A business owner recently asked how to write her bio for her website.

She wondered, how do I refer to myself?  “I”? “She”? “Jill Doe Consulting”?

Wondering whether to use “I” or “she”  should set off a little warning bell in your mind.

Why aren’t you using the word “you?”

May I suggest — turn everything around.  Talk about your user’s problems, your customer’s needs, your customer’s benefits, your customer’s solutions.

Yes, even in your bio and free offers.

For example:

No:  Click here for our free 10-step guide and get our insights on better newsletter success

Yes:  Get your free 10-step guide here, and discover how you can better connect with your community in your newsletter, right away

Your best bio isn’t really about you

Marketing guru Marcia Yudkin first sold me on the idea about important signals your reader is looking for in your business bio. Are you low-cost? High-end for delivering the right impact? Readers are looking for your fit with their goals. Your bio works best (to attract the right clients) when it isn’t about you — it’s about the better world your customers move into when they work with you.

On almost every website I see, the bio is an under-used place to really connect with your market.  Your bio can home in on what your prospects need, instead of just telling them about yourself.

I’m wondering if I could sort of demonstrate… Here is a bit from a random coach’s bio on the web right now (name and content paraphrased to protect the innocent).

Jill Doe is a coach, strategist, writer, entrepreneur, speaker and principal of Jill Doe Coaching, with clients in 6 countries.

She works with business owners, leaders and executives who want strategies to be successful, achieve excellence and bring about more profound breakthroughs.

Jill Doe is passionate, inspiring, enthusiastic and her contagious sense of humor makes her fun to work with.  She sees herself as the catalyst to lead you to the most effective answers, thoughts and ideas.  Jill believes you can find the quickest and easiest route to success by looking at running your business in terms of the most to basic elements…

Does this have to be strictly about Jill? No.  (It squanders a golden opportunity to respond to the needs of Jill’s customers)

Tell me if you think this works any better (totally fictional bio)

I’m Jill Doe, and I’m passionate about building success for your business with a “back to basics” approach.  Running your business doesn’t mean you have to cut out time with family, evenings with friends, or precious time alone just to think.  The key focus at Jill Doe Consulting is to provide you with a clear, simple system for task management, so you feel confident you have time to carry out your commitments at work and in your life.

I founded Jill Doe consulting to work with established leaders and business owners want to have personal productivity plan in place.   Our mission is to balance structure and freedom in your life.  We help you develop your own action plan that gives you time for everything you have to do, eliminates tasks that aren’t effective, and gives you time you need to do the things that recharge you.

Jill Doe Consulting serves clients in 6 countries, and since 1995 has helped hundreds of business managers like your build on your most profitable ideas.

Have a new look at your About page. Does a vision of the better life for your customers come through?

See how often you use “you.” And see if you can do more to make your reader an active part of the conversation.

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