A spontaneous rebrand
Why my IG bio wasn't cutting it
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One of my more recent business resolutions has been to spend less time thinking and more time doing. I spend a lot of time conceptualizing and can definitely fall into the “analysis paralysis” trap. For a while I have felt like I am straddling two worlds of “influencing” and for a lack of better word, “reporting.” If you spend a lot of time on social media trying to develop your own brand you may feel similarly. The line between promoting your services vs promoting you as a person can start to blur. This is natural. Your followers want to have some idea of who you are so they can better connect with you. But for the sake of business, your offerings have to be clear.
I think this struggle between influencing and reporting was most apparent in my Instagram bio. I see the same confusion and murkiness is other Instagram bios. So rather than let it go on a day longer, I took action and a spontaneous rebrand was born.
Here is exactly what happened along with learning that you can apply to your Instagram bio…
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The three elements of a bio that I pay attention to are: profile picture, category, and bio copy.
Profile picture: for years my Instagram profile picture has been a picture of my face. I heard enough strategist say that making your profile picture your face is the best way to build a personal brand. And perhaps it is. But for me, I am more interested in building a brand than becoming an influencer. My profile picture is now a photo of Madeline Ablright’s house. I would love to transition to an EBDC logo at some point but for now I think a picture of a historic home is a better representation of what I am trying to achieve. Ask yourself, “are you building a brand that is independent of you or is your brand you?”
Category: Category is the tag below your handle. I switched mine from “Real Estate” to “Media” and then back to “Real Estate” again. I think that even though I want to be more of media account, it make more sense to get lumped in with real estate accounts. Ask yourself, “what category does my content best align with?”
Bio copy: For years my bio read, “Exposed Brick enthusiast curating the DC real estate market.” For SEO purposes, I have always loved having “DC real estate” in my bio. However the first part of my bio wasn’t really serving me. “Exposed Brick enthusiast” is cute does that really tell you anything about what this account is about besides that I like exposed brick? No. This precious real estate (no pun intended) needs more clarity and purpose. My bio now reads “A publication focused on following, curating, and decoding the DC real estate market.” I think this gives a much clearer depiction of what EBDC is all about. I might even drop the “a publication” part to keep it punchy. Ask yourself, “does my bio give a clear description of what my account is about and am I maximizing it to the fullest?”
That’s all for this week!