When it comes to someone deciding if they’re going to follow your account, one of the most important aspects of your Instagram page is your bio… and it’s often a section that’s overlooked.

Those 150 characters help to convince someone to give you a follow especially when you don’t have the social proof of a large following.

So when it comes to best optimizing your bio, here are 6 mistakes I see folks making on the regular:

Making it all about you

Yes it’s YOUR bio but you need to keep in mind that when someone stumbles onto your account and has no idea what you’re all about, your bio needs to tell them what’s in it for them if they follow you. While it’s great that you love your boys, coffee, and Jesus we need to think of a way to add that personal touch in a way that makes it clear how you serve others online.

Not including your location

We don’t need your home address but, if you sell a product, we do need it to be clear where you’re located with a quick glance. So often when auditing farmers social media accounts a region or location is missing and if I can’t quickly figure out if you’re based in an area that would allow me to even shop with you, you’ve likely lost the sale.

Don’t make potential customers dig into your website to find out if they can support your business and purchase your products.

Using your logo as your profile photo

We want to know who the face is behind the brand so in most cases it’s best to use a photo of you that is clear and taken from close us versus simply using your logo.

The only time I would say that isn’t the best advice is for larger corporations — But if you aren’t John Deere then show us your face.

Making your name and username different

When it comes to your username (the text following the @ — @centralparkfarms) that is best off being your business name BUT the bold text in your bio (your name) is best suited to be your personal name and something that is search friendly since that bold text is the only area of your bio that is searchable unless you’re using hashtags.

An example of that would be @centralparkfarms and Kendall: Farmer

Not taking advantage of adding a link

Even if you don’t have a website it’s important to include a link in your bio. Ideally if you don’t have a website you’ve at least created a landing page for folks to sign up for your email newsletter — You can make one for free using Mailchimp.

The link could also be for your Facebook page or at the very least the farmers market you attend.

When it comes to someone deciding if they’re going to follow your account, one of the most important aspects of your Instagram page is your bio… and it’s often a section that’s overlooked.

Those 150 characters help to convince someone to give you a follow especially when you don’t have the social proof of a large following.

So when it comes to best optimizing your bio, here are 6 mistakes I see folks making on the regular:

Making it all about you

Yes it’s YOUR bio but you need to keep in mind that when someone stumbles onto your account and has no idea what you’re all about, your bio needs to tell them what’s in it for them if they follow you. While it’s great that you love your boys, coffee, and Jesus we need to think of a way to add that personal touch in a way that makes it clear how you serve others online.

Not including your location

We don’t need your home address but, if you sell a product, we do need it to be clear where you’re located with a quick glance. So often when auditing farmers social media accounts a region or location is missing and if I can’t quickly figure out if you’re based in an area that would allow me to even shop with you, you’ve likely lost the sale.

Don’t make potential customers dig into your website to find out if they can support your business and purchase your products.

Using your logo as your profile photo

We want to know who the face is behind the brand so in most cases it’s best to use a photo of you that is clear and taken from close us versus simply using your logo.

The only time I would say that isn’t the best advice is for larger corporations — But if you aren’t John Deere then show us your face.

Making your name and username different

When it comes to your username (the text following the @ — @centralparkfarms) that is best off being your business name BUT the bold text in your bio (your name) is best suited to be your personal name and something that is search friendly since that bold text is the only area of your bio that is searchable unless you’re using hashtags.

An example of that would be @centralparkfarms and Kendall: Farmer

Not taking advantage of adding a link

Even if you don’t have a website it’s important to include a link in your bio. Ideally if you don’t have a website you’ve at least created a landing page for folks to sign up for your email newsletter — You can make one for free using Mailchimp.

The link could also be for your Facebook page or at the very least the farmers market you attend.