Chances are that once a customer lands on your website, he or she will want to know more about you and your business. And this is where the ‘About Us’ page comes into play.
As an entrepreneur who is relatively unknown or trying to grow your business, the ‘About Us’ page is probably the most important page on your website. This is where you give introductory content in an engaging and pithy manner for your customer to get to know you better. This is where you can make a quick and good impression on your client. A good ‘About Us’ page helps in making conversions.
So, what should your ‘About Us’ page have?
It should tell a visitor:
- Who you are
- What your business is all about
- When you started
- What you do
- What makes you different from your competitors or what makes you unique
- A mission statement and a vision.
- Have contact details and links to your products or online store.
By providing the above information, your client will get to know you better and can decide whether your business is reliable and caters to his or her needs.
Here are some tips to craft a good, engaging ‘About Us’ page:
Clearly state what you offer: Yes, it may sound like a no-brainer, but there are so many websites out there that don’t clearly lay out what they are offering. Or put it across in such a rambling confused manner that the customer really doesn’t know. If your prospect doesn’t have any clue about what you offer, they are not going to stick around to figure it out.
Keep it short: Your content should be concise and to the point. Rambling content that is all over the place will only bore a prospective client who has limited time and wants to get info as fast as possible. Remember, the prospect may be scouting other similar websites for info, so you need to grab eyeballs at the earliest.
Don’t hype your product or service: The temptation is always there to describe your product or service in lofty terms. Bragging and saying you are the best may not be the best approach. You can certainly list out the benefits of what you offer and why you believe it is good, but it can be done in an understated, straightforward way.
Inspire trust: Since you are not communicating with a prospective client face to face, your ‘About Us’ page is communicating for you. If you have big clients, or if you’ve been in the business for many years or have won awards, this is where you need to lay out this information. Talk about your milestones and the services you offer.
Include photos: Because the ‘About Us’ page is about inspiring trust and enticing prospects, photographs of you and your team and of your product/s will certainly help. Research has revealed that pictures of people increases trust. As entrepreneurs who may be relatively unknown, a photo of you helps customers know who they are dealing with.
Be clear about your target group: The language and tone you use is dependent on who you are targeting your product or service to. If your target audience is teenagers, your design, language, visuals and graphics will be different to what it would be if you are targeting organizations or the government.
Make it interesting: This ties up a lot of the points mentioned earlier. If your content is well-written, is short and gives pertinent information, it is likely to interest a prospective customer. Keep the language friendly, not formal and stilted. Let your passion for your product or service shine through. Add a story – about you, your business, how it started, what inspired you…
Hire a professional content writer: If you are not fluent in the language your website is using, hire a pro to write the content. There is nothing more off-putting than poorly written content riddled with errors. When the content is bad or peppered with mistakes, your prospect is unlikely to believe in your professionalism. Worse still, the prospect may not stick around to read the content.
Give a call to action: Prospective customers may want to contact you. Have details of contact information. Also have a link to your product page or online store.
Remember, as an entrepreneur, you can’t separate who you are from your business online. Make sure your ‘About Us’ page represents you as well as your business. Since you are the face of the business, your persona needs to inspire prospective clients. If they trust you and like what you offer, they are likely to engage with you. The more you interact with your customers online on a personal level, the more likely they are to warm up to you and your business.
