From The Crow’s Nest

This is the third post in a new series designed to help you set up and fine tune your Twitter account. It’s geared for business people who use Twitter either for a company or as a professional networking tool. Most of the information also applies to the person using Twitter just for fun.

Use your Twitter bio to express your unique business identity.

The time you spend setting up your Twitter profile is an investment in your Twitter success. Your bio is an important part of your profile because it gives others an idea of your personality and interests. Everyone who reviews your Twitter profile can see your bio, and they use it to determine if they want to follow you.

Why You Need A Twitter Bio

Your Twitter bio is your elevator pitch, the short bit of information that describes you to potential followers and entices them to follow you. You have 160 characters to provide a glimpse into your personality and your Twitter use.

But a Twitter bio can do much more for you. Most people read the bio in your profile when they are deciding if they want to follow you. You bio, along with a quick review of your Twitter archive, lets people see who you are, what you tweet about, and your attitude. Don’t hold back. If you tweet snarky, make your bio snarky. If you want to bring in potential customers, give them one reason why they should check out your Twitter stream. This is your one chance to sell yourself.

What Goes Into Your Twitter Bio?

Here are some ideas for what you should include in your bio.

• Your company name. If you don’t already use your company name for your Twitter account name, be sure to mention it in your bio.
• Key words. Think about the key words and search terms you want people to associate with you and your business. Yes, this is another place to think about search engine optimization!
• Business services and products. What do you (or your company) actually do? Briefly list the services you provide, along with the names of any products you sell.
• Geography details. Hopefully, you have listed your city in the location portion of your profile. Here’s a chance to expand on that geography. Is your town part of a large metropolitan area? Or do you run a shop located in a specific neighborhood? Include these details to help potential customers pinpoint your location.
• Passions. These can be the same as your services, or provide more insight into your business culture or personality. For example, do you live green? Or do you volunteer for a specific community non-profit? These are great things to share here.

Here are some things that people put into their Twitter bios that don’t work. Avoid using these things!

• Sales pitch. There is a difference between selling yourself in your profile and making a sales pitch. Most people on Twitter consider sales pitches to be spam. Avoid this if you want people to follow you.
• Bragging. Hey, if your restaurant has won an award, list it! If you have been selected to speak at a conference, include it. But don’t appoint yourself as an expert on anything, or tell us why you are better than everyone else at your business. It comes off like a hot air.
• Mystery. If you are tweeting for your business, leave the mystery and intrigue for a personal ad. Be open and honest about what you do. Tell the truth, unless you really would have to kill us if you told us.

[Added later] While you generally should express your personality in your bio, I’ve been reminded by someone in the Phoenix Twitter community that sometimes you should not bare it all. I’m calling this the Dudlik Exception (for reasons known only by my Twitter community).

Fitting In The Details

Twitter is about brevity, so cram as much information as you can into your bio while still keeping it easy to read.  Here are some guidelines to balance the information with readability.

• Full sentences. You don’t need to use full sentences. You can use phrases and list your key words.
• Punctuation. If you list key words and phrases, separate them with periods or another type of punctuation consistently. Don’t omit spaces between words, either.
• Spelling. Always spell words completely without abbreviations.
• Case. Don’t write in all caps. It is hard to read, and it looks like you are shouting.

Great Twitter Bio Examples

Here are some businesses and people who have done a great job with their Twitter bios.

• Betsy Weber (@BetsyWeber)
• James Whatley (@WhatleyDude)
• Streets of New York (@StreetsofNY)
• Mare Biddle (@MareBiddle)
• Alia Rau (@AliaRau)
• Cheap Amazon (@CheapAmazon)
• Bank of America Help (@BofA_Help)
• Phil Eschtruth Harrison (@Phil_EH)
• TweetDeck (@TweetDeck)

Twitter Bio Search

Conducting a Twitter bio search is one great way to find people for your Twitter community that meet your Twitter goal. There are several tools that allow you to search through Twitter bios to find people.

• TweetSearch allows you to search through the entire profile, including the bio.
• Twellow provides a search tool, and allows users to register with the site where you can write an extended description. You don’t have to registered with the site to use this search, and the results include people who are not registrered.
• PeopleBrowsr allows you to target specific portions of the Twitter profile, including the bio.

There are other bio search tools out there. If you have a favorite, won’t you add it in the comments to this post?

Twitter Bio Means More Followers

Okay, you’ve heard my argument for creating a great Twitter bio. If you are still trying to decide if it’s worth your effort, consider this. A recent study conducted by HubSpot, the people behind the Twitter Grader, have researched the relationship between Twitter bios and followers, and the results are staggering. On average, Twitter accounts with a bio have eight times as many followers as accounts without a bio. Are there other factors that come into consideration? I’m sure there are. But isn’t this reason enough to write a compelling bio? Now!?

Your turn: What do you think makes a great Twitter bio? Do you follow people who don’t have a bio in their profile? Here’s your chance to share your insights with the community.

Related Posts

• Twitter School
• Twitter For Beginners
• Twitter Setup: A Rose By Any Other Name