Tag: Renew Your Bio

Why Its Important to Optimize Your Social Media Channels

Why It’s Important to Optimize Your Social Media Channels

Did you know that every single social media platform is searchable? This means that Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter all have search algorithms similar to those of Google, Yahoo, and Bing. This search capacity is often overlooked when small business owners create a social media profile for their companies. The key to a robust and effective presence on social media is to build out the profiles of these accounts in a way that optimizes being found on the channel.

All those things that are key when building your biz’s website, such as using the right keywords, apply to the profile sections of each social media channel.

There are 5 key searchable sections in every single social media platform:

 

About Section / Bio

In our experience, we find that most small business owners severely under-utilize this section of their social media profiles. While some channels give you very limited space, forcing you to do a lot with a little, several channels (such as Google My Business, Facebook, and LinkedIn) offer over 10,000 characters in a variety of areas. If you are copying and pasting your tagline or simply stringing together a single sentence about your brand, you are wasting a lot of prime search potential (and the chance to sell someone who has taken the time to read your profile).

Photos

The photos on your website are great for capturing attention but they don’t help with search, right? Actually, the naming of your images could have a large impact on the searchability of your website or social media profiles. Be certain that your photos have names that match the keywords you are using, searchable terms that people may use to stumble onto your social media channel while browsing the web.

Videos

As with the photos, the title of your videos is important. Also, take full advantage of any available caption or description areas. Describing the video to your audience is important but don’t neglect the opportunity to add key search terms and keywords that will increase the video’s searchability online.

Hashtags

Use hashtags that match the theme and emotional impact of your content. What sort of hashtags might a person use to stumble onto one of your social media posts? Pay some attention to trends and “hot” hashtags and see if you can use those to your advantage. The whole purpose of hashtags is to help people find your content, making them an important element of your social media marketing.

The Content

You may have thought your days of keywords were done when you finished your website, but that’s not true. You’ll want all the content you create and share on social media to also be searchable. Avoid the temptation to write quick, short, cute or quirky captions for your social media posts. Put thought into the right keywords, search terms, and hashtags to use for each post. This will organically increase the amount of traffic that finds your content.

The first step is understanding what words and phrases will be most effective to use on your website and then utilizing that in your social media marketing as well. If you want to be found on any platform, take the time to completely fill out your bios, about us sections, images, videos, and posts so that you are maximizing each channel and post’s search potential

If you are using social media yourself, you may have noticed that you engage with pages that share content you can relate with. Simply posting is not enough. You need engaging content that is easy to find and interesting enough to like, comment, or share. Are you ready to define your story and build a long term relationship with a loyal audience? Let’s do a Discovery Session to see which of our programs best fit your social media marketing needs.

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 Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#AwesomeBios – Making Your Bio Fun

Your bio is one of the first things people see when they find you. Whether it’s on social media, your company website, your LinkedIn profile, or more, what your bio says about you can make the difference between a potential client or customer and an immediate bypass or click away from your content. Consider your bio to be your digital business card. There are over 2.2 billion active social media users. Making your bio stand out is imperative.

One of the ways to make you stand out from the crowd is to make your bio fun. Smiles are universal. People will always remember the way you made them feel over anything else. Humor isn’t the only way to make a connection, but it is an effective one. It helps use bond with one another, to attract others. It makes us feel better and it has a massive amount of entertainment value.

Your bio needs three distinct sections:

  • Your aspirations and goals as a human being are just as important as the values your company represents. It’s the humanity aspect that intrigues your potential clients and customers.
  • Credentials, education, and experience are key to building like and trust.
  • Your unique quirks and the softer side of your personality are so very important. They are the human aspect you need for personal connection.  

These three things are necessary to building the entire package. Customize your aspirations by lining them up with the audience you’re targeting. Don’t lie or fake it, but bring those things you both agree with to the front and center of your conversation.

Choose education and work experience that is only relevant to your audience. Remember that your bio is the highlight reel of who you are. Be selective in your humor here since this is key to social proof.

Humor is more than just laughing out loud. It can be observational, dark, sarcasm, satire, wordplay, witticism, and more. You can use a humble brag, a seemingly self-deprecating comment that draws attention to something you’re proud of. You can be whimsical about activities and interests. What’s funny to one person could be offensive to another, keep it tactful and professional and on brand. If you’re in doubt about whether your bio will be considered offensive, get an opinion from trusted friends and work associates.

If it fits with your branding, don’t be afraid to use emojis, gifs or other popular tools to spruce up your bios. Just don’t replace those great keywords that help people find you!

Keep in mind the following: Your tone should be the same across your platforms. Don’t give mixed signals, or you’ll leave your viewers wondering which “person” is the real you. Make sure you supply the important information as well: name, contact information, hours of operation if you have business hours, and best way to reach you.
Your bio is worth more than a generic description. Use it to build personal connections between you and your audience, and you won’t regret it.
How will you inject your personality into your bio and make it that much more awesome? Don’t wait. Get started today. The Social Media Advisor helps businesses create robust bios every day! Feel out of your league and want some support? Contact us or a discovery session.
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.

#AwesomeBios – Picking Images For Your Bios

When inputting your bio information on the various social media platforms that you want to associate with your business, it can be tempting to rush through the process in order to get started. I implore you to avoid this urge, and set aside time to really flesh out the bio areas of each site to optimize your profiles. Why? Because it will make it easier for your target audience to find you.

Once they have found you, however, you need to grab their attention if you want to convert them to followers or leads. You will only have seconds to do it. What is the best practice for extending the amount of time that a passer-by lingers on your profile? Using the right images.

Visual Content

We are a visual people. In fact, over 65% of people are visual learners, mainly due to the fact that 90% of all data processed by the brain is visual in nature. Before live video came along, photos were the most engaging type of content on Facebook with an overwhelming 87% interaction rate with viewers. Facebook data is so convincing that the social media giant adapted its algorithm so that text only updates weren’t given as much priority – and then implemented a method to the color the background of text only posts in order improve their reach.

The Right Images

Understanding that you need to use images in your bios and profiles is just the first step. It’s even more important to recognize what makes a great visual! Just grabbing something off-hand is not ideal. The image needs to be clear, crisp and engaging. It should also match your branding.

This means understanding resolution. The detail that a photo or image holds is its resolution. The higher the resolution, the better detail which makes the image look better. It’s measured in various ways but the key is to understand that you always want to use an original, or high resolution, version of an image in your marketing. Find out more about resolution at this website.

Ask around. Gather your brand advocates, your fans, and your cheerleaders, to make sure that the images you’ve selected are not only visually appealing but they make sense for what you are trying to accomplish. A confused lead is a prospect that moves on and finds something that makes more sense for them.

Copyright

The other error we see way too many small businesses doing is using images they do not own. The temptation to grab a stunning graphic off the internet and use it for your purposes should be avoided at all costs! What you don’t know about copyrights, trademarks and licenses can hurt you.

The best practices to engage in are to:

1. Purchase stock photography from reputable sites like Shutterstock, iStock, Dreamstime or Deposit Photos.

2. Download FREE stock photography from sites that offer images with no copyright or license concerns. (Always read the details on each image to be sure!) Our favorite sites are Pixabay, Pexels and Unsplash.

3. Take your own photos! Or enlist the help of a photographer that you know that will take photos that belong 100% to you and your brand.

If you have already uploaded profile pictures, cover photos or other bio images that don’t meet these standards, don’t fret. Just go find better images and get them uploaded as soon as you can. Your images are the perfect complement to your expanded, detailed bios. The bios will ensure that your ideal clients find you and the images will make certain that they stick around to find out why you are the perfect fit.

Just another way The Social Media Advisor team is encouraging you to #BeAwesome with your online presence and social media!

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.

#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.

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.

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