I use a 4-step process when writing professional biographies for clients or myself.

Do you have a professional biography ready to hand out as needed? An easy way to provide additional details about yourself, and fantastic information to include on your website, professional biographies can sometimes be hard to write about yourself for a couple of reasons:

• Sometimes it can be hard to identify your achievements.
• You want to make yourself sound impressive but not conceited.
• A lot of people aren’t sure what the right mixture of personal and professional is.

When I’m writing a professional biography for a client or myself, I use a 4-step process:

1. Make note of the information I want included. Here’s the list of details I start with:
   1. List your post-high school education and include areas of study, colleges or trade schools, dates of graduation or certifications. Include any special classes or on-going education, work-shops etc. that are directly pertinent to your field/line of work.
   2. Make note of your work history with your current company. Include the date you began working and any professional highlights of your career there.
   3. List any awards, recognition, or honors you received in the last 5 years.
   4. List any professional organizations or affiliations you have (networking groups, clubs, trade groups etc.)
   5. List any personal organizations or affiliations you have (volunteer work, community groups etc.)
   6. Write down hobbies you have, sports you play, special talents, places you like to travel to, etc.
   7. Make note of your family including spouse or significant other, children (include ages), and pets.
   8. Any other information about yourself you want to make sure to include.
2. Go through the list and turn the bullet points into sentences. Try to combine items that are related (such as an award you received from one of your professional organizations).
3. Combine the sentences into a few paragraphs that make sense. You don’t need to use everything, but try to include the most interesting and relevant information to what you’re doing now. It’s usually best to put the work-related highlights first and the personal tidbits at the very end.
4. Read through your professional biography a couple of times, and make sure you proofread.

You might also want to have a friend or family member that knows you well read through your professional biography to make sure you didn’t miss anything important or accidentally misrepresent yourself.

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Not sure what to name your business, product or website? Eat My Words' SMILE & SCRATCH Test can help!

I have a friend that’s beginning the process of starting a new business. On Facebook, he recently asked for advice in coming up with a name for his business that would have an effective URL associated with it. My first thought immediately went to Eat My Words’ SMILE & SCRATCH Test:

If you’re naming a company, product or service, here’s a fast and free way to find out if you have a great name. Featured in The Wall Street Journal, the Eat My Words SMILE & SCRATCH Test is based on our philosophy that a name should make you smile, instead of scratch your head. Go ahead, give it a whirl and be honest with yourself…

SMILE if your name has these 5 winning qualities:
Simple – one no-brainer concept
Meaningful – customers “get it”
Imagery – visually evocative
Legs – lends itself to wordplay
Emotional – makes a connection

SCRATCH it if it commits any of these 7 deadly sins:
Spelling-challenged – isn’t spelled exactly how it sounds
Copycat – similar to competitor’s names
Random – disconnected from the brand
Annoying – hidden meaning, forced
Tame – flat, descriptive, uninspired
Curse of Knowledge – only insiders get it
Hard-to-pronounce – not obvious, unapproachable

If you’re naming your company, brand or product, or picking out a domain name, Eat My Words has a lot of really useful advice like:

Do not name your business after yourself. Your own name is meaningless to your future customers and evokes absolutely nothing about your business. If you’re like most of us, your name is either hard to spell, hard to pronounce or hard for people to remember. The only time to use your name as your business name is when it lends itself to wordplay, such as a consultant named Steven Lord. His business is called “Lord Knows!” The Wynn Hotel in Vegas is also a great example of when it makes sense to use your own name.

Your brand name should be spelled exactly how it sounds. If you don’t, you will constantly have to tell people how to spell it, e.g. “That’s Takkle with two k’s.” Think of how often you have to spell your own first or last name for people. Why would you want a brand name with the same problem?

Make sure your product names work as a family. Roomba was the initial product from iRobot. They thought they were onto something when they named their next product, a wet vac, Scooba. Then they were stuck. They ran out of “ba” names. How do their next two robots Verro (pools) and Looj (gutters) fit in? They don’t. Apple had the foresight to name their operating systems related names – even years before they were launched. Tiger, Panther, Jaguar, Leopard, Snow Leopard – they all are part of a family, which makes them easy to identify and remember.

Make sure your domain name doesn’t spell something unfortunate. I’m sure Pen Island didn’t check this when they bought the domain penisland.com. Ferreth and Jobs also made this mistake: ferrethandjobs.com. Our all time favorite “Slurl,” is Mole Station Nursery, also known as molestationnursery.com.

See more tips at www.eatmywords.com.

Photo Credit: o5com

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These five articles are perfect for small business owners and entreprenuers.

What does your body language say to coworkers and colleagues? Does your online content stand out? Here are five articles I’ve recently stumbled across that can help you with your business.

1. 10 common body language traps for women in the workplace http://ow.ly/4TnFa – One small nonverbal signal can change the dynamics of an entire business interaction. Women are usually the champions in the warmth and empathy arena, but lose out with power and authority cues—mostly because they fall prey to these ten common body language traps.
2. 8 Ways To Make Your Online Content Stand Out http://ow.ly/4UHCS – This article includes 8 ways to consider when creating online content for your business.
3. Five, Five-Second Rules for Delivering Your Message http://ow.ly/4TnBG – 5 tips valuable for getting your company’s message out quickly. These suggestions are great for numerous types of marketing.
4. Integrate Your Brand for Marketing Success http://ow.ly/4Ry3x – This post includes tips for integrating your brand in marketing communications materials.
5. An important concept for small business owners? Delegation! http://ow.ly/4UHAr – Time management and productivity expert Brian Tracy recommends “if somebody can do [a task] 70% as well as you, [you should] delegate it, especially if it is not a major task…. As your business grows, you get someone to do the little things that are of low value so that you can do more of the things of high value.”

Photo Credit: Johan.V.

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Do you need to evaluate your website's message?

At Three Girls, we focus on helping the little guy: small- and medium-sized businesses that need PR the most, but often can afford it the least. While we do offer comprehensive Public Relations campaigns, we understand that not all companies are ready or have the resources to invest in an All-Inclusive campaign, which is why we offer a variety of Al la Carte PR Services to fit the needs of almost any budget.

How confident are you that your website is really working for your business? Most small business owners and entrepreneurs benefit greatly from a professional evaluation of their branding, marketing messages, site navigation and more. Our incredibly in-depth evaluation includes a multiple page written report covering your site’s content, overall voice, messaging and more, as well as an hour-long consultation with Three Girls’ CEO to discuss the results.

For more information about this Al La Carte PR option, or for other services available, give us a call at 408-871-0377 or send us an email.

Photo Credit: SergioDJT

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From website design and content to communication lessons and laws, here are 5 articles we don’t think you should miss.

From website design and content to communication lessons and laws, here are 5 articles we don’t think you should miss:

1. 7 Things That Annoy Website Visitors http://ow.ly/41xw7 – A lot of websites annoy visitors with slow loading times, cluttered layouts and more. These 7 things not to do on your site will help your site even more powerful.
2. 5 useful reminders about communication from a 5-year-old http://ow.ly/43JVT – With all the reading, painting, Disney Princess snap, Dora the Explorer computer games, and splashing through rivers in the forest, communicators can learn a lot from the younger (well, much younger) generation, and their way of viewing the world.
3. 10 Laws of Social Media Marketing http://ow.ly/42kWT – These are 10 helpful rules to understand the social media marketing fundamentals.
4. Ten tips for writing for the web http://ow.ly/3Mjbu – Consumers read websites differently than they read books. This post provides ten tips for writing for websites and blogs including keeping it short, using numbered lists and bullets, adding links and more.
5. Why You Aren’t As Successful As You Want To Be http://ow.ly/46QNL – Words of wisdom from Chris Brogan about why you aren’t as successful as you want to be, including the distractions, worries, etc.

Photo Credit: Frerieke

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Our own Erika Taylor Montgomery will cover Public Relations Basics: How to Get the Most out of a Modest Budget and share several free and low-cost PR/Marketing tools for savvy entrepreneurs. She’ll teach you:

• How to find out what stories dozens of journalists are working on each day and how to reach them
• How to get at least 10 bloggers to write about your company
• How to monitor your online news

Bill Belew, Founder of CosmoFairNetwork (the largest blog network in Asia), who will cover 4 Absolutes to Get Your Site Noticed on the Web. For a preview, read one of Bill’s articles here.

Here are the event details:

• March 24, 2011, 10:30am – 1:15pm
• Just $35 if you register before March 20. $45 at the door. Event fee includes lunch, soft drinks and dessert!
• Venue: Bliss office at Sedusa Studios at 1300 Dell Ave, Campbell, CA

RSVP, learn more about the event and/or connect with the SASSY Networking Group at http://www.chrystalbougon.com/Sassy_March_2011.html.

Fishing and PR have a lot in common

A few years ago I moved to Washington State after growing up in California. Although there are many Californians that love the great outdoors, I didn’t grow up spending excessive time in them. It’s quite a contrast living in an area where most people spend free time camping, fishing, hunting, etc.

As I was listening to a couple of friends talk about fishing the other day, I realized it’s a lot like PR. Here are a few things they have in common:

Set everything up before you start: It is common sense that you wouldn’t start casting before the fishing line is on the pole or the bait is on the hook. Similarly, make sure you have everything set up before you start reaching out to the press. Is your website is live? Anticipate items they might want – have high-res images and samples ready in case they’re requested.

The bait you use matters: While fishermen probably have favorite brands or types of bait, an advanced fisherman will tell you that fishing without the bait is a waste of time. When pitching to the press, make sure you have a hook. Without something that catches the journalists’ eye, pitching is a waste of time – like fishing without bait.

If you’re not catching anything, try a different angle or target: If the fish aren’t biting, you can try casting in a different location – whether it’s a few feet over or a different lake/river/stream entirely. If the media isn’t responding to your pitch, try approaching it from a different angle, or think about what other media targets might be interested in your story idea.

Timing is important: Experienced fisherman fish when the fish are more likely to bite. As I don’t consider myself a fishing expert, I don’t know exactly when this is, although I would guess early morning or dusk. Similarly, experienced PR professionals approach media professionals when they know they’re working on a particular story. Large magazines have about a 6-month lead time, whereas online targets have a much shorter lead time – sometimes even just a few weeks. If there’s a specific target you want your company in, think about which issue the story would be in, and when they’ll be working on it.

Listen to people that have done this before: I have no idea what to do when it comes to fishing, which is why I would ask someone that’s done this before and listen to what they say. In the PR realm, you can listen to people that have done this before by reading their blogs and/or contacting them to see if they offer consultations. Three Girls offers a variety of resources for businesses interested in DIY PR including consultations, pitch writing services and media research.

Anyone can do it, but it takes time: As with fishing, anyone can do PR. It just takes time to do it. Pitching your story or casting your line might only take a few seconds, but preparing to pitch/cast and repeating until you hook a fish or reporter can take much more time and focus.

What do you think? Can you think of additional ways fishing is like PR?

Photo Credit: New Brunswick Tourism | Tourisme Nouveau-Brunswick

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Here are 5 good marketing reads - writing for your website and more!

From writing for your website or blog and the difference between a press release and media pitch to website design tips and why you should NOT be on Twitter, here are 5 good marketing reads we recently found online:

1. 10 Tips for Writing for the Web http://ow.ly/3Mjbu – Most consumers don’t read website content – we scan it. This article includes 10 tips for writing for an audience of scanners.
2. Press Release vs. Media Pitch: Which One Do You Need? http://ow.ly/3KUQl – A Press Release is not a Media Pitch and vice versa. This blog post helps business owners know which would be best for their news.
3. 7 Things That Annoy Website Visitors http://ow.ly/41xw7 – A good list of things to make sure your website doesn’t do.
4. 10 Reasons NOT to be on Twitter http://ow.ly/3S7ev – Although Twitter is a great tool for most businesses, it’s not for everyone. This list helps potential users decide if Twitter is a good place for them.
5. Social Media Writing: How It’s Different and Why You Should Care http://ow.ly/3S75z – A handy list of suggestions for those writing online content, such as a blog or website copy.

Photo Credit: karpidis

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Blogs increase your website’s SEO and more.

As we often say, maintaining a blog for your business is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field, help visitors to your site get to “know you” a bit before potentially working with you, and increase your website’s SEO.

Blogs have come a long way in the past few years. With most major companies and news organizations hosting a blog on their site – not to mention experts and practitioners in a wide variety of fields – blogs are starting to lose the stereotype of a 13-year-old’s online journal. Writing a personal blog is extremely different than writing for a business blog, though. So how do you get started?

Here are 5 tips for writing a business blog post:

1. Pick a Topic. What do you want to write about? You can include a list of tips, provide your commentary on industry news, answer frequently asked questions about your company, share client case studies, etc. The sky is the limit when it comes to coming up with topics for blog posts.
2. Brainstorm Content. What do you want to include in your blog post? Although you want it to be promotional, remember that the purpose is to provide something of value. What helpful information can you share for your readers?
3. Write the Post. Once you have your topic and know what you’re going to write about, start typing out the actual post. It’s always a good idea to write as if it’s a note to a friend. In addition to keeping the tone pleasant and casual (as blogs tend to be less formal), this will help you avoid the industry jargon. How would you explain it if you were talking to a friend that doesn’t work in your field? Use the same language for your readers as well.
4. Edit. This is a step a LOT of bloggers miss, but it’s extremely important! Read over the post you’ve written and check for words spell check mis-corrected, sentences with extra words, and typos. Since your blog is a way of introducing yourself to potential customers, you want it to be as accurate as possible. Even if you aren’t a trained writer, your credibility is established through correct grammar and spelling. For editing tips, read this blog post.
5. Publish. Once your post is ready to go, upload it to your blog and publish away! I always recommend previewing the post before hitting “publish” as you can often catch last-minute typos and formatting errors. Feel free to include an image within the post, too, as it can make the article even more appealing to readers.

We want to hear from you! How do you approach writing a blog post for your business? Do you have any tips to share?

Photo Credit: Maria Reyes-McDavis

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Here are five helpful articles that will help you improve your business.

For those of you managing your own marketing and PR, here are five helpful articles that will help you improve your business:

1. Why you should never, ever use two spaces after a period http://ow.ly/3Jxi3 – Slate’s take on whether or not you should type two spaces after a period (the answer is no, you shouldn’t).
2. The Myth of the Perfect Writing Environment http://ow.ly/3JxfB – A post in which Chris Brogan discusses the excuse of needing the perfect writing environment.
3. 7 Reasons Your Posts Aren’t Getting Retweeted http://ow.ly/3IdMb – How can you make your tweets more retweetable? This article gives you 7 things to fix.
4. 11 Quick (and Good) Content Ideas for Your Ezine or Blog http://ow.ly/3FqcV – For those times that you run out of ideas for your blog, this article provides 11 ideas for content.
5. 10 Writing Mistakes Smart Bloggers Make http://ow.ly/3CTgo – Blogging is better if you write well, which is why this post gives you 10 mistakes to watch out for.

Photo Credit: chimothy27

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