Executive Bios – Five Ways to Make Them Pay
If you like the idea of showing the “human” side of your business, executive bios are an important tool. But, here’s the thing … they’re not just for executives anymore. Many insurance and financial services organizations develop bios for all customer-facing employees. After all, When you work in a rigid environment like insurance, any opportunity to display smiling faces is encouraged.
Below are five ways to make executive bios pay:
1. Avoid resume-speak: This is not the time to list out every position in chronological order. While showcasing your expertise is important, it’s more important to show some personality. Include a photo (maybe even in casual attire) and don’t be afraid to talk about what inspires you, the characteristics you are known for, and to mention a few things you enjoy when you’re not working.
2. Add employee bios to your website: The “About” section of your website is the perfect place to profile your team. Use the sidebar of each biography page to clearly display the employee’s contact information such as a phone extension, an email link and a LinkedIn profile link to make it easier for clients to connect. You may also want to include a call to action related to the employee’s expertise, such as “Searching for information about restaurant insurance? Download our complimentary report here.” Finally, make sure each biography page is search engine optimized. These pages feature valuable, original content and can help increase your page rankings if set up correctly.
3. Add a bio link to employee email signatures: If bios are hosted on your website, employees can link to them from their email signatures. This simple addition works double-duty – driving traffic to your website where visitors may take the time to explore further, and helping those who don’t know you yet to feel more comfortable when they can put a face with your name.
4. Enclose a bio with every letter of introduction: As always, the goal is to make people feel more comfortable. While it seems cheesy, “comfort” is exactly the reason that realtors have included their photos on their business cards for many decades. Photos and background information build familiarity and trust, and familiarity and trust make a next step in the buying cycle more likely.
5. Update your LinkedIn profile: While the LinkedIn summary paragraph has a limited word count, I find that a portion of each person’s bio can be repurposed for use on LinkedIn. In LinkedIn, it’s quite effective to lead with an overview before presenting job experience.
Insurance bios are no longer just for job seekers and public speakers. Savvy insurance marketers know that humans are source of all relationships and business transactions. By humanizing business, and building familiarity early in the process, buying cycles can be shortened. Insurance bios are effective tool in helping you achieve these goals.
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