TBA Blog Series – Top Social Media Mistakes: No Bios

Social media isn’t easy. With so many social networks available, each of which are constantly growing and changing, it’s tough to stay afloat in the world of social media marketing. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of blogs, featuring some of the biggest, and most basic, mistakes that are made online.

This should probably go without saying, but you’d be surprised how many business profiles, whether on Facebook, Twitter or another social media site, haven’t filled out the provided bio section, or have, but left out key information about their brand.

Social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn provide all users with a space dedicated to telling about themselves or the brand, yet many social media managers are forgetting about this important piece of the puzzle.

Use Facebook for example.

The “About” section is one of the first things a person sees upon visiting a page, so filling out this section is one of the most important things that can be done. After all, not everyone who visits a page is going to be familiar with the brand, and in most cases they’re probably not going to spend too much time trying to figure it out.

As for Twitter, there are 160 characters to explain about the brand. Just remember; the longer the bio doesn’t necessarily mean the better. Concise, but to-the-point, bios can be just as effective.

And if your brand has a unique voice, this is a great place to show it off.

LinkedIn gives companies much more room to tell their story, about 1,200 characters, so not much to worry about there. Just remember to be succinct and include the most important information (i.e., what you do, products/services you provide).

For some of the new social media channels like Instagram and Pinterest, there are 150 and 200 characters, respectively, with which to play.

Regardless of which social media sites you’re writing a bio for, the most important thing to keep in mind is how to tell people what you do and whom you serve in a limited amount of space. Remember to use keywords in your description, and always try to provide a link to your website if you can.