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particular activity for \u201cbios\/site\u201d and what I wrote still applies.<\/p>\nA while back, I answered a question posted on LinkedIn. The original question related to whether the person should use first person or\u00a0third person for team bios.\u00a0However, the advice I offered applies to any customer-facing communication, be it your website, marketing collateral, or social media tool. Just substitute your particular activity for \u201cbios\/site\u201d and what I wrote still applies.<\/p>\n
No matter what customer-facing communication you\u2019re developing, be it your website, marketing collateral, or social media tool, there are three factors you should consider when making decisions: your audience, your company\u2019s personality, and best practices \u2013 with audience being the absolute most important one. That may seem obvious, and most people would nod their heads in agreement, however, it\u2019s often not what companies do.<\/p>\n
Original LinkedIn Answer:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Whenever you make a decision on what to include or exclude on your site, it should first and foremost be based on what will resonate with your audience.<\/strong> While what you write and how you write it needs to be an authentic reflection of your company and what it\u2019s like to work with you, what matters most is whether what you\u2019re writing is what your audience wants and expects to see\u2013and will, again, resonate with them.<\/p>\n Ask yourself will first or third person be best for my audience. Better yet, ask your audience, if possible. Asking them may not be necessary or make sense in relation to bios, but it\u2019s something to keep in mind for your website overall. But whether or not you do user testing or surveys or similar activities, you should always look at things from your audience\u2019s perspective first.<\/strong><\/p>\n Whatever voice you choose, it needs to be an authentic reflection of your company and its people. Your audience will eventually realize if your voice isn\u2019t authentic and respond accordingly.<\/strong><\/p>\n If first person makes sense for your audience and is truly what you and your company is about, then write the bios in first person. Having each one sound different, as long as they follow a similar format (you can set up parameters to ensure this), isn\u2019t a bad thing. The bios will reflect the personality of each individual. Chances are that\u2019s a good thing if first person is right for your audience and your company. If there\u2019s still a worry about them sounding the same and following the same format, but you still really want first person, you can have a professional editor\/writer go over the bios to ensure consistency yet retain each authentic voice.<\/p>\n Being aware of best practices is a good thing. It makes decision making easier and saves time — why reinvent the wheel. However, I am a big proponent of knowing what the best practices are and why they\u2019re best practices, and then evaluating them to make sure they make sense for 1) your audience (first), and 2) your company.<\/p>\n I have a strong bias against using best practices as cookie cutters for how to create a website (or anything else for that matter). I don\u2019t advocate breaking a best practice just for the sake of doing so. After all, providing an experience that users expect makes it easier for them to find things on your site. But don\u2019t follow them just because they\u2019re best practices\u00a0either.<\/p>\n Know them, evaluate them against your audience and your company, and then decide what to do and not do based on those factors — and be clear why you aren\u2019t following them.<\/strong><\/p>\n As for best practices on bios, most business-to-business companies use third person. However, many use first names after the first callout vs. last names to make the bios more personable and the people appear more approachable.<\/p>\n Your business is business to consumer. Following the recommendations I made above, I would guess that your audience would gravitate towards a bio that\u2019s professional (I want to trust that you know what you\u2019re doing) and personal (I don\u2019t like cold, unfeeling healthcare providers). I would also guess that you\u2019d like to come across the same way. If these guesses are accurate, I\u2019d recommend third person, using first names after the first callout (vs. Dr. Gerstin) and infusing the bios with a little personal component — not the \u201cmarried with two kids king of thing,\u201d but rather why you became a chiropractor or community work that you do, etc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A while back, I answered a question posted on LinkedIn. The original question related to whether the person should use first person or\u00a0third person for team bios.\u00a0However, the advice I offered applies to any customer-facing communication, be it your website, … Continue reading Your Audience<\/h3>\n
Your Company\u2019s Personality<\/h3>\n
Best Practices<\/h3>\n