How to write an About Page that connects with your ideal customer.
Photo by Adam Solomon on Unsplash
The About Page. It’s just a page about you, right?
Wrong!
Yes, this is the page that’s literally going to tell readers more about you. Yes, you are going to feature heavily in that content. But there’s a big difference between reeling off a CV-style bio (which will do your bounce rate no favours) and actually engaging your reader in a narrative that makes them feel they’ve got to KNOW, LIKE and TRUST you and what you offer.
You see, as with all marketing copy, your customer should be at the very front of your mind when you’re writing the content for your About Page. So, while of course you want to tell people more about you and your business, your aim is to do it in a way that explains what exactly it is that makes you/your business THE ONE to help them overcome a challenge or solve a problem.
Before I dive into some tips to help you strike that tricky balance, let’s just take a moment to hone in on the reason your About Page matters so much.
why is your about page so important?
Your About Page is typically one of the most-visited pages on your website. It’s often second only to the home page when it comes to hits.
Why?
Because today’s consumer wants to know more about the business they’re considering spending their money with. They want to know who’s behind the brand, what exactly they do and where, why and how they do it.
In a nutshell, a potential customer visits your About Page because they need a bit more convincing before they place that order. It’s your opportunity to humanise your brand and make a connection that will inspire them to spend their hard-earned money with you, rather than with a competitor.
Here are my top tips on writing persuasive About Page copy:
Use your headline wisely
Your About Page is not simply a box-ticking exercise, it’s one of the most valuable opportunities you have to compel potential customers to choose you. And as such it deserves a considered headline that opens a loop with the reader and makes them want to read on. Simply writing ‘About Me’ or ‘About Us’ at the top of the page isn’t going to cut it!
I think one of the most powerful headline formats for an About Page is a warm and friendly greeting followed by a subheader that summarises what you can do for the reader. Communicating the benefits of what you do above the fold (i.e. in the area of your web page a viewer sees before they scroll down) is so important.
The headline and subheading on my own About Page, for example, go like this:
Hello, I’m Kelly.
I’m a marketing-savvy copywriter with a passion for helping e-commerce businesses find their voice, tell their stories and sell their products.
My aim with this is to introduce myself in an informal, natural way and deliver a one-sentence summary of what I do, who I work with and how I help them. Hopefully, at this point my ideal client’s ears will have pricked up and they’ll be wanting to read more about me, to find out whether I’d be a good fit for them.
2. Tell your story
Don’t be tempted to dilute your story down into a list of academic achievements and business milestones. They might well be important accolades to include, but weaving them into your story is a much more engaging way of doing it. Many business owners make the mistake of assuming no one is interested, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Photo by S O C I A L . C U T on Unsplash
Think about it: when you’re shopping around for a product or service, don’t you naturally lean towards brands that feel human and authentic?
The benefits of using storytelling in marketing are well documented, but definitely bear repeating. Stories inspire emotional connection, they make us more memorable and they give us a framework for presenting information clearly and with a hearty dose of personality.
If someone has clicked on your About Page, it’s because they want to know more about you. So tell them!
What did your journey to setting up your business look like? What was your light-bulb moment? What challenges did you overcome along the way?
Every tale needs a powerful ending, and the best possible conclusion to your story is to explain how it has shaped your mission for your business.
And of course, whenever you describe your mission be sure to state exactly WHO your business helps and HOW. Because those little nuggets will get your reader thinking “Yes, that’s me! And that’s exactly what I need!”. And, having read your story and got to know, like and trust you, there’s every chance they’ll be convinced that you’re the person or organisation to deliver it.
But even if they’re not quite ready to commit, you’ll have made it far more likely that they’ll remember and revisit you the next time they think about finding a solution to that pesky problem.
3. Be yourself
Your About Page should set the standard for being your authentic self in your content. Write it in the first person, use your natural voice and a conversational style that genuinely sounds like you. (Top tip: read it out loud before you publish it. If anything jars or sounds like something you wouldn’t say in real life, scrap it and think again.)
When you put your personality into your copy, your reader instantly feels more engaged and starts to build trust in your brand. That trust will grow every time they see or hear that same ‘you’ via your social media channels and other touchpoints.
Don’t forget to include an image of yourself (or your team) on your About Page. People love to put faces to names!
4. remember the CTA!
So you’ve crafted a killer About Page with a perfect headline, clearly explained benefits, an engaging tone and a compelling story. Yay!
Now don’t just leave the reader hanging!
This is a person who has been interested enough in your business to navigate to your About Page and read to the end: they’re now a bona fide potential customer. So what do you want them to do? Sign up to your newsletter? Check out your hottest product? Follow you on socials?
Consumers like to be given clear direction about the next step, so be sure to round off your About Page with an unapologetic call to action (only one, mind). And don’t forget to reaffirm what’s in it for them to give them a solid nudge in that direction!
What if my business isn’t personality led?
If your company is an organisation, as opposed to a business with the owner as ‘the face’ of the brand, these same principles still apply to your About Page.
The most successful company bios are those that humanise the organisation, tell the story of how the business was formed and ditch the corporate lingo in favour of a down-to-earth tone. And of course, it’s just as important to explain your mission and the benefits you offer your customers.
The About Page I created for SuperChoir is a great example of how you can tick all these boxes when writing an About Page for an organisation.