What is your ‘About Us’ page really telling me about you?

Do you run events or workshops where you ask your audience to each give a quick introduction to who they are and why they’re sat there in the first place?

Hi everyone, my name is Kenneth. I’m the Senior Sales Manager for Awesome Software inc. I’ve been working there for 10 years now and I’m looking to improve my blah… and when I’m not working I love to play golf.” MORNING KENNETH!

If you answered yes to my first question. Then, please stop. Seriously. They’re painful. We learn nothing about each other.

Maybe if we had a little time to prepare our answer, we’d provide a little more insight?

Maybe… just maybe if we were given a blank page… just like, say an ‘About Us’ page on our website we could, maybe, come up with something a little inventive, a little personable, a little more engaging?

SO WHY AREN’T WE DOING JUST THAT?

Let’s play the ‘If I had a penny for every time I…’ game. I’ll start. If I had a penny for every Digital Marketing company that referred to itself as the ‘UK’s leading SEO provider’ I’d probably be able to afford a nice meal.

If I had a penny for every company that set out to ‘provide our customers with the best service’? I’d be tucking into my meal beachside, with my yacht moored closeby.

THINK BEFORE YOU WRITE

The ‘About Us’ page is the one page on your website where the mic is handed to you. Every other page of your site is about your visitor. It’s about the task they’re looking to solve. Through the About Us page, our singular objective is to persuade our site visitor that we’re a company that can be trusted. Trusted to perform our task – to solve a problem.

I want you to re-read your About Us page and ask yourself, ‘What Question Are We Answering?’ and ‘What Question Are We Looking To Answer’?

Do you provide the same response to both questions? If not, why not?

THE OBJECTIVE OF ‘ABOUT US’

Read that headline again – About Us. About you. What are you telling me ‘about you’ that will justify my time and money? Dive into Analytics and understand where your current ‘About Us’ pages are viewed along your customer’s journey. It’s not the second page is it? It’s further along the buying process. It’s, usually, at the stage where visitors are beginning to make their mind up. Are they going to buy? Are they going to contact you?

Why do I want to know ‘about you’? Because I’m interested. I want you to assure me. I want to believe that you’re a company I can trust.

WHEN DO YOU REALLY TRUST SOMEBODY?

You’re sat there, seat 23F, looking out of your window as the plane is boarding. An engineer is rolling sellotape around the wing, super glue is used to re-attach the engine. You’re anxious. Then, what happens?

‘This is Timothy Montgomery-Jones, your pilot speaking’. Suddenly, a hush descends. ‘I’d like to welcome you on board my flight today….’ His smooth calming voice allays any fears you may have had. You’re in good hands. You’ll be flying over Paris at 35,000 feet. This guy really knows his stuff.

Now, what if Timothy had introduced himself ‘Hi, I’m a pilot with this leading airline and have had over 50,000 hours flying. I’m dedicated to making sure I don’t crash the plane today’. Not good is it?

TELL YOUR VISITOR WHAT THEY’RE LOOKING TO HEAR

Your customers aren’t looking for a question and answer session with every member of staff. They don’t need to know that Stacy, the customer service executive’s favourite colour is red. They’re looking for reassurance. Yes, I want to know the name of your CEO and I want to put a face to that name. I want to hear why his company exists and how his mission is to help people like me.

As your site visitor, I want to hear that you’re aware of who I am, why I’m on your website and that I’m in safe hands.

Tell me, why should I trust your business?


Written By:
baf9974133182a27cc880cca71372aba?s=180&d=mm&r=g

Ian Rhodes

Twitter

First employee of an ecommerce startup back in 1998. I've been using building and growing ecommerce brands ever since (including my own). Get weekly growth lessons from my own work delivered to your inbox below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *