Focus on the value you bring to your customers, not about yourself
By Cindy Schrauben
Great Gus Marketing
The About page is some of the most valuable real estate on your website but is frequently the most underutilized. Often About pages aren’t as effective as they could be because they are tricky to get right. But, if done correctly, the content on your About page will attract customers to your business and help establish you as an expert in your field.
About pages can be challenging to write because they aren’t what they seem. It may seem counterintuitive, but the best About pages aren’t about you or your business.
Often solopreneurs and small companies use their About pages as an online resume or provide a complete company history. This is not the place to tell the reader everything about your company or share all you’ve done throughout your career.
Huh? If my About page isn’t about me or my business, what is it about?
It should be about your reader.
Use this valuable real estate to tell your customer how you or your company are uniquely positioned to solve their problems. To identify this, draw on your background and determine why you and your business are unique. Then present your uniqueness on your About page and couple it with the value this individuality brings to your customers.
Even though your About page isn’t about you, this doesn’t mean you can’t show your personality or mix in interesting tidbits about yourself. You want your customers to learn more about you as a person or a company, but only in the context of how you can solve their problems. You should use your personal story or that of your company, combined with your unique selling position (USP), to create a connection with your audience. This connection, in turn, will help drive leads by establishing you as an expert in your industry.
Now, let’s look at the components of an effective About page:
Headline
While your headline comes first on the page, I suggest you write it last because it sums up your body copy below. Your headline should be concise and tell your reader what benefit you offer them.
Subhead (optional)
You don’t have to include a subhead, but subheads do allow you the opportunity to expand upon your headline and draw your reader further into the page.
Body Copy
In this section, illustrate that you understand the readers’ challenges and then show how you are uniquely positioned to provide a solution. Don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through. You can bring your USP to life in this section by sharing stories that illustrate how you’ve solved customers’ challenges. Use your customers’ own words, if possible, to enhance your credibility.
Image
Including a photo is another opportunity to instill your personality and help readers connect to you. If you’re a solopreneur, use a photo of you interacting in the business in some way. If you have a larger company, include a picture of some of the staff or leadership. If you want to include more information about each person, provide a link to the info on another page.
Call to Action
Be sure to tell your readers what you want them to do next with a call to action such as “Let’s Chat!” or “Order Now.” Whatever your call to action might say, just make sure your readers aren’t left guessing what to do next.
If you’d like help with writing an effective About page for your website, I’m ready to assist. Please contact me by email or call 269-215-1505.
Based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Great Gus Marketing specializes in copywriting, content writing, and marketing strategy.
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