Don’t be fooled… your About page is critical to your business. Skimp on it or skip it altogether and you’ll be handing your customers right over to your competitors!
If you look at a 100 different About pages, you’ll find 100 different designs and writing styles. Some companies use the About page to tell the very formal story of when and how the company got started, what has happened each year since, and throw around some big client names. Here’s a couple of descriptive words for that: Boring and ineffective!!
Other companies, especially start-ups who aren’t sure they make the grade yet, turn their entire life story into a sad-sack saga that reads like they’re desperate, begging for business, and can come off as a bunch of smoke and mirrors to hide their inexperience.
You also see some confused businesses use the About page of their website like it’s the “About Us”, or biography-style page – flat and unflattering design, cookie-cutter headshots, and bios that read like a bunch of blah, blah, blah. (Note: biography pages have many names: “About Us”, “Our Team”, “Who We Are” – we’ll cover this important page in the near future!)
So just what do you need to know for a well-crafted About page that will actually bring you business?
It’s not just “About” you!
First and foremost, you need to know what your readers want and need to know. The About page should still focus on connecting with your prospect and it’s not a place for you to be the ONLY star of the show!
Your About page craves attention
Your About page wants frequent attention from you – it’s not meant to be written once and then to last forever. This page should be updated often, new information added, and big wins noted.
Talk TO your reader… not AT them
Use a conversational writing style. This is your chance to talk to your prospects as if you were sitting in a comfy coffee shop with them. Tell them a bit about who you are, what you do, who you do it for, and how it will help them. Yes, some of this information may be scattered throughout other pages, but this is where you get to round it all up in one place.
By starting the About page with some familiar copy, it will continue to TELL and to SELL. It carries your message forward and becomes captivating because it’s humanizing your product or service. Describe to your readers WHAT great stuff you can do and how it’s going to help them.
Get Creative
Tell Your Unique Story: The About page is probably NOT the first page of your website that visitors will look at, but it is one of the most frequently visited pages once you’ve compelled them to spend some time on your site. When you use links to the About page from other pages on your site (and you should!), the page should continue to tell the story that you’ve already been building. (Don’t know what your unique story is? We can help!)
Don’t make your readers yawn
It’s a major thought disruptor for readers to go from pages that are beautifully descriptive and designed to an About page that is stale, sounds like a corporate annual report, and says nothing real about you and says nothing at all about them! This page is where you get to shine and set yourself apart from your competitors so don’t ever underestimate the power of your About page.
Hello, my name is ________
Tell them who you are… your actual name. You may not have mentioned it anywhere else on your site but it needs to be here. You wouldn’t introduce yourself and shake hands at a live networking event and not give your name, would you?
Don’t just tell ‘em, show ‘em
Do include photos. Let your prospects see you as human and allow them to match up the face and the name. This is not the time for corporate headshots and selfies are an absolute no-no! Be super cautious about using stock photos – your competitors may have used the same ones! Do invest in professional photography, it’s worth it!
Get Real
Use a little humor if it fits and will be clearly understood (i.e., no private jokes). Never ever talk politics, religion, use sexual innuendo, or include other controversial topics unless that’s your line of business or you’re okay with losing business because of it (some people are okay with it and hey, if it works for them, no problem).
Lead them on
Include links to your social media and blogs. Make your contact details clear. Lead them where you want them to go next and make it very easy for them to get there.
They’re just not THAT into you
Remember, as important as the About page is, it’s only kind of about you. It still needs to be directed to your prospect. Yes, they want to get to know you, but what they really want is to get to know if you’re the right one to solve their problem by delivering on what you’re promising.
Let’s connect and chat more about About pages. This is the stuff we dream about at night!
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