Step 6: Why You Need a Bio
Anne Reuss works in Social Media Strategy & Implementation at Networlding and also is a guest blogger.
That good ol’ bio. Have you written or updated yours?
If you’re like me, I kept finding excuses to do other work to avoid writing my own bio and to make Slurpee runs (but I can justify that- the cost goes to arctic homes for polar bears).
But I have a landing page coming up and I need to incorporate one; plus I had a bio request by Purple Communications who I guest blog for. I had to glorify myself the best way possible but you and I know it’s not always easy. So what did I do? I fretted on Twitter, and a friend saw and said “connect with @DustiArab – she’s great at bios” I thanked her for the introduction, nosed around in her website (really, she is killer) & let her know I was glad to be in her Twitter presence, truly, but I had to turn this in the next day.
And the unexpected happened: She sent me a Direct Message, “Let me know if you’d like me to prove it. I’ll be up”. I perked up in my chair and dug down deep to think about what I wanted to tell people. I did. I e-mailed her for proofreading and told her I would share about her act of kindness.
I’m sharing this episode with you because:
1) When you want to position yourself for successful networking, people are going to ask you: Who are you? Why? Even if you don’t need to post a bio yet, writing it will force you to evaluate yourself. What’s your message? You are your own biggest asset. Put yourself on a pedestal and visualize what you want people to say about you. Something “seemingly” simple as a bio will accomplish that.
2)This is what people try to teach others about the value of Twitter. Now, I don’t get this kind of offer every day, mind you. If you have extra time to help someone, consider jumping the opportunity. People talk.
This is a legit excuse to be a show-off. I’d love to see what you have in your bios!
And don’t be afraid to tweet out-loud your thoughts or ask for help. It’s ok – I graduated with an English degree – and I still asked!