If your website’s About Us page just talks about you and your business, then you’re doing it wrong, and it’s time to make some updates.
Most About Pages typically include things like the company history, mission statement, staff or leadership, certifications or qualifications, etc.
But this isn’t actually what the client is looking for.
Your About Page is an opportunity to help them understand how your company is going to solve their problems or help them reach their goals.
It might be hard to understand, but no worries — we’re going to show you what we mean.
Business owners often make their About Page about them. That seems logical, right? After all, you want to tell your potential clients what you’re all about.
The issue is that you’re not addressing the reason the client is there in the first place.
The biggest question the visitor has is, “do I like you?”
They are on your About Page trying to figure out if they like your people, your company, and your values. They are trying to figure out if they would enjoy working with you — if you are a good fit for each other.
Let’s look at some ways you can show them.
Examples of results that other clients got are an excellent way for someone to know if you’d be a good fit for them.
They can see case studies and testimonials from other clients that they can relate to. Your ideal customer should experience moments of “wow — that’s just what I’m going through” and “oh, that’d be awesome if that happened for me too.”
As you include your testimonials and case studies, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Include a quick call-out of the key point, and then include maybe one or two sentences at most from the full testimonial.
In your case study, pull out the key highlights around what someone was experiencing before you and then what the result was that you were able to achieve.
If you have life-changing experiences like growing the revenue to the point where they were able to double their staff or take a vacation or something meaningful, those are great to include.
In the past, businesses relied on the rapport of a face-to-face conversation. With the rise of technology, that is no longer the case. This makes the focus of your About Page that much more important. It’ll likely be one of your most visited pages.
So, your About Page needs to create trust and loyalty. If your clients can’t trust you, then they won’t want to do business with you.
Trust signals can include:
Your physical address so they know you’re a real business.
Your phone number so they know they call if they need to.
Associations or other notable organizations that you belong to.
Any awards or accolades that you’ve received.
Certifications or qualifications that you hold.
The important thing with the trust signals is to be brief. You don’t want to make this a “you-fest” — you want to give them the moment of “I can really trust these guys.”
Business owners often write their About Page in the third person. It sounds professional, but it makes it sound like an objective third party wrote it. This strategy makes it impersonal. You don’t want to sound insincere and stiff.
Your future clients want to know the person behind the scenes, and that person is you and your staff.
Don’t be afraid to include fun candid photos from staff Zoom calls or in-person gatherings. Let your personality and what your company stands for really shine through.
You can also include a “from the founder” video that speaks directly to the visitor and shares your hopes and wishes for them, and clearly communicates who your ideal customers are.
It’s easy to say what you need to do, but now let’s look at some About Pages that are getting it right so you can see these ideas in action.
https://www.hubspot.com/our-story << of course, the creators of the Inbound Marketing Movement will do their page right. Their mission, story, and even the photos check all the right boxes for a good About Page.
For example, let’s take a look at their mission statement:
“There's this notion that to grow a business, you have to be ruthless. But we know there's a better way to grow. One where what's good for the bottom line is also good for customers. We believe businesses can grow with a conscience, and succeed with a soul — and that they can do it with inbound. That's why we've created an ecosystem uniting software, education, and community to help businesses grow better every day.”
It’s clear that they are focused on helping companies grow.
https://toyfight.co/who << they did a fantastic job at bringing personality into their About Us Page. Their visuals are engaging and playful, and they even poke fun at themselves with phrases like “We're designers, directors, strategists, and awkward dancers.”
They go on to introduce their founders as “Napoleon Complex” and “Beardless Wonder” while also subtly dropping their extensive experience, qualifications, and big-name clients.
For example, Jonny Lander:
“A hands-on creative with more than 16 years of design experience.
Jonny has been responsible for bringing concepts to life for clients such as Nintendo, Estée Lauder, Oxfam, Scribner, Sony, and many others. His work has been recognized by One Show, ADC, Webby Awards, and Cannes Lions. When Jonny isn't busy educating people on the difference between fonts and typefaces, he can be found taking part in competitive tickling competitions across the UK.”
https://cupcakesandcashmere.com/page/about << their page is pretty busy, but they do a really good job with the way they introduce their staff. They use pets, hobbies, and other passion points to build a connection.
For example, with her husband, she says:
“When he isn’t handling the business side of the brand, he’s either in the kitchen or biking up a mountain.”
And with her Social Media Coordinator, she says:
“If you enjoy travel, photography, vintage-inspired fashion, and old music, you’ll get along just great.”
https://mailchimp.com/about/ << they do an amazing job of taking their company history and mission and spinning it in a way that helps the reader connect and see themselves in the story.
For example, this is their mission: “We empower millions of customers around the world to start and grow their businesses with our smart marketing technology, award-winning support, and inspiring content.”
Their history really speaks to their passion for small businesses and if you’ve had similar frustrations with oversized, and expensive email software, you can relate.
“About 20 years ago, Ben Chestnut and Dan Kurzius started a web design agency called the Rocket Science Group. Their focus was on big, corporate clients, but on the side, they created a delightful email marketing service for small businesses. Mailchimp was designed as an alternative to the oversized, expensive email software of the early 2000s. It gave small business owners who lacked the high-end tools and resources of their larger competitors access to technology that empowered them and helped them grow.”
Your potential clients won’t stick around on your website if they can’t find a clear answer that you can help them. Your About Page should immediately and clearly let your client know you can guide them to the life they want.
This information can mean the difference between a potential client moving onto the next business or gaining a new client.
At Selworthy, we want to help you succeed. We know that you care about your clients, and you want to be able to communicate to them how you can best help them.
Contact us to schedule a call to talk about your overall messaging strategy and see how we can help you get your website going in the right direction.