A key facet of any brand is the message that you send out to the world.
So it makes sense to keep your message consistent. Because changing your story can seriously hurt your business.
Your bio tells your audience what you do or sell, how you do it and who you help. It also encompasses your brand ethics and values. But without a clear and consistent story, you’ll lose understanding, which will ultimately negatively impact your business.
As a productivity guru, I’m all about keeping focused and having intention, and certainly not revisiting the same piece of messaging every time you want to use it. If you have a go-to script or short description that you can pull out of the bag at any time, it will keep reinforcing your brand and expand your audience reach.
I’m here to help you make sure your messaging reinforces how great your business is and help it to grow. It should be so good that you don’t need to keep adjusting it.
Why is consistency important? Of course, your brand will evolve as it grows and reforms, but it’s vital to keep your core messaging as consistent as possible. Your message needs to be clear and concise, simple, easily absorbed and fully understood – so much so that if someone were to explain what your business is about to someone else, they’d be able to instantly repeat your messaging.
How to create a concise message
1. Review your current messaging:
o Read your bio or describe what you do to somebody and check that they fully understand your message. Do they hear it exactly the way you’re saying it? Sometimes we make natural assumptions about what others understand without checking if they do. (Think how easy it is to misunderstand the tone of a text message.) And if you keep changing it, they’re more likely to be confused.
o Ask your network, colleagues, family and friends and new connections for their opinions on your messaging. Could they understand, absorb and repeat it? Do they need to ask questions to better understand? Is there a better way to phrase it?
o Look at your social media bios, your website and all of the areas where you advertise or showcase your business – do they all project the same message? They might be toned differently but they should be telling people the same information in a clear, digestible form.
2. Create / adapt your message:
o Follow the basic framework: What? How? Who? What do you do, how do you do it and who do you help? This will cover all of the necessary information to inform and educate your audience.
o Make sure there’s no room for misunderstanding in your message, there should be no grammatical or spelling errors and the language should be crystal clear.
o Write your message as if to someone who has no prior knowledge of your area of expertise whatsoever. Maybe somebody of a different generation, background or with no shared experience and explain it clearly. You don’t know who is listening, even if they are not your target audience, they may refer you to others if your messaging sticks in their mind.
o Don’t overcomplicate it. You don’t need jargon and flowery language, keep it concise and clear. It should be easy to repeat.
o Look to other bios for inspiration, both good and bad.
Here’s an example bio for a Sports Massage Therapist:
“Clinic-based and qualified Sports Massage Therapist helping professional sports teams to maintain optimal body health through tailored massage, treatments and education.”
This example shows that they’ve built up a story of who they are, who they work with, what they do and how they help others. There’s no clinical jargon, just everyday language so that anyone can take away the messaging and refer to others.
A bio for where you are now
When you’re starting, it might take you a while to perfect your bio but that’s okay! Just be sure you are consistently using the same bio across all platforms. It might be slightly different from one year to the next but get it right for where you are now. Once you have this simple summary you can expand on the details in other areas, for example on your website or breakdown of services etc. If you need any more help, lookout for free LinkedIn training courses and take inspiration from other bios – there are some great examples and some real shockers!
Remember, your message is the doorway for people to come into your business!
For more tips, techniques and support to set you and your business up for success, or to start improving your productivity and time management, join me in my free Facebook group ‘Productivity for Profit‘!