By Megan Totka
Companies often struggle with the About Us page, and that can mean tangible opportunity lost. It’s one of the most frequently visited pages on your site, and if you’re wasting that kind of prime real estate on an extended bio of your founder or an awkward recitation about that time you moved to a new location, it is time to rethink what you want your visitors to know.
Stop boring visitors and start using your about us page to drive home the sale. Here are five ways to ramp up your homepage – and your conversion rates.
Rethink the point
Who is your company really about? The customer, right? Change your “About Us” focus from “who we are” to “what we can do for you.” Use the first few sentences to demonstrate that you know what the customer needs or wants to accomplish. Be delicate. You want to be persuasive and charming – not pushy.
Showcase your unique selling proposition
Your unique selling proposition is the one thing that makes you stand out from the competition, whatever it is. ThinkGeek.com’s About Us page is a great example.
“ThinkGeek is obsessed with creating and sharing unique and authentic product experiences that stimulate our fans’ imaginations and fuel their geek core.”
Succinct, non-salesy, and packed with impact. It’s all about how they enable fans to embrace their inner geek. In other words, JOIN IN. GEEK OUT.
Add multimedia
An About Us page with video puts a human face on your business, making you seem more trustworthy, approachable, and genuine. Your video doesn’t have to be slick or fancy, just personable and informative. The key is to tell your story in a warm and welcoming way.
Highlight your customers
Social proof – what your customers say about your business – is more powerful than anything you could say about yourself. Include a few recent customer testimonials that say something important about the great service you provide. To really persuade, be sure to include the client’s full name and company, and (with permission) a photo. Testimonials that include a photo are far more credible. And you’ll get extra credibility points if you can get video endorsements from happy customers.
Write for the customer
Too many businesses want to impress customers with their knowledge, so they load pages with industry jargon, acronyms, and big, impressive terms.
Which bore people to death and tell them nothing. You are not giving a speech to an Ivy-league college or trying to impress your competitors with your vast knowledge of trendy insider buzzwords. You are talking to customers who know little about your business and may not speak the secret language. The language on your About Us page should be straightforward, conversational, and unambiguous.
The most-visited pages on your site should be treated accordingly. Potential customers visit that page when they are making a buying decision. They want to know if your company is reliable, trustworthy, reputable, and accessible. They want to know who you are, who you do business with, and where you’re located.
An effective About Us page convinces buyers that you have nothing to hide. It tells your story and shows your strengths. Well crafted, and it’s one of the most powerful selling tools on your website…without a single word of sales copy.
Megan Totka is the Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and facilitates connectivity between local businesses and more than 7,000 Chambers of Commerce worldwide. She specializes on the topic of small business tips and resources and business news. Megan has several years of experience on the topics of small business marketing, copywriting, SEO, online conversions and social media. Megan spends much of her time establishing new relationships for ChamberofCommerce.com, publishing weekly newsletters educating small business on the importance of web presence, and contributing to a number of publications on the web. Megan can be reached at megan@chamberofcommerce.com. Website: www.chamberofcommerce.com
