The Twitter Elevator Pitch: Rethinking Your Social Bio

Anyone in the business of getting business for themselves (and others) has heard of the elevator pitch, that 5-30 second monologue/dialogue that gets you the big deal or the big fail. If you don’t have one, no worries. There are a multitude of blogs, articles, books, applications, consultants and unsolicited advice dedicated to the subject.

But what seems to be lacking in most of them is the tie in with social media. To be successful, your social bio needs to be as much as, if not more, of an elevator pitch as it is a personal brand. So in an effort to do justice to the real world and the online world, let’s take a look at both pitches – the elevator and the twittervator.

The Set Up

I’d like to introduce you to Joe Smith. Mr. Smith is not just any person, but your best client, sale and/or business connection – potentially. Let’s walk through the next 5-30 seconds and see what happens.

Elevator: You get on the elevator at the top floor. At the last second, Joe steps in and joins you on the ride down. You now have just 15-60 seconds to explain who you are, what you do and most importantly, what you can do for him.

Twittervator: While you’re posting your relevant links and thoughts, Joe discovers you from a tweet, a re-tweet, a follow friday recommendation or a topic search. He’s interested and wants to learn more. You now have just 3-5 seconds to explain who you are, what you do and most importantly, what you can do for him.

First Impressions

Whether you’re in the real world or the online world, first impressions are made and opinions are set in the first few seconds of an engagement, usually before a single word is spoken.

Elevator: Joe gives you a quick, friendly nod and proceeds with the “once over”. He looks at your face, appearance, body language and how you handle yourself.

Twittervator: Joe clicks on your Twitter handle and proceeds with the “once over”. He looks at your bio picture and your page background to assess your online appearance, visual language and how you present yourself.

Addendum: What is your pic and background? Is it that awesome photo of you on the beach or the cool graphic you quickly designed? What would happen if you’re on that elevator dressed in a pair of awesome bermuda shorts and sandals or wearing a cool graphic mask over your face? Although some allowances are given to a “creative” online presence, the first impression is still based on these factors. And with the myriad of third party Twitter apps, there’s a good chance Joe will never even see your page background. So it’s all up to your pic. Now that’s pressure.

Introductions

You’re gotten past the first impression and now it’s time to let him know who you are.

Elevator: “Hi. My name is…” You offer Joe a hand shake and a smile looking for that reaction. Depending on the quality of his first impression, you will either be welcomed or quickly brushed off.

Twittervator: Joe reads your name and location. Depending on the quality of his first impression, you will either be welcomed or quickly brushed off.

Addendum: Adding a name and location to your bio puts you in context, shows that you’re an actual human being and increases trust. Remember, this is your best client or sale. “Hello, I’m xv12.” or “Hi, my name is creativeguruguy.” just doesn’t seem to have the same impact, does it?

The Pitch

You’ve successfully introduced yourself and Joe seems cordially interested. After a reciprocal intro, he asks the question you’ve been preparing yourself for, “So, what do you do?”

Elevator: “I’m glad you asked. I…” You dive into your concise, targeted statement about who you are and what you do.

Twittervator: “Well, let me tell you … in 160 characters.” Your bio states your concise, targeted statement about your current position, your professional interests and a dash of personal info.

Addendum: There’s a reason I repeated “concise, targeted statement”. This is a decision point where what you wrote encourages a click through to your site or a lost opportunity. A short, well-written statement is much more effective than a packed, run-on sentence with short-hand symbols and abbreviations.

The Discussion

The conversation is going well and Joe is engaged, talking about his background and current status. An opportunity arises.

Elevator: You shift the conversation to how your product/service/expertise can help him and his business. You bring up market trends, some supporting data and how working with him would result in greater success.

Twittervator: Joe reads through your tweets. He reviews the links you post, reads the quotes you tweet and notes the conversations you engage in.

Addendum: Good or bad, the tweets you tweet are the window into what you know, what you’re interested in and how you interact with others. Are your article links relevant to the work you do and the interests that you have? Are your conversations with others helpful and professional? Are you honest? That’s a lot to pack into 140 characters.

The Exchange

The quick engagement with Joe seems to be successful. He likes what he hears and it’s time to tie it all together.

Elevator: You thank Joe for his time and offer him your business card.

Twittervator: Joe clicks through to your website.

Addendum: Not having a URL is the same as not having a business card in hand. Great pitch, but no follow through. Along the same lines, a site that doesn’t match your name/bio/pic is not much different than handing Joe a business card for a financial planner when you’ve presented yourself as a web designer. Unfortunately, the conversation usually ends there.

The Closing

You’re almost there. Time to seal the deal.

Elevator: Joe thanks you for the time and suggests that you follow up with each other over the next few days.

Twittervator: Joe follows you and bookmarks your site. And if he’s really interested, he DM’s you or contacts you through your site.

Addendum: Congratulations. In a few short minutes, you’ve successfully interacted with Mr. Smith, established a mutual connection and opened the door for a future engagement. Nice work.

The Lesson

So what have we learned from this short demonstration.

Elevator: Opportunities arise when you least expect it. Be open to the possibility and prepared when it happens.

Twittervator: The same, if not more, opportunities are also happening. The difference is that you’re not even aware that they are until the other party engages you – through a tweet, follow and/or DM. Create your social bio to be prepared when these moments do occur. Like it or not, it’s still a missed opportunity whether you know about it or not.

Addendum: And there it is. I hope your short trips on the elevator and twittervator were successful ones.

Hello, my name is Jason Spector. My handle is @JasonSpector. My picture is actually my face. My bio is really what I do. My website and tweets is what I can do for you.

Nice to meet you.