The About Us page is one of the most important pages on an SME’s website, but it is also one of the most misunderstood. On far too many websites, this page is just an excuse to waffle on for 500 words about what the company does, and how great they are at it.
The trouble is that a lot of the time, the About Us page contains information that people aren’t remotely interested in. It’s a huge wasted opportunity, because done properly, your about us page can be tremendously helpful in adding credibility and converting site visitors into paying customers.
Here are a few suggestions to make your About Us page stand out from the crowd.
1. Keep it Brief
Noone wants to read a long rambling history of the company. Keep your About Us page brief, concise and relevant. Bullet points are very easy on the eye, so one idea might be to condense your About Us page into a ‘Why Use Us’ piece with 5-10 bullet points of reasons to choose your company.
2. Think About what Makes you Special
Everyone’s website says they offer high quality products and outstanding service, so these kinds of platitudes tend to just wash over people. Just like in the film Spartacus, when everyone yells “I’m Spartacus” and the Romans have no idea who the real one is, when every business claims to be outstanding in their field without offering any explanation or proof, it makes it very hard for customers to separate one competitor from another.
To avoid this trap, try to pin down what it is that makes your business really different in your About Us page – is it the people? Your approach? Do you have a great origin story like Innocent Smoothies you can talk about? Whatever it is, amplify the uniqueness of your company and try to avoid anything too generic or clichéd.
3. Use Humour
About Us pages can often be a bit stuffy and corporate, so one way to separate your site from the pack and connect with your audience a bit more is by using humour. I recently wrote the copy for telesales client Gungho Marketing, and deliberately used a light-hearted and fun tone to add a bit of character to the information about the company.
4. Try a Different Format
Another one of our clients, executive recruiters Oakstone International, made their About Us section a bit different by presenting it as an interview with the MD, in order to put a human face on the company.
If you really want to stand out from the crowd, you could incorporate video into your About Us page, showcasing your premises and staff, and explaining exactly what it is you do.
5. Add a Contact Box
Do you have a clear call to action or a contact box on your About Us page? If not, you probably should, because you are probably wasting a really good lead generation opportunity. After all, it makes sense that visitors would want to get in touch with you after they’ve just been reading about you!
Adding a contact box may also help focus your mind on re-writing your About Us page for your audience. If the goal is to get enquiries, how can you most effectively reach out to your site visitors with your copy? What do they need to see before they are willing to get in touch?
Try one or two of the suggestions above, or maybe use some ideas of your own, and see if you can come up with a killer About Us page that generates great leads for your company. And if you need any more help, why not give us a call!
