3 Keys For A Powerful About Us Page
This might be hard to hear, but…nobody cares about you.
Wait, what? Why then, when people visit your website, do they head straight for the About Us page? This might come as a surprise, but people visit About pages because they are intrinsically interested in themselves and they want to find out how you can help them, not the opposite. They want to know just enough about you to understand how your experience will help transform their lives, not just how your life was transformed. So tailoring your About Us page is essential to showing your tribe who you are, but more importantly, how you can help them.
If your head is spinning, I get it. This is a new approach, but I promise you it will make a difference in how people see you and what value you provide. It will also help you land new customers—and new advocates.
Now you’re going to ask: how do I rewrite my About Us page to be, well, not about me? There are the 3 keys to creating a powerful, and transformational About Us page to make your customers, guests, and fans the hero of your story.
Because I love you, I’ve also created a quick ‘n dirty, free, cheat sheet (aka worksheet) you can use with these keys to make sure you’re getting the most out of it. Want it? Pop your email in here and I’ll send it to your inbox pronto.
Key #1: Get inside the head of your ideal customer
Before you begin writing (or rewriting) your About Us page, you need to understand what drives your ideal customer, and what the true obstacles might be that are standing in their way of success. They want to feel like you can relate to whatever they’re going through; that you understand their dilemma, and have the ability and systems to help allay their fears and hold their hand on the path to achieve their goals. So, get inside of their heads and ask yourself these questions:
Why would they be looking for help?
What are the obstacles standing in their way?
What are they afraid of happening if they don’t find a solution?
What situations are they in at work or in their personal lives that would set the stage for them needing your help?
Once you have a solid understanding of who you’re speaking to, you can better architect the contextual language in your About Us page to speak to their challenges, and how you can help remove them.
Key #2: Use language for your customers, not your peers
Recently, I was listening to an interview on NPR where the journalist asked a medical expert to explain how they have been handling a shortage of protective equipment during COVID-19. The medical expert, although well intentioned, was speaking in such sophisticated medical terminology (probably because he thought it sounded smart) that the interviewer kept having to clarify what the expert was trying to explain so that the listeners would understand the story. The interview was jumbled and the message was messy because the expert was using language that only his medical professional peers would understand, NOT the NPR layperson audience. The interview fell flat, the message was lost, and everybody’s time was wasted.
Think about this in your About Us page. People don’t come to your website because they know everything you know. They come to you to learn, gain skills, and find out how you can help them with something they know little about. So, use terms and vocabulary that your ideal customer understands and uses in their everyday world, not what you would use with other peers in your industry.
Key #3: Give people a visual on their transformation
People want to believe that change is possible. They want to know that if they’re standing on this side of the river, but want to get to that side, there is a way for them to get across—what they’re looking for are stepping stones. If they can visualize those stepping stones and how that journey can be theirs without falling into the river, they will jump at the opportunity. The question is: how do you show up as their guide?
Answer: look back at your own story and choose 1-2 key turning points in your own career, personal, financial, or relationship history—whatever led you to this creating this business, this service, whatever you provide. Use your turning points to help articulate how your journey led you here, and why that gives you the strength, skills, and know-how to be your customer’s guide across the river. Articulate this is plain language and paint a picture of what your ideal customer’s transformation can look like.
Bonus Tip:
Keep your language positive and uplifting, and shy away from focusing too much on your customer’s fears or obstacles. They know what their challenges are, your job is to remove them.
Ok, that’s it! If you found this helpful, share the transformation of your About Us page in an email to us—we’d love to see your before and afters. Or share this post using the links on the left or below with anyone you know who could use a boost during these crazy times. Thanks for reading, and let us know how we can help make your business impactful!
