When was the last time you read an About Us page that didn’t say the same thing as the competition and used industry jargon that your brain just glosses over in a vacant haze? Yeah, they’re great, aren’t they? I love them.
No. I don’t love those pages at all. Writing them for clients can be painful, especially if they want to stick to industry standards and tell people the same story they have heard before. I’m not sure why folks stick to the status quo, maybe it’s what they are used to seeing and are comfortable being overly “professional” just like everyone else.
Here’s my thinking: You are unique in your business so why would you want to sound and look like everyone else, particularly the competition?! It’s baffling. I think it’s important to stand out and be remembered, so here are 5 ways to create an About Us page that gets your business noticed:
1. Tell a story
Everyone loves a good story that grabs your attention. Stories are what you remember after the event and connect with. Everyone’s story is different and if you think yours isn’t that interesting, you’re probably not remembering all the good AND bad times that have brought you to where you are now. Top tip: make a list of your life/work events and at least one thing in there will pop out.
Perhaps you have a great story about how your product or service has changed the lives of your customer, friend or family member, or how it has empowered them to be better? Tell it.
Good stories humanise your business and your brand, so it’s worth investing the time to find out yours and including it on your About Us page.
2. Make it human
Using your own voice will make you stand out from the crowd and helps visitors relate to what you’re offering. Use descriptive words and emotive copy to draw people in. I love reading copy where I can hear the person speaking – it feels like they are talking to me directly.
I’m giving away some trade secrets here, but write as if you were talking to an individual. It’s more personal for the reader. “No-brainer”, some may say, but it’s surprising how often businesses talk to the masses. Way to go to make a potential customer feel special!
Sounding overly professional can make you sound stiff, safe and ordinary – just like everybody else. Yawn. I would encourage adding people, bios and photos on the About Us page to bring out the personalities that represent the business.
3. Leave jargon at the door
Please, please, please stop using techno-babble or corporate speak that everyone else in your industry uses. I’m sorry, but it’s boring. As with the points above, you will sound like everyone else and eventually, readers will lose the will to live.
Okay, they may not, but if you lose the lingo and stick to simple, but plain English, they will understand what your business does more clearly. Trust me, they will appreciate it.
If you use short sentences to communicate in a non-patronising way that anyone can understand, you’ll have a happier reader.
4. Be original and interesting
Sure, you should include interesting paragraphs about the people and the business, but don’t be afraid to try something different to engage visitors.
Companies that have been around for a while can experiment with visual timelines with milestones of their story so far. Call me a List Geek(?), but I love seeing pages with graphics, headings and bullet points. It makes your page tidy and the content easier to digest.
Use video or music to tell your engaging story on your About Us page. Combining audio and visual can convey stories that will be remembered.
5. Let your customers and employees do the talking
I always bang on about getting customer testimonials on websites, but having them on your About Us page will get them noticed and read. Most people advertise them on the homepage and even on a separate page, but glowing reviews of your product or service on the About Us page will make you stand out. Particularly if you can include photos, full names and titles, and video too, if your customers are happy to supply one.
If you are in a larger company, ask employees to talk about their working day, the culture and what they do in the business. Encourage them to talk about their hobbies and lives outside too, so readers can connect with their human side. A business that treats its own people with respect is a great indicator of well they will take care of customers.
If you have an interesting About Us page that’s not run-of-the-mill, I’d love to see it. Please link to it below.
