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Lesson Info

Write a Stand-Out Business Bio

Hey, welcome back, everyone. Welcome back. Let's take a look at what our goal is for today. The goal is to hook new readers or prospects immediately with a stand out bio. So bio elevator pitch in personal introduction. Whatever it might be, we're gonna figure out how to write a standout business bio today. So let's review where we've been. Your standout strategy needs careful execution. Session four and five is all about taking that strategic visioning that we've been doing in the first half of the boot camp and weaving it through very specific concrete parts of your business so that every detail, every aspect of your business is really built to stand out, and the best place to start with that careful execution is on your business. Is home on the web, your website, your home page. So your home page is only one place to incorporate what makes your business stand out. The next place your visitors go is generally your about page. For most of us, the about page on our website, whether it's...

about me or about the business, is the second most visited page on your site, and it is just this powerhouse place. Uh, it's this place where you can direct the action. You can give people the most important information about you and your business. But normally, when I ask a business owner to introduce themselves, or when I take a look at their about page, they crash and burn. Yeah. Yes. Yeah. You guys know what this sounds like, right when I when I get business groups of business owners together, I generally give them very specific questions they need to answer when they're introducing themselves. I don't wanna hear about anyone's long drawn out stories. At first I thought I wanted to do this. Then I wanted to do this. That and I kind of did this other thing. And then now sort of, I'm kind of trying to do this. Oh, my gosh, I don't care. Tell me what you dio Tell me how it benefits me. How many of you feel like your about page kind of reads like that? Some of you? Yeah, maybe. Okay. I appreciate you not wanting to admit that. Yeah, let's look at what some of those common bio blunders are. So the first one of the funny one. It's one of those blenders is starting at the beginning. In other words, I can't tell you how Maney about pages that I've read that basically start off. Well, I grew up in no name town Minnesota. And then I studied this and then I got a job here. And then I started doing this thing and snore. When you start those stories, like way back at the beginning, and then you don't tell me why it matters right off the bat or you don't start with that, you know, really interesting piece of action. You lose your reader completely. Here's another problem. Using copious amounts of jargon. Jargon doesn't sell. Your customers don't speak in jargon. So unless your customers air speaking in jargon, don't use jargon and your about page. Don't use the vocabulary of your industry. Use the vocabulary of your customers. Uh, forgetting what's in it for me. This page this about page, your bio might be about you, but it still needs to be about your customers too. So every piece of your story should relate in some way back to a benefit to your customers. Remember, we want to think a lot about how you do what you do differently. But how you do what you do differently is only important if it benefits your customers. So think about what that benefit is. Toe how you do what you do differently and make sure that's part of your business. Bio hiding behind credentials is another one all of the, you know, acronyms and all of the certifications that you've been through the copious amounts of education, and I love a good credential and some good education to. But again, unless it benefits your customer in a concrete and direct way, it's not that important for the people that it's important to you. You can bury it down lower on the page if it's really got to be there, and if it's really important to you, I'm not asking you to take it off. I'm just saying it's not an important part of what's gonna hook those new readers or prospects and then finally using flowery phrases instead of clear descriptions of value, using flowery phrases instead of clear descriptions of value. You know, I've I've mentioned a lot throughout this boot camp that there are so many people saying the same things in the same fonts. Well, there are so many people saying the same things in the same flowery phrases as well, you know, you can kind of tell what what brand of copywriter they used or what brand of copywriter they're trying to emulate with these with these phrases, I don't want it to sound like somebody else. I want it to sound like you. And on top of that, I want you to actually speak to what's valuable about what you dio and remember. Value equals transformation. If you're not talking about results, If you're not talking about you know the end transformation of what you are helping your customers create in your bio, it's not going to stand out. So I do want to point out that we're gonna talk about about pages, but this is equally applicable. Toe live introductions as well. So if you're if you are going to a networking event, if that's one of the things that does work for you on your introducing yourself, use these same ideas to create that instant connection. Or if you're introducing yourself in an interview where the interviewer says, Hey, can you just tell us a little bit more about who you are and what you dio use these same ideas to introduce yourself. Um, you know the elevator pitch, take it or leave it. I don't think it's having that one sentence description of what you dio not that important to me. It's being able to answer. The questions were about to go over and being able to do that in a sous inked way. That's important, and, uh, and so you'll be able to craft something like that from what we're doing today. But first, let's review the key components of a stand out business first, using your strengths. Second, leveraging your passion. Third, finding your unfair advantage, having a clear focus, building on your guiding principles, sharing your vision and speaking with a unique voice. Now you don't have to incorporate all of these things into your about page, but this is a great place to start. So if you need to go back through the worksheets that you have when you RSVP'd for this boot camp and look at what some of your answers to these questions are, we've gone through all of them now, really. So pull out those answers. Refresh your memory. What were some of the ah ha's and the insights that you had. And which ones might you be able to incorporate into your bio in a really fun or interesting way? So always come back to those key components of a standout business when you're feeling a little stuck. Now let's look at a couple of examples before we actually go and do this. So this is my about Page. Uh, and my about page is definitely about me. It talks about how I do what I do differently, but it starts off by talking about you about why you're there, because this this about Page actually isn't about me. It's about why you should care about me or why you should care about my business, right? So it says every day you have more marketing tactics, product ideas and goals to your notebook. You're distracted from your purpose and drained by all of the options. All the while. Your big idea, that thing you really want to be working on is waiting. And the more you lose yourself in your idea in the weeds, the more likely you are to fail. The good news is that there's a better way to run your business your way. Your quiet power strategy taps into your strengths and gives you the ability to lead yourself where you want to go. It's a plan for what you want to create and how you wanna connect and how that's going to lead to the business growth that brings you the wealth, peace and ease you crave. I'm Terra Gentilly and I work with entrepreneurs to design their personal, quiet power strategy. I combine intense focus with uncompromising vision and strategy and teach others to do the same. Are you interested? Okay, so I've started off with the problem. I've also started off with what? You're aspiring to getting your big idea out there and in the right, in the hands of the right people. I've talked to you about how I do that, Why? It's different. And then I introduced myself. Then I introduced myself. I'm not saying you can't start your bio out with, you know, I'm so and so and here's what I dio. That's totally fine. But I'd rather hook people by letting them know that I understand where they're at right now, what they're dealing with and how I can help them and how I go about doing that before I even tell them who I am, who I am is actually not important. The process Quiet power strategy is more important to them. And the fact that I understand where they're at and where they where they want to go is more important to them. So that's why I start off with that. If you don't want to start by introducing yourself, don't. It may not be the best place for you to start. Now I do something else on this about Paige, which is I've got a testimonial from my friend and client, Whitney Hess. Whitney s was actually in my last creative live audience, and her testimonial right under my right under that beginning of my about page really hits that value home. And so testimonials or another great thing that you could incorporate in your about page, especially if you feel a little uncomfortable about tooting your own horn so you can kind of put out the concrete. You know, this that and the other thing that you dio and how you do it differently and then let someone else reflected back to your audience. So what? Whitney says Now I have a business strategy, not just a business running on a hope and a prayer. Honestly, I feel like everything has changed. Terra has had a profound impact on not only how I run my business, but on what I believe it can become. Thank you, Tara. So that absolutely ties into exactly what is in the beginning of that about Page and creates that whole story and so known now, not on Lee. Do you know what I dio? How I do it and how it benefits you? But you also know that it works a t East, according to Whitney. All right, let's look at another one. This is Gimlet Media's about Paige. We had Alex Bloomberg on earlier in the boot camp, so I pulled up their about page, and I kind of I really liked it because it was just so short and succinct. Their whole website is just short and punchy, and I think that really says something about the kind of media that they create the kind of stories that they tell, and so and so I loved this and I wanted to use this as an example of something much more unusual. So it says Gimlet Media is a network of high quality narrative podcasts. Now that's really straightforward, but it actually gives you a lot of information in that very first sentence. First of all, it's a network, which is unusual. Second of all, it's high quality and narrative, and that high quality and narrative piece is really unusual. It's part of how they do what they do differently, because lots of other podcasts or interview based some arm or kind of like talk shows or just like humor, podcasts, Gimlet media's thing is that they put as much effort into telling Ah, whole story with each podcast as humanly possible. And it says, in 2014, we launched startup and reply all with more shows on the way. It's irresistible audio in your pocket. Uh huh, That's good. Copy. It's irresistible audio in your pocket. It tells you exactly what you're going to get out of this. You are gonna get irresistible stories, driveway moments in NPR parlance. So for the full story of gimlets creation, listen to start up. So this is really great because they've given you a call to action that actually asked you to use their product because start up, basically, is this episodic about page for this company. And it does start at the very beginning and weaves its way through. Brilliant. This is Oh, brilliant. It hurts. Um, any questions about what's going on here? No. Okay, let's look at one more next. I wanted to bring up Meghan Almonds. We also heard from Meghan Almond, who makes my jewelry. We heard from her earlier in the boot camp as well, talking about analyzing the market and how she finds her opportunity. I picked this one out because it also started out really straightforward, but but really customer focused at the same time, she says. I'm Meghan Almond and I designed for women who want to be effortlessly bold. I designed for women who want to be effortlessly bold. Now that may not be for everyone. Not everyone reading that about Page is going to say, Oh, yeah, I wanna be effortlessly bold. But even if that's not a thought that's crossed your mind before it, it's such a vivid image of what you could get out of purchasing her work that if it is at all what you have in mind for yourself or your look, you are hooked. I designed for women who want to be effortlessly bold. That's me in a nutshell. By the way, you need accessories that make a statement but are easy enough to wear and use every day. You need pieces that make you feel fantastic every time you put them on something that reflects your confidence and strength, a kind of armor that helps you tackle your day every day. That's where I come in. Brilliant. I want all of that. And then she tells you a little bit more about her story and what her credentials are. I'm trained as a metal smith, but always but always inspired by fashion and textiles. I'm constantly thinking about how the right accessories can change, not onl er, look, but our mood and our attitude, whether it's a statement necklace, a statement scarf or something for your home. I know you'll find something here that helps you stand out every day. Oh my gosh, it's so good. So do you see? She's kind of imbuing this bio with all of the things that are important to her. Her unique personality, her unique vision, her passions, her strength but it's all directed to the benefit of the customer. You see that questions about that? No. Let's figure out how to do this. Your business bio needs to answer these questions first. Who are you or your business? And what do you dio? And just because I say first, it doesn't mean it needs to come in this order. What we're building here with the answers to these questions are building blocks that then you can rearrange in whichever way you'd like to build up that bio. Alright, So who are you or your business? And what do you dio who are your customers and what makes them unique? What results do your customers get from what you dio and how do you do what you do differently than everyone else? How do you do what you do differently than everyone else?