Just Like the Cobbler’s Kids

by Elle Ray | May 15, 2015 | Content Provider

We Have Good News and More Good News…

just like the cobbler's kids

We haven’t been slacking, and we’re not on vacation. The truth is that Ray Access has been busier than ever as April 2015 marked new highs in almost every category of our business. That’s the good news. Linda and Mark love staying busy and love writing, so for us, it’s a winning situation.

Unfortunately, that means our blog has suffered. It’s like the cobbler’s kids going without shoes because the cobbler is too busy mending other people’s shoes. Like us, this particular cobbler is likely the best in town, so new customers keep coming to him and old customers keep coming back. Meanwhile, his own kids go without.

It Will Get Better

So we apologize for not blogging for ourselves over the past month. That’s bad form, and it’s exactly what we advise our clients not to do. Now we’re back for a bit of air and rededicating ourselves to keeping our site active and updated.

We’re also making other changes. You can see our new logo, which we developed with a professional designer. In the very near future, you’ll get to see a new website design as well. It’s “in the works.” We appreciate your patience as we transform our web presence into the successful company we’ve become behind the scenes.

Expanding Our Reach

One of our other initiatives has been to expand our reach beyond Asheville, North Carolina. While most of our clients come from Western North Carolina, we’ve been able to attract some great clients from as far away as:

New Jersey
Manhattan
Charleston, South Carolina
Columbia, South Carolina

In addition, we network monthly in Greenville, SC, gaining some visibility in the Upstate region. As we grow, our network of referrals grows as well. Why? Because we do excellent work for our clients, and the results show. Our clients are not just getting more visitors to their websites, but they are also converting more visitors into customers. Content marketing, one name for what we do, works over time to gain visibility and market share for your company.

The Internet Advantage

Remember the movie tagline: “In space, no one can hear you scream?” Well, online, no one can tell at a glance whether your company has 2 or 200 employees. In this way, the Internet has become the Great Equalizer for small businesses around the country. To take advantage of this, however, your website has to be top-notch and professional.

By “professional,” we don’t mean “cold and impersonal.” But your website has to look like the company behind it is huge and successful. Design plays an important role. So do photography and iconography. But maybe more important than any of that is the content of your site. It must answer questions. It must invite visitors to stay. It must gain trust and create community. That’s a lot to ask, but it is possible.

So when you want to compete with anyone in your industry, contact Ray Access. We know how to give you the Internet advantage so your business doesn’t end up like the cobbler’s kids.

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.

5 Blogging Tips for Non-Writers

by Elle Ray | Apr 8, 2015 | Blog Writing

Ray Access Makes Blogging a Bit Easier for You

writing: it looks so easy

A blog is an ideal vehicle for sharing information with your business customers, for attracting new customers to your website and for communicating with people within your industry. The problem, of course, is that you may not feel like you can write a blog post. When you don’t know what to say or how to say it, you end up saying nothing at all.

But blogging delivers real results. A regular business blog can help you establish yourself as an expert in your field. So, to create engaging copy and entertaining blog posts, follow these five tips from the experts at Ray Access:

Keep Your Promises
Visitors to your site will resent it if they follow a link full of promise, but get nothing of value. Deliver what your title says you’ll deliver and give readers information they can use. Only then have you earned enough trust to ask for their business. You can’t lure them in for a sale without keeping your promises. If visitors don’t trust you for the simple things, they certainly won’t trust you with their hard-earned money.
Say Something Worthwhile
Respect is a two-way street, so if you want customers to respect you — and your products or services — enough to make a purchase, respect their time. Don’t waste your opportunity to connect with visitors with blog posts about what you did during your recent retreat, how your golf game reflects your excellence or what your latest sale brought in. Provide valuable, useful information, even if it’s not about your company. If you can enlighten your readers or improve their lives, you can bet they’ll take the time to read your post.
Include Graphics
Not everyone reads an entire blog, but if you can condense the information in a graphic, then do it. Give everyone that option. Graphs and charts often tell a story or impart key information much better than a block of text can. Plus, graphics break up the text and help readers get the information quicker. Artistic graphics draw the readers’ eyes to where you want them to look.
Try a Video
More and more people are getting used to the idea of website videos. Many younger Internet users prefer to sit back and watch rather than read. But to appeal to older visitors, include the script — or at least the highlights of the video — below it. Avid readers can scan through the text in seconds, and you keep them on your page long enough to get to your call for action.
Don’t Forget a Call to Action
“Hire us to write your blogs if you don’t have time.” That’s a call to action, and you need to include one somewhere in your text, preferably after you’ve already earned your readers’ trust and given them educated food for thought. A blog is not the place to put your latest big sale. Save that for your homepage or even better — a sale or specials page. That way, folks who are looking for deals can find them. But you want every reader to do something after reading your blog. Don’t leave it up to them to figure it out.

We hope these blogging tips will make your blog useful, powerful and effective. Good luck!

Answering Questions

by Elle Ray | Mar 15, 2015 | Website Content

It’s the One Purpose for Blogs and Websites

Don't disappoint your website visitors

Business blogs and websites have a specific purpose, but it’s not to sell your product or service. At least, not entirely. Your website needs to develop trust with your visitors. Your blog needs to attract those curious visitors to your site. And there is no better way to accomplish both those goals than to answer questions people have about your business, industry or town.

No matter what your business, no matter what product or service you provide, people will have questions about it:

What will it do for me?
Why is yours the better product/service?
How much will it cost me or save me?
How can I best use it?

The list goes on and on. You need to answer these questions. Only then will your visitors be open to buy.

Answering Questions in Your Blog

A business blog is a marketing tool. With it, you can reach out, using keywords and topics not directly related to your business, to attract more visitors to your site. Answering questions, both about your industry and about other topics, is a great way to attract readers.

For example, let say you’re a plumber. You can cover the obvious in your blog, such as “How to fix a leaky faucet” and “5 things to ask a plumber before he makes a house call.” But you can also answer related questions, such as “5 steps to winterize your home” and “Handling difficult clients.” These aren’t necessarily topics you’d expect from a plumber, but they fit right in and may attract readers you normally wouldn’t.

Answering Questions on Your Website

Your website absolutely has to answer as many of the obvious questions about your business as possible:

Where are you located?
What do you do, exactly?
Why do people need your product/service?
How are you different from anyone else?
How do I get in touch with you?

These are the easy ones, but if your business generates more obvious questions, answer those, too. In the process, you’re generating trust. You’re sharing information about your business and industry. If it’s unique enough, you’ll get noticed. If it’s truthful enough, you’ll become trusted. If your website is clear enough and friendly enough, you’ll earn the respect of those who visit.

And that’s where the magic happens. If people trust your company, they will like it. If you provide valuable information about your business or industry or even your location, people will remember you. They may not be ready to buy your product or service right then, but when the need arises, they’ll remember you and they’ll return. Because people like doing business with people or businesses they like.

Your Business Website

Yes, the ultimate purpose of a business website is to sell your product or service. But you don’t do that by talking sales and guarantees and price points and all that for page after page after page. You do it by building trust. You do it by sharing value on your site. If a visitor learns something new on your website, that’s gold; that’s more valuable than 10 commercials.

People get online to look for answers to questions. Your website’s job is to answer as many relevant questions as possible. That’s how you attract an audience. That’s the value of content marketing. And it’s not always as simple as it sounds. It takes work. But it’s exactly what we do at Ray Access. Let us help you reach more people with well-crafted website content and a targeted blog.

How to Build a Strong Partnership

by Elle Ray | Jan 20, 2015 | Small Business Advice

Some Useful Tips for Business Partners

Business partnerships, as a rule, have a tough time making it. When Mark and Linda of Ray Access first considered creating a formal partnership, we were warned by many:

Be careful, it’s tough to really trust someone like that.
Make sure you have exit strategies.
Protect your ass(ets)!

partnerships often run into problems

The business landscape is littered with big busts where business partners bumped heads so often that their businesses ended up with irreparable concussions:

News Tilt
Cryptine Networks
NASA and Lockheed Martin
Quaker and Snapple
Fashion Café

Never heard of these partnerships? No wonder, they failed for a variety of reasons. Partners need to learning these lessons before pledging fidelity.

Pick Your Partners Carefully

A business partnership is more like a marriage than a one-night stand. You expect more than just chemistry and instant gratification. You’ve got to know that your partner is in it for the long haul with you and won’t jump at the first sign of trouble.

Partners need to each bring invaluable contributions to the business, creating a paradigm that one person couldn’t recreate. Each partner needs to contribute to the success of the business; otherwise, resentments form, followed by mistrust, misunderstandings and dissolution.

Live Together First

Go through a year or more of working together before you even consider going legitimate. Over a long haul, you’ll encounter a vast number of situations where you can evaluate your partner’s ability to cope, decision-making skills and communication style. In a year, you’ll most likely have at least one disagreement; wait to see how that plays out before moving forward.

What you see is what you get. Don’t expect a business partner to change just because you are a good influence or you believe he will mature with some experience. Get into business with the person right in front of you, and you won’t set yourself up for disappointment.

Talk, Talk, Talk

partners talk to each other Talk so much that you find you can finish each other’s sentences when you’re in front of clients. Get to know your partner, his thoughts, feelings, ideas and concerns so that you can work out solutions together. Just like in a solid marriage, communication is key to success.

You can’t be afraid to confront your partner or point out problems. When you trust that your partner is thinking only of what’s best for the company, maintains consistent respect for you and praises your efforts when appropriate, you can take a little criticism when needed.

Take Time Out

While successful business partners share many of the same goals and values (and usually share a common sense of humor), you need to have very separate lives. It’s best not to socialize too much with your business partner and muddy the professional waters.

It’s OK if you have different friends and different interests outside of work. It’s healthy actually to prefer to spend time with your family on the weekend instead of with your business partner. And though our spouses get along really well, it’s not required. (Although we will say that mutual support from the home front doesn’t hurt.)

And on that note, here’s a related tip. We’ve heard ugly stories of husband-and-wife business partnerships that turned sour. Few marriages can stand up to the pressures of a business relationship, so it may be best not to start down that path if you can help it. If you do enter into business with your spouse, pay extra attention to communication and trust issues that may arise.

Trust Is Earned

Mark & Linda form a dynamic duo Earn your partner’s trust by doing what you say you’re going to do. Once you build trust, many sins can be forgiven. If you are with the right partner, little can come between you. With little effort and the right partner, you too could end up in a happy business relationship like these successful partners:

Orville and Wilbur Wright
Larry Page and Sergey Brin
Coco Chanel and Pierre Wertheimer
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
Bill Hewlett and David Packard
Bill Gates and Paul Allen
Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

Maybe you’ll see Mark Bloom and Linda Ray on this list of successful partnerships someday. For now, we believe that we are successful after finishing up our first official year in business as a strong partnership. We’ve got each other’s backs and know it. We’ve had our differences and learned valuable lessons about compromise. We listen to each other and value the other’s opinions. We talk — and email — a lot. And through all that, we even like each other.

We’d love to hear about your partnership — what works or what didn’t work. Please email us at info at rayaccess.com or use our online contact form to send us your story. We’ll include responses in a future blog.

Linda’s Look Back at 2014

by Elle Ray | Dec 17, 2014 | Announcement

It Was a Very Good Year for Very Good Reasons

2014 was a good year

I have a whole heap of gratitude for 2014 and all the opportunities afforded to me. While the U.S. economy continues to improve, I think I’ve been granted a little piece of the burgeoning pie. Our business is not where I want it to be yet — but it certainly is going in the right direction.

Ray Access Is Thriving

First and foremost, I am grateful for a superior partner. We’ve heard so many horror stories of partnerships gone terribly wrong that I am especially honored to have in Mark Bloom a steady, reliable partner who motivates me when I need it and offers up his shoulder when I need it to cry on. He’s also a fantastic editor and great writer — Mark puts the humor in our pages that is especially difficult to write.

I love that I get to meet so many cool people through our business. Sure, we’re an online company, but behind ever website and blog is a person trying to send a message. I’m grateful for the opportunities we get to play a small role in the growth of so many wonderful companies and the people who run them.

Shared Through Classrooms

I’m a typical Ashevillian who cobbles a number of jobs together to meet my financial goals. And it’s so cool that I get to practice the skills at which I excel. As an adjunct teacher at AB Tech, I’m grateful for the students who enter my classes. I can share my experience, strength and hope with them as they look for ways to improve their lives.

Whether I’m in the women’s prison teaching students how to manage money or on campus giving students an inside look at how we create content at Ray Access, I get to talk about those things I’ve learned and hope the information makes a difference. Why learn lessons, after all, if you don’t have an outlet for sharing them?

Selling Success

2014 was a good year for Ray Access Through Ray Access, Mark and I make numerous pitches to sell our services, though they usually sell themselves. This process taps into another of my strengths — the ability to sell something I love. While writing and research is my first love, I also get to practice this skill every so often working at Rug and Home, an Asheville icon in the retail industry.

The owners like my style and I love their products. We make a really good fit and I am grateful for the open door they provide me to work when I have extra time. The rugs and furniture are so tempting, though, that I have to be careful to make more than I spend there.

The Homefront

Finally, I’m grateful for my husband Gary, who stays out of my way when I’m busy writing in my office and who supports my dreams. He’s my biggest cheerleader, something most important in a life partner. Our extended families can try our souls sometimes (although our two grandkids are exceptional). But in the end, no matter what happens among friends, co-workers, the community and the world, we feel safe at home with each other.

Thank you, everyone who touched our lives this past year. Oh no, I’m getting ready to tear up now — not a common sight. But, yes, my work and my home are so very special that they are worth the water works. So let it flow! Happy holidays to everyone!

4 Great Gift Ideas for Your Best Clients

by Elle Ray | Dec 1, 2014 | Small Business Advice

Reward Your Best Clients with Holiday Surprises

Once the holidays start — and for most it’s at Thanksgiving — it becomes increasingly difficult to continue with business as usual. Decisions get put off “until after the first of the year.” Holiday parties and vacations interrupt business meetings. And money gets tight as Santa has so many stockings to fill.

give your best clients gifts

It can be frustrating for a small business owner who may be lucky to take just one day off in the month of merry. But rather than fight it, perhaps it’s just as well to join in the festivities, be thankful for the work that’s in the hopper and give a little more to a favorite charity. It’s also a great excuse to give your best clients a big “Thank You” for the work they sent throughout the year. Granted, you hope they continue sending it your way, but you’ll feel good just in the giving. Here are four gift ideas to get you started:

Send Joy

Cards are nice and offer sentiments of gratitude and “thinking of you,” but for those clients who’ve sent referrals and consistent work, now’s the time to make your mark. When you can’t think of the ideal gift, try one of these suggestions to win smiles (and hopefully goodwill).

1. Food

You never can go wrong with gifts of food. Food baskets can be shared in an office or taken home for the family to enjoy. Send a basket of nuts for the nutty crew at the web developer’s office or a basket of sweets to those who made you smile with a monthly check. Try any of the many online gift basket companies like Cherry Moon Farms or go local from an Edible Arrangements franchisee.

2. Books

business books make a great gift Give books that will entertain and enlighten clients. Send the latest from a local author and get it signed for your recipient. Check out the latest business book for the client who enjoys trends and new ideas. Financial whizzes may enjoy the latest news from the world of big money, and sports enthusiasts may enjoy a biography from a winner. You need to know a bit about the tastes of your client, but if you do, you’ll make a hit with a good read.

3. Plants

Who doesn’t need a money tree for their office? The plants grow to outrageous heights, reminding your clients of your generosity with each new foot of sprouts. Go with a philodendron or a cool cactus if you think your client may be more into a more low-maintenance type plant. The gift will most certainly receive a place of honor where you will be thought of often.

4. Promotion

It may seem a bit self-serving, but if the gift that bears your company name and logo is useful or fun, the self-promotion can be overlooked. Nice pens, coffee mugs, calendars with outstanding artwork, thumb drives, clocks and mouse pads all make great gifts on which you can have your imprint clearly imbedded.

Set a budget and stick with it. Send the gifts out a before the big December 25 rush to stand out from the crowd and include a nice note to the clients who have helped you grow your business. You’ll be remembered long into the new year and may find yourself on the receiving end of little more business.

From Ray Access, we wish everyone a prosperous and happy holiday season.

Gobble Gobble!

by Elle Ray | Nov 26, 2014 | Blog Writing

Is That the Turkey or Your Mother-in-Law?

That’s the question we’ve always wanted to ask. That sound — gobble, gobble — could be what turkeys mutter as they voice their displeasure. Or it could be what people (not just your mother-in-law) sound like at the Thanksgiving Day table. Or it could be both. Both, we could argue, represent this holiday.

happy Thanksgiving from Ray Access

Perhaps the bigger question is how that ties into the business of business blogging, since that is one of the things we do at Ray Access. It’s not such a stretch when you take the time to consider it. We cover a wide range of topics on this blog, from writing tips to ergonomic office furniture to small business tips to fashion advice (of all things). We can write about Thanksgiving if we want to.

Tying Your Blogs into Current Events

The point is that it sometimes the subject of your blog post doesn’t matter. You want to be able to reach out on your blog to attract a wide variety of readers. Readers who come to your blog are visitors to your website. If your blog is working properly, you are attracting the right audience. For Ray Access, our audience is anyone with a business or a message. So we cast a wide net.

You can do the same. Write about current events, holidays, or popular subjects. Use keywords that people are currently searching for. You may attract new readers and new visitors to your website. Once they arrive, they may decide to take a look around your website, especially if they fit your target demographic.

How to Write Current Event Blog Posts

what does Thanksgiving corn have to do with writing? The trick to tying your blog posts to current events is to find the angle that connects your business to the event or holiday. It’s not that difficult to do. For example, in this blog post, we’re discussing writing techniques for blog posts, but tying it to the Thanksgiving holiday. Reread that last sentence. Taken out of context, it seems like a stretch, and yet this post hits the mark.

Anyone looking for Thanksgiving tips, the sound a turkey makes or complaints about mothers-in-law may find our little blog post and gain some insight about writing. If they are also a business owner and find themselves in need of writing help, they’ll likely remember us.

At least, that’s our evil plan.

You Can Do It Too

All you need is to set aside some time — an hour, several minutes, whatever you can squeeze into your schedule — and brainstorm a few ideas about how to connect your business to current events. It can be a direct tie, as when we wrote a blog post for a gastroenterologist client about the illnesses on cruise ships in the news. Or it could be more abstract, like tying a business-writing business to the Thanksgiving holiday.

If you get stuck, call in the pros at Ray Access. We do this for a living. We can help you attract a wider audience while gradually raising your page rank. Content marketing works, but only if you keep at it. Don’t let complacency drop your page rank; let us help.

10 Things to Include in Your Bio

by Elle Ray | Oct 31, 2014 | Writing

How to Write an Online Bio for Your Website

you won't look like this in your bio

This is the second in a series of biography-writing articles that started with How to Write Your Own Bio. At Ray Access, we’ve heard from owners, entrepreneurs and principles that writing a bio is one of the most difficult assignments. It doesn’t have to be.

We’re not sure if it’s about modesty or fear that you’ll come off looking like a doofus to your peers, but let us assure you there is no cause for concern. If you follow the tips that professionals use when crafting personal biographies, you’ll look just fine to everyone…from your competition to your mother.

A Selfie in Print

A bio is just a way to let people know a little bit more about you. Get out of the way and pretend that you’re writing about your best friend. A bio is a selfie in print — and just as you wouldn’t post a picture of yourself with bed-hair, you want the most flattering light to shine through your words. At the same time, get real, it will make the process that much easier.

Include these 10 things in your bio and you’ll pretty much have it covered:

Context
One of the first tenets of journalism is for the writer to answer the question, “Why should I care?” Readers need to know why your bio is pertinent to them and why they should take the time to get to know you. If you’re selling real estate, for example, you need to let readers know that you grew up in a home full of Realtors. If you run an ad agency, let them know you’ve got awards and book deals to justify your expertise.

Accomplishments
A bio is a little like a resumé in that you want readers to know about your wins. They need to know the name of the awards you’ve won, the degrees you’ve earned and the praise you’ve received from the business community, in the press, from your peers and your customers.

History
A little bit about your background provides the human touch to your bio. After all, business is not just about business, it’s about people. Readers want to know where you grew up and how your upbringing affected your life choices. A little history humanizes your bio and lets people identify with you.

Challenges
The obstacles you’ve overcome and the challenges you’ve faced in your career can make for some of the most interesting aspects of a bio. By sharing a little about how you’ve become successful, your bio can provide inspiration, provoke empathy and show readers another side of the polished professional they’ve come to know.

Volunteering
While you’ll certainly include your current title and what you do for your company, your community service also is relevant because it too shows your human side and gives readers a glimpse into your private life and your passions. When your volunteer activities are within your own industry, that’s even better, because it shows you support your industry in every aspect of your life. Volunteering also shows that you’re not just a taker.

Professional Affiliations
Whether you are just a member of an industry group or hold a seat on a board, include your professional affiliations in your bio to show that you are wedded to your work and fully committed to your industry.

Hobbies
Include hobbies and outside interests because they often reflect your personality. If you’re into sports, for example, readers glimpse your energy and vitality. Music and the arts target your creativity. If you’re an animal lover, you’re letting people know that you have a soft side. This also is the place to talk about the time you spend with your family and mention that you have two kids or are newly married. Writing something about your personal life also illustrates that you’re well-rounded.

Anecdotes
Stories that provide a glimpse into your personal journey are welcome additions to a bio and make the read more interesting. People want to know how you accidentally stumbled on a buyer for a truckload of wood you were hauling and ended running a multimillion dollar woodworking shop. People are entertained reading about when you interviewed people on your summer vacations as a kid and ended up as an award-winning journalist. The anecdotal stories that formed a basis for your success also make for good pass-around stories.

Plans
People reading your bio also like to know what’s next. What are your plans for the future? Where do you hope to bring your business in the next five or ten years? How do you hope to make a difference in your community, in your industry or for your employees?

Purpose
Finally, round out the context of your bio, your career and your life, by touching on why you do what you do. This provides readers a reason to hire you or use your company. Purpose is something that people can relate to and that help people understand what drives you and what makes you tick.

Ray Access can write your bio for you if you find it too difficult. You may be surprised what can come out in a 15-minute interview over the phone that makes it into print. And don’t forget that the writers and editors at Ray Access offer other business services.

Finally, don’t forget to update your bio every once in a while, both to keep your website fresh and to alert your potential clients of your latest achievements!

Ray Access is a content marketing firm that delivers targeted words to empower your business. Contact us about your specific project to receive a quote or discuss your needs. We write website copy, blog posts, e-newsletters and more. Everything we do is thoroughly researched, professionally edited and guaranteed original.

How to Write Your Own Bio

by Elle Ray | Oct 12, 2014 | Writing

No One Is Better Qualified Than You to Write It

can you capture yourself in a bio?

It’s easy to let a professional writer like Linda or Mark interview you so we can write your bio. It’s a valid way to fill in the “About” page on your website. But if you want to write your own bio, you need to keep a few things in mind.

A professional bio is not a resume. It serves a different purpose. For example, you can use your bio for the following:

For posting on your LinkedIn profile
For self-promotion in a brochure
For speaking engagements
For networking
For a book cover or guest blog
For media outlets at the end of a press release
For board applications
And yes, for job hunting

Do It Yourself

While you certainly can hire a professional writer, we’d like to share a few tips so that you can write your bio yourself. Remember that your bio is you on paper. It should present your achievements in the best possible light and help you open doors.

Write your bio in plain language that not only is easy to read, but also sounds like you. If you’re not in academia, for example, don’t make it sound like a droll professor wrote it. If you’re a musician, don’t make it sound like an accountant — although an accountant may want to spiff up his bio with a few musical references.

6 Tips for Tight Bio Writing

Write in the third person
Your professional bio should sound as if someone else is writing about you, even if you are the author. Introduce yourself right at the beginning with an opening line that spells it out: “Mark Bloom is a man of few words, few spoken words that is, because he’s a professional writer and words are his medium.”
Use a conversational tone
Even though your bio should sound professional, use a conversational tone. Readers should get the feeling that you’re talking to them. Read your writing out loud to check your tone. Refrain from slang and industry jargon unless your bio will be read only by your peers.
Rely on a backwards timeline
Don’t rewrite your bio every time one is needed, so start with your current job or position and your most recent achievements. While you want to include historical information, such as your education and previous accomplishments, write in much the same order as you would a resume.

Include your family in your bio.

Get personal
A professional bio should show off your personality. If you have a great sense of humor, for example, add a joke or pun to highlight your bent. If you’re an earth mother, use new age words to describe your characteristics and history. Include information about your hobbies, your place of origin and your family. Either sprinkle these facts throughout the bio or present them in a bullet format at the end.
Boost your bio with stats and quotes
Give your bio a boost with statistics about the number of sales you closed or the time it took to turn a profit in your last venture. Include quotes from important people in your industry or from former clients. (Ask their permission first.) These are items any professional writer would include; when you write your bio, you are the reporter.
Prepare a set of bios
A professional bio should be one page — about 400 to 500 words. This version goes on your website, in your professional portfolio and to other interested parties. We recommend creating a mini-bio and a micro-version to use with guest blogs and social media posts. Think of the little bios as your 30-second elevator pitch. Pull the most interesting and concise information from your original bio to create the mini-versions.

Look at yourself objectively when you write your bio. Make it interesting and compelling — a good read. Write a professional bio that you would want to read. Keep it current and polished. Review your bio every year or two just to make sure it’s still relevant.

For more information on writing your bio, refer to 10 Things to Include in Your Bio. If you just can’t get started, contact Ray Access. We’ll make you look like the star that you are with a professional bio that sings success. Finally, don’t forget to update you bio every once in a while, both to keep your website fresh and to alert your potential clients of your latest achievements!

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