for your bio. If you’d like to make things easier for yourself, develop a micro bio, a short bio, and a long bio before you make any changes. A micro bio should be one or two lines about yourself. You can use it on Twitter and the short bio section on Facebook. It also comes in handy as a quick logline when people ask what you do. A short bio is a paragraph (or two very short paragraphs) that include important aspects of your business and who you are. A long bio is two paragraphs long and covers the information included in both previous bios. It also has a few “nice to know” facts about you. Remember to include your opening hours if you’re a brick and mortar store!

Include contact details. This is so very important. If you don’t provide a website, email address, or any other way for people to contact you outside of social media, they will feel as though you’re not interested in their business. At a minimum, a bio should provide them with a connection between your social media account and your website.

Keywords are a must! You must use searchable keywords in your bio. While a Star Wars fan may love the “Jedi Knight” reference, it does nothing for your search results within your social media platform. Your bio doesn’t have to be clinical and boring by any means, but make sure you hit your key words first.

Keep it consistent. Your social media platforms should give the same impression of your business. It’s not unusual for a potential client to click all the social media links you provide in order to engage on their preferred platform. Brand consistency is imperative to your success.

Keep it updated. This is especially important. If your store hours don’t match across platforms, that’s a problem. If your website links aren’t updated, you can miss out on important leads. Sometimes your business may shift its priorities. If it does, changing your bios are important.

An #AwesomeBio is an important part of helping potential clients and customers find you.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#AwesomeStorytelling - Encourage Others to Tell Your Story

Recommendations and word-of-mouth are still the most powerful way to gain new clients. Unfortunately, that recommendation won’t happen unless you encourage them to tell your story. After you complete a project for a client, ask for a recommendation, referral or testimony. This shares your story with your audience on what it's like to work with you.

If the idea of asking for a recommendation, referral or testimony makes you uncomfortable, remember this: people won’t give their referrals or recommendations unless they love the work you do for them. Most people don’t even consider giving them because they don’t know what they are. Here are some great ways to break the ice and get the love from your happy clients...without coming off as sleazy or pushy.

• Whenever a customer compliments you, give them a quick and sincere thank you. Let them know how pleased you are that they’re happy and then ask if they know anyone else who could benefit from your services. This is a referral.

• Referrals can also come from other businesses. Set up a referral business with a complementary company. If you are in the web design business, for instance, you could set up a referral service with a hosting company you trust. That way you can both offer incentives and discounts to encourage additional business. If you’re not sure where to begin, think about the additional services your clients and customers need once they’re working with you.

• Another way to gain referrals is by setting up a commission. If you’ve ever signed up for an affiliate program, you’ve done this already. Amazon does it and so do many successful entrepreneurs. A person who has signed up for your commission program shares your product or service. They have a special signup code or affiliate link to provide their viewers, customers, etc. Once a person takes your offer through their connection, the referral member gains a reward. It can be a percentage of sales, product discounts, or free products after so many referrals.

• Make it easy for your clients and customers to leave recommendations and testimonies by creating an easy-to-navigate system. Setting up an online form through your website, for instance, really makes it simple, and gives them time to formulate their testimonies. You can provide a sample template to get them started.

• Share all of your goods and services with them, so they know what else your business can do.

• Treat your clients as partners and key players in the success of your business. They want to know they’re important to you. So let them know how much you appreciate them!

Here are some excellent moments to ask for referrals, testimonials, and recommendations:

• After you get through a difficult situation with them.
• Upon completion of your service.
• When they mention their appreciation of your company and the way you do business.

You are in the business of helping people, and the people you help want to share that experience. Making it easier for them to do so helps you both in the long run. Someone out there needs your help, and an awesome story about your company may be exactly what gets them to you.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#AwesomeStorytelling - Share Your Passion With Videos

One of the most effective ways to get your audience on board with your passion is by making great storytelling videos. With social media giants like Facebook and Instagram pushing video content, now’s the time to connect visually with your viewers.

How do you do that?

With awesome storytelling, of course!

An infomercial will turn off your readers, but a compelling story will keep them hooked. Stories are great ways to teach, engage with, and create emotional responses in your audience.

You don’t have to sit in front of the camera and talk for ten minutes. As a matter of fact, that can actually be detrimental to your video’s success. Instead, incorporate other visuals that help tell your story. You can use regular things like slides, but also consider recording additional footage that enforces your story. This is called B-Roll, and it’s wonderful. If your passion is horses and horse rescue, showing B-Roll footage of horses running at dawn, or the recovery efforts of a recent rescue can lend power to your voice.

Here is a fantastic video by filmographer Peter McKinnon on how to incorporate B-Roll in your video. Some key takeaways are to use your B-Roll to help tell your story, think about how your world is a part of your passion, and use it to make your story more powerful.

If you’re camera shy, you can develop videos that incorporate B-Roll, slides, and more with a voiceover by you.

You can also take advantage of platforms and the way they push videos. Instagram Stories, for instance is a great way to show your daily passion through video. Jesse Driftwood is an excellent Instagram Stories user, and he gives some incredible tips on how to take your storytelling to the next level. Keep in mind that Instagram Stories are temporary, but you can create the video with whatever software you choose and then upload it, so your Stories stay with you. You can release them on other platforms, as well, but the daily connection with your passion can be told through daily footage, excitement for your day, and, as Jesse says, by making everyday things in your life a “character”.

Whatever way you decide to tell your story, make sure you keep these key point in mind:

1. A story has a beginning, middle, and end. Whether it’s ten minutes on YouTube or fifteen seconds on Instagram Stories, you need to follow this logic. A cliffhanger now and then is okay, but do it too often, and your audience will become exasperated.
2. Music is necessary. Make sure you adjust the volume levels appropriately, and that the music fits the story you tell.
3. Shoot video footage with as much stabilization as possible. There is nothing more jarring than shaky cameras. There are some amazing phone and camera mounts out there. If you create “selfie” types of videos, make sure you have three points of contact with the stick and you’ll see a huge difference in the shakiness factor. You can also try a stabilization system like steadicam or any other type of gimbal device. Basically, it uses counterweights to keep your video steady so you can walk, talk, and without the jarring stepping motions.
4. Put your best foot forward. In video, appearances are just as important as content. So make sure you’re camera ready before you begin.

That’s it for video storytelling! What kind of video did you want to make? Are there any areas you’d like me to expand on?

Remember that telling your passion in the form of storytelling is just one way to be awesome in storytelling.

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Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars

#AwesomeStorytelling - Share Your Triumphs! What Pain Points Have You Solved?

The trick to telling your brand story lies in understanding that followers are more interested in themselves than they are in your company. You might have an engaging story full of action, compassion or impact but the key is telling it in a way that inspires, motivates or empowers the reader. 

It’s not a new concept in marketing – the idea is to highlight benefits, not features. How does what you provide benefit the client or consumer? Getting inside the head of your audience means first understanding who your target audience actually is. Once you’ve figured that out, you need to find out how to reach them. One way to do that is to uncover their pain points.

People make purchases for a couple of reasons mainly for either pain or pleasure. Parting with our money means making tough choices. Is it worth the enjoyment I will get out of it? Or will it solve a problem that I need resolved? If you can convince the reader that you are a solution to a problem causing them pain, then the battle is already over. 

When crafting the stories you will share with the world, are you showcasing how your product or service will ease their pain and solve their problems? Don’t assume that putting together these case studies comes off as bragging or tooting your own horn – a well-crafted tale will be about the happy client and not the company. It is also all a business needs to close that next sale. Exercise your storytelling abilities by demonstrating your success and triumphs in your content and social media.

How many ways can you spin this yarn? Post the case studies onto your website for easy access. Be sure to incorporate your willing clients so that followers can get the perspective of your pleased customers. Make a video with your satisfied client, interviewing them or just asking them about their experience with your business. Collect testimonials and post them everywhere, create custom graphics to share these moments in your social. Turn the case studies into blog posts that you can post and share. Create a presentation filled with these stories that you can post on Slideshare or rotate on a screen at your place of business. The opportunities are endless for demonstrating that your company provides solutions!

It’s time to let people know that you exist to fill a need and that you are passionate about the services you provide. You can preach about your products and services, and how wonderful they are, all day long but that doesn’t mean your audience cares. Give them a reason to care by showing them how hiring you will make their lives better. That’s how you elevate your brand and continue to #BeAwesome at what you do!

Be sure to Follow us and Let's Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+,YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for her Social Media Workshops, Classes and Seminars