Voices

Advisors: Better Way to Write Your Bio

Your biography or About Me section is one of the most read pieces of content on your website.

In it you want to sell yourself to your audience. Honestly. Truthfully. Sincerely. Genuinely.

You want to select the experiences that shape your success, form your advisor identity, and package them in a way that prospective clients will purchase. Buy. Believe. Come back for more.

You want to pique their curiosity while still adequately representing the essence of yourself, to them, through tale. You want to engage, excite, and entertain them. And still sound professional.

No pressure though, right?

But the thing about your biography is that it needs some personality.

AVOID CORPORATE SPEAK

Your success as an advisor hinges on the relationships you build with clients. But even before you can begin building, you must first appear to be someone with whom that is possible.

People connect with people, not corporate speak, so stripping your writing of individuality and personality strips your readers of theirs. If you don't sound like a real person in your biography, prospective clients might not think you'll see or treat them as one, either.

More than managing money, you are managing livelihoods -- clients' lives. When looking for an advisor online, prospective clients are searching for someone who can relate. Yes, they would like to know the basics, such as your education, accreditations, and how long you've been in the business, but they’re also looking for the why.

Why you?

It's near impossible to pick you when you sound like everyone else.

HOW TO SOUND LIKE YOU

1. Ask yourself, why? Dig deep. Why are you an advisor? Why have you dedicated your life to this profession? Why does it interest you? And what else do you do? Do you volunteer? Do you have a hobby? And why? Why do you do those things?

2. Show, don't tell. It's not just about telling people that you love being an advisor and leaving it at that. You have to show you love it through that why. In painting a picture, your passion and personality will shine through.

3. Engage in thievery. If you're struggling, go stealing. Follow the oft-quoted adage good writers borrow, great writers steal. Regardless of profession, go read other biographies. Ask yourself what you like about them -- the tone, humor, style, format? Apply that to your own bio. You'll still have something that's wholly yours and uniquely you. Be Dr. Frankenstein: cut, paste, rearrange, repurpose, and bring your biography to life.  

DIFFERENT STROKES

Using myself, here is a quick example of how you can provide the same information in different ways, ranging from impersonal to perhaps too much personality.

  • Kellie is the marketing writer at Advisor Websites. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts with honors in English Literature from the University of British Columbia.
  • Kellie is the marketing writer at Advisor Websites. She holds an honors degree in English Literature from the University of British Columbia, likes to edit, and loves books.
  • Kellie is the marketing writer, grammar fairy, and resident bibliophile at Advisor Websites. Graduating with an honors degree in English Literature from the University of British Columbia, she’s still in shock that someone has finally hired her to use it.

Now go forth, advisors, be About Me adventurous and biography brave.

Kellie Gibson is the marketing writer, grammar fairy, and resident bibliophile at Advisor Websites, where she manages the company’s blog and contributes to their e-book publications, newsletters, and various marketing campaigns.

Read more:

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Practice management Sales and marketing Financial planning
MORE FROM FINANCIAL PLANNING