Why hire a professional writer to create my bio?

Having your bio professionally written is well advised for a number of reasons:

1. Many people naturally have a tendency to sell themselves short, which is a critical error in business as potential clients want to engage professionals who know their stuff and can own their position.
2. Conversely, professional bios can sometimes go the other way when people write their own and present unrealistic and over-stated credentials. Also not good.
3. A poorly written professional bio will do more of a disservice than not having one at all.
4. A professional bio writer will ask you all the right questions so that everything you need – and nothing you don’t – features in your bio.
5. Your bio will be written with your business’s brand personality, key offerings and target audience in mind.
6. It will be done and dusted within a day and all you have to do is answer the questions either via email or over the phone; your choice.

Can’t I do without a bio?

You sure can. But if your competitor has a kick-butt professional bio and the difference for a prospective client falls to having a clearer/better impression of your competitor than you, guess whose pockets will be lined? Your bio will often precede you. Readers will learn more about you from your bio than you could ever communicate in a first meeting.

Where will you use your professional bio?

Your professional bio will be useful in so many areas of your business life. And you should have three versions … micro, short and long. Each one can be used for different purposes as you’ll see below.

• LinkedIn – long
• Tenders and Proposals – long
• Your Company Profile – long
• Your About Us page – short or long
• For guest speaker, training or presenting opportunities – short or long
• Your Facebook business page – short
• Author byline for written and online material including guest posts, ebooks, reports, etc. – short
• Landing and sales pages – short
• Marketing flyers – short
• Elevator pitch – micro
• Twitter bio – micro
• Business card – micro

 If you’d like to see samples of professional bios I’ve written for clients, simply ask. I can promise you that bios I write are full of personality and make for very interesting reading.

Pricing

• Long bio: $298 incl GST
• Short bio: $198 incl GST
• Micro: $99 incl GST

Call me on 0404 879 100 to book your professional bio slot. Usual turnaround is 24 hours once I have your responses.

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The problem with these forms is that people are often reluctant to hand over their private information. If you want results, then it’s up to you to allay their fears and help it make sense for them to proceed.

REMOVE ALL POSSIBLE BARRIERS

1. Don’t ask for more information than you need! This is not the Census; the less information you ask, the better. Determine what you absolutely, positively need to know and omit the rest. Is a surname necessary? Is their date of birth really relevant? What purpose will it serve to know their street address? And while you’re at it, only make fields mandatory if you really need that information in order to take their enquiry or sign-up to another level.
2. Explain why you need and how you’ll use the information. It only takes one or two sentences maximum to give your prospect peace of mind. If it means the difference between hearing from them or not, or join your database or not, take the time to spell out your reasons for asking.
3. Link to your Privacy Policy. By simply adding a link to your Privacy Policy, you show that you’re serious about protecting your prospects’ peace of mind. Even if they don’t click on it, they’ll appreciate its mention.

Remember, these forms are meant to entice your leads to engage with you. The moment you alienate them, you’ve lost them forever. Try out the above tips and see what difference it makes to the conversion rate.

Need help with your contact forms or newsletter sign-ups and autoresponders? Give me a call on 0404 879 100 or drop me a line. I’m Brisbane-based but can help you wherever you’re located.

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I love word puzzles but I’m terrible at other kinds (sudoku and other numbers puzzles do my head in). But when I encountered a puzzle site where you can win money, I thought I’d give it a go. Quizopia gives you a free trial wit

h limited access and then if you want to see more, you pay $4.95 per month. I figured it was a small investment for some fun so I paid. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what I was looking for and I couldn’t work out how to unsubscribe and cancel my auto-renewal. I sent an email to the site and received the following reply from Peter:

“Hi Gina, We’re sorry to hear that. I have cancelled your account so that you will not be charged again. But I have also added 30 days free credit, so you now have 62 days credit. That way you still have access to Practice Playing Puzzles as a wind down if and when you feel like it. The practice Puzzles are set at an easier level, and can be found by clicking here on the Member dashboard: (link included).”

After my previous experience with the aforementioned unsubscribe, I grimaced as I read the reply, but soon found myself smiling in appreciation. Here’s why I thought the response was so positive:

1. It was almost immediate.
2. It was a personal reply from the owner of the site.
3. It began with a statement acknowledging my dissatisfaction (“we’re sorry to hear that).
4. It continued with a solution that would immediately remedy my dissatisfaction (“I have cancelled your account …”).
5. It provided me with an option to continue my relationship with the site that would not cost me any further investment (“30 days free credit”).
6. It invited me to remain connected at no risk.
7. It was written specifically to address the issues I raised.
8. It gave me a link to find exactly how to access the writer’s suggestion.

Another noteworthy point is that I was not offered a refund. I actually think this too is a positive because a smart business owner knows not to devalue their offering. Instead, Peter provided added value and offered me an opportunity to stick around, making me feel so much more welcome than a refund and a “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” kind of attitude.

And you know what else really impressed a humble little Brisbane copywriter such as myself? He did it all in just 77 words! Top job!

Why not check out Quizopia for yourself? Dabble a little and if you feel inclined, throw a couple of bucks their way.

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Does your business still ‘do it for you’? Do you still smile and get a tingle when an order comes through on your website? Are you still flirting with expansion ideas?

Or, are you losing interest in your business and wanting to see other opportunities? Have you and your business lost your collective mojo? Do you go to bed before you satisfy your business’s goals for the day?

Where oh where is Cupid when you need the naked little bugger?

Swinging success – Outsource to a professional the tasks you’re not good at. Share the love around! You can bet that if an expert comes along and has a bit of a learned play with your business, you’ll start to feel the swoon. Get some copy written, have your bookkeeping done, have an expert refresh your marketing or call in a professional organiser to get things ‘tidier’ and more functional.

Take your business out more – Hit the road and meet more people who could potentially grow either your business or your love for it. Seek out successful people and chat with them about what works – and doesn’t work – for them. And while you’re out, think of doing some business away from home. Have laptop, will travel. If your business is internet-based like mine is, you could do an “Eat, Pray, Love” and set up shop in Bali, Tuscany or wherever your heart desires. Or … the cafe up the road that serves incredible coffee and squeal-worthy brownies.

Dress up for love – If your business’s image is lagging, it’s time to dress it up! Get some sexy new signage for your car, revamp your website, order fabulous new business cards or dress yourself up! How about an impressive uniform that you can wear to all public events?

Engage in some role play – Maybe your sales pitches are not converting or you can’t get the bank manager to play nicely. Find a business coach or even someone you trust to be honest with you and run through some role play scenarios to help you learn to communicate better and achieve the success that’s been playing a little hard to get lately.

Talk fantasy – It never hurts to fantasise about what could be. Grab a few business-minded friends, colleagues or associates together and brainstorm your business. You can always ‘do theirs’ next time. Let your mind really go nuts about what your business could be and how you could reach the euphoric heights of success you achieve in your dreams.

Don’t forget the toys – Sometimes you just have to take care of business on your own. But with the right toys by your side, the motivation can be mind blowing! Maybe you need a new point of sale or CRM system whose bells and whistles take the sales process to a new stratosphere. Upgrade to a smartphone, invest in a tablet or find some ear candy loaded up with some incredibly inspirational music or golden business insights.

Get your business back in shape – Nothing kills passion more than laziness, lack of motivation and general apathy. Snap out of it!! One hour at a time, one day at a time, figure out what’s become unattractive about your business and be proactive about whipping it back into shape.

You adored your business when you first got together. You still spend countless hours together yet the spark is gone. Think love, think devotion, think “what if I lost my business?” and remind yourself how beautiful it can all be … if you allow yourself to fall in love again.

If you need help with your copywriting or marketing, drop me a line or call me on 0404 879 100. I’m Brisbane-based but can help you no matter where you’re located.

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When you have something newsworthy to announce, a Press Release is an excellent way of shouting about it. I can write a professional, properly formatted Press Release for you that contains your relevant keywords, calls to action, contact information and a compelling story. Your job is then to distribute the release to the media. Hiring a PR company is an excellent way to achieve media attention however their extensive contacts list is reflected in their pricing. If you want to give self-distribution a try, then visit www.get2press.com. For around $100 per release, you can send your news to hundreds of media channels including radio, TV, newspapers, magazines, online outlets and more.

Press Release as content

• Website and blog: Always take advantage of the power of a Press Release by uploading it to your website, either on your blog or on your ‘Latest News’ page. Apart from being valuable content for your visitors to discover, it also plays a role in SEO because it contains keywords relevant to your industry.
• Newsletter: Announce your news to your subscriber database by sending out a ‘Breaking News’ newsletter. Your voluntary subscribers and customers deserve to know what’s going on at your business.
• Social media: Share your news with your followers by posting links to your Press Release on Facebook, Twitter and even Pinterest.

Do you have something newsworthy to share? Spend 10 minutes thinking about what makes your business unique. Do you have celebrity clients? Have you won an Award recently? Have you won a major contract? Contact me on 0404 879 100 to discuss writing your Press Release … just $298 (incl GST), complete with 30-minute briefing consultation. Although I’m based in Brisbane, the consultation can take place over the phone.

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