5 Tips for Crafting the Perfect About Us Page for Your Business

Great copy has been on our minds because we just spiffed up the Connectivity website. Before we launched the new website, we put in a good bit of time mulling over the wide-open opportunities for our new About Us page.

Our current About Us page is pretty popular; no doubt yours is as well. Customers and the curious are interested in how other humans tick. We want to know the answers to these questions: Who is behind this business? Where are they located? Have they been doing this very long? Are they good at what they do?

Usually, the About Us page is the best place to answer those burning questions. So, take advantage of the wide swath of Internet real estate on your About Us page and offer something excellent. Here are five tips to get started.

1. Make It about the Customer First
We encourage the first paragraph on your About Us page not to begin with, “Late in the summer of 2005…”. Instead, rewind and talk (in simple, conversational English!) about the problems your company founders noticed. And why those problems bothered them. And what they did about it.

Beepi offers a story that encourages the consumer to think, “You know, you’re right. Car buying is pretty unpleasant.”

Beeps-About-Us-Blog-Image

Once you’ve identified with the customer and their pain points, it’s okay to tell us more about the who’s, what’s and where’s of your business story. But drive everything back to the customer. They want to know that your product or service was built to help them.

2. Tell Your Story with Various Forms of Media
Show us pictures of your office, leadership and maybe even someone engaged with your product or in a store. Include videos (or even Vine-esque media like MailChimp http://mailchimp.com/about/) to show us another way your company is creative, high-energy or quirky. Give us an office tour. Show us your philanthropic moves.

3. Avoid the Jargon Trainwreck
We’re writers and we beg you: please leave off the SAAS’s and the SQRLL’s. Your product line may have its own very special community of acronyms, but please remember not everyone will feel at home. If you must refer to specialized language, simply provide a definition (and extra credit if you can do it with style).

Similarly, sidestep the ego on the About Us page. It’s cool to mention awards or other special recognitions, but do so without gloating. Like our creative writing teachers taught us, Show, Don’t Tell. We’ll like you all the better for it.

4. Add Testimonials
We all love to have our choices validated by others, whether we’re talking about paint colors, minivan purchases or brand-new relationships. That’s why putting testimonials on your About Us page is such a no-brainer. Testimonials give your business credibility and cache. The Honest Company strings together a collection of parents and babies who are happier and healthier because of their products.

HonestlySpeaking-HD from The Honest Company on Vimeo.

5. Let Us Find You

Don’t be coy! The About Us page should prominently feature a way for customers to get in touch. Add a physical address for further credibility. If your communication channels are somewhat complicated, give brief descriptions for each contact method (“For media inquiries”; “Customer service,” etc.)

Take advantage of this opportunity to include an email sign up or special 10 percent off for new customers. Also, you may wish to link to three popular blog posts that really give visitors a sense of what your company is all about.

We’ll keep you up to date on our new site. Meanwhile, tell us more about your About Us page, in the comments below.

Olga is a Senior Manager of Marketing and Sales Operations at Connectivity.