Is your organization’s Twitter bio really that important? I mean, it’s only 160 characters long, so who would possibly be interested in reading it?
Believe it or not, your twitter bio is extremely important for three reasons:
- It sets expectations around what you talk about on Twitter
- It sets you apart from the boring bios
- It allows people to more easily find you in search and add you to Twitter lists
Look at this way: Beyond your tweets, your bio is one of the only other ways for Twitter users to know what you’re about.
So you’ve got to make those 160 characters count!
Here are seven tips for writing a better twitter bio:
1. Keep It Simple
Make sure that your bio is easy for anyone to understand. Don’t include any technical jargon or other language that might alienate potential followers.
2. Make it Searchable
Make sure you use the prevalent keywords for your cause.
3. Tell Them Your Name(s)
Many nonprofits use the name of the organization for their Twitter ID. The problem with this is that most people on twitter want to talk with people, not organizations. If you’re one of these organizations, make a point of including the names of the people who will be tweeting.
4. Include Extra Links
Your twitter profile has only one field for a URL. But you can add more links directly in the bio field by beginning each URL with “HTTP://”. This creates a clickable link in browsers and mobile devices.
5. Use UTM Tags
If you’re interested in measuring traffic to your website from your twitter bio, use UTM tags and then shorten that URL with bit.ly. This makes it easier to measure traffic from links in your Twitter profile with Google Analytics.
6. Make it Remarkable
People want to follow Twitter users that get their attention. Write your bio in a way that stands apart from all the other similar nonprofits on Twitter. You also might want to add something a little personal, but not too personal.
7. Ask for Feedback
You can ask people what they think about your Twitter bio. People will feel good about helping you, and won’t feel hurt if you don’t take their advice.
These are just a few ideas that I have, and I’m sure you’ve seen some pretty amazing Twitter bios. Maybe you can post them in the comments?
What do you think?