Annena Aikins

Use Your Bio To Connect With Your Target Audience

 How can I use my bio to make a connection with my target market?

When potential clients are considering your services and trying to decide whether you are worthy to trust with their business, they Google your name, ask people about you, look at your web site and read your “About Me” page.   

So, you need to tell them about yourself and try to connect with them on an emotional level. 

Doing research on your target market can help you understand their needs, problems and habits. 

To develop a message that will resonate with your target market, gather information to help you understand them better including:

What trends are affecting them?

What are their needs?

What are their likes and dislikes?

Who are they, where do they live?

What do they read?

Before you start your research, describe your target market in detail, including age range, gender, economic and educational status.  If you are targeting businesses then specify them by type of industry, size, structure, market, etc.

Some research sources are:

www.Google.com - general searches

Magazines–provide demographic information about their subscribers

If you have a library card, most libraries provide access to several research sources that have a wealth of information including:

www.Referenceusa.com – index with information about people and businesses

http://Infotrac.galegroup.com – has research sources like General Business File ASAP (businesses and industry specific information) and Associations Unlimited (professional and social associations and organizations).

Once you understand your target audience’s needs, you can make a connection with them based on shared values.  You will speak about these values to your audience in your bio, helping you build a relationship with them based on trust and mutual respect. 

Build your bio around your message.   Ideally, open your bio by immediately introducing yourself, your business and your target market, because anyone reading your bio is scanning it trying to determine whether you are the right person to help them.      

The next few paragraphs you will focus on your message.  Talk about the trends affecting your target market and your role in helping them with their problems.  Sprinkle in your relevant experience, education and achievements.  To build credibility, use short examples of how you helped some of your other clients or mention some strong business affiliations.

The closing paragraph(s) should touch on goals, upcoming projects and some personal information. 

Once you have your first draft, continue to rework it and read it.  Determine whether your message is clear and if you have identifying your target audience.  Keep it between five hundred to six hundred words, more than that might be too much information
  
 

Does One Bio Fits All?

Should I have separate bios for my career and my volunteer work? 

Yes.

Your bio should speak to a specific group of people and written for a particular purpose.
 
Today, it is common for a person to have multiple activities and responsibilities in his or her life.  One person can have several versions of his or her bio for various audiences–career or business, academic, hobbies and volunteer work. 

Therefore, the bio should be written to focus on the audience that will read or hear that bio.  Trying to have one general bio that includes all your activities is just too much information and will turn people off or bore them. 

If you are being honored for your charitable work then using a bio that only focuses on your career achievements is not suitable for that setting.  In this case, the primary message and focus of your bio should be about the ways, places and capacities that you have worked in and for charitable organizations with the minor emphasis on your career and other areas of your life. 

The most important rule to remember when drafting your bio is to always write it for your audience.

Sacrificing For A Dream

Tuesday morning was difficult for me; I was feeling a little down until someone lifted me up…

Whenever I see successful entrepreneurs, seemingly living the good life, I can’t help but to wonder what it took for them to get to where they are now.  What sacrifices did they make while waiting for their businesses to grow?  How many times did they hear “no” before getting their big break?  Did they ever quit and throw in the towel?  What is the story behind the story? 

It is funny when people say things like “you are so lucky because you work for yourself and can do whatever you want.” 

I think to myself – no, actually I am blessed to be able to do as I please but I also have to do many things that I rather not do If I want to get ahead and make my business a success.

Entrepreneurs work hard.  While, you can’t beat reaping the fruits of your labor, many of us make tremendous sacrifices to see our visions come to life. 

Like a woman I know who once owned a small store and on many days, she only made enough to pay the bridge toll to get back home at night and to buy her two children happy meals for dinner. 

And all the women entrepreneurs out there, who are struggling right now, trying to survive but are holding on for that day when everything will change.   

Continue to work smart, and beat down every door you come to.  Do not give up the fight, if you believe then you can do it.  If you do not believe, then no one else will.  

 Every day when you wake up, if no one is there to encourage you, then encourage yourself.  Don’t faint, you are almost there.

Communicating Your Brand With Press Releases

Press Releases are a good way to promote your services and offerings to the public for free or for a small investment.  Press releases are good tools to communicate your brand in a consistent manner and can keep your target market informed on the most recent events in your business - new service offerings, product release, an employee promotion, etc.

By thinking creatively you can maximize a press release by using it in more than one way.  On WomenEntrepreneur.com, Hilary Kaye tells us how we can get the most mileage out of one press release resulting in a larger audience:  Give Your Press Release 9 Lives.

Great Business Ideal: Selling Lipstick Pays Off

I have blogged about Mary Kay before but I thought this is an interesting follow up to my previous post.  What caught my eye about this story is that cosmetic sells have increased in a bad economy.  For those thinking about business ideals it is important to think about products and services that people just can't live without.  Check it out Mary Kay.