Before You Drink the Social Media Kool-Aid

Build a Great Bio that is a Clear Statement of Your Purpose:   What You Do, Who You Do it For, and How they  Benefit.

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Thanks to people like me who have been pounding the drum, a new segment of marketers are ready to jump head-first into the social media networks.  I encouraged exactly that in my previous post on how to make your blog better.  Shame on me. 

Wait!  Before you jump into this, take a little more time to get clear about what you are trying to accomplish. 

What Not To Do

Today I read a meandering blog post three times just to discern the point of the communication.  Then I searched for quite some time before I could even locate the bio of the author.  It was equally muddy.  

Later in the day I read a Facebook post about social media newbies who were just getting started with this platform by setting up their Facebook fan pages, a practice that any seasoned user will advise you to do after you build your foundation.  That fan page is like a billboard!  Shouldn't you solidify your foundation before you stand on that huge stage?  

Get a Grip on the Essentials

Jack Nicklaus has won more major PGA golf tournaments than any golfer in history.  And during his playing days, he began every season with a session with his coach to examine his grip on the club.  This is his essential leverage point as a golfer.  Your leverage point is your bio.  It is your statement of purpose.

How to Build a Great Bio

First, you have to be able to do it in 20 words or less.  That brevity alone makes a statement about your focus.  If you cannot do that, you will seriously undermine your efforts in this arena of nano-second attention spans.

Here's How:  Pretend you are being interviewed for a television spot.  The announcer is about to introduce you.  She will need to say this in a few seconds.  That means one sentence.  In that sentence she has to capture why you are here.  She has to capture:

  1. Who you are
  2. What you do
  3. Who you do it for

If she cannot do that, 50% of her viewers have already moved on.

My suggestion is to examine the bios of the leaders in your industry, as well as leaders in other industries.  We work on our bios and never stop refining them until we are crystal clear.  So, make your best effort, and then test it with your customers to see if it resonates with them.

How does it sound when you say it out loud?  Give it the elevator test.  Can you imagine strangers asking you ….."ah, really, how do you do that?"  When you have achieved that response, your mission is accomplished.  Congratulations!

To give you an example, here is my television interview scene:  "I have with me Jeff Korhan, a …. new media marketer who works with entrepreneurs to enhance their Web visibility, reputation, and referrals.

That's 15 words.

Now go do yours.

If you care to share yours, leave me a comment.  I'll be happy to help you if I can.  That's what your social media friends are for.  Tap into their experience. 

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