I felt proud about that title, even though it isn't very clever. A nice little riff on the classic "it's not me, it's you" line, but adding a flavor of what I'll be talking about here. You have to appreciate the little things in life.
We are talking about "About" pages. Or maybe it is called "Who We Are" or "Our Story." Whatever it's called, if a company has an online presence, they probably have one of these on their website. If you don't, then it is time to change that!
Nobody likes to buy from a brand they know nothing about, especially if your business is small. How do they know your product or service is trustworthy? At first, they don't. You solve this problem with an About page. But you can't just throw up a few sentences about who founded the company and why they love the work that they do. Just over half of consumers who visit a website will head to the About page to find out more about the business. You can't waste the opportunity that all of those sets of eyeballs give you.
So what do you communicate to your customer on this page? What will be effective in convincing them that you are trustworthy and can provide the solution they need? You have to say these words in your head to your customer:
"It's not about me, it's about you."
Yes, your "About Us" page, or whatever you call it, is not about you, it is about the customer. That's a pretty salesy sounding statement, giving off that "customer is always right" vibe. But it is key to a compelling About page.
It is all fine and dandy to wax poetic about the backstory of your company, but most of the time, the customer does not really care about that. They care about whether or not you have what they are looking for.
So....
Make your page about fulfilling the customer's need. With that framework in mind, now you can share the story of your company, always asking yourself "will telling them this help convince them that my company can solve their problem?"
Let's make up a company to test this out and see what sounds better.
"Axle's Automotive was founded in 2003 by Jason after working as an auto mechanic for 8 years. Conveniently located just off route 63 in Lansing, Axle's is a family-owned business with a combined 60 years of auto mechanic experience being brought to the table by the staff."
Okay, now let's compare that little blurb with the next.
"Jason and his staff at Axle's Automotive bring 60 combined years of auto mechanic experience, so they understand everything there is to know about how your car works. Unsure what is causing those dashboard lights to come on? Take the short drive to Axle's just off route 63 and we'll give your vehicle the care it needs."
Which one focused more on the consumer than the other? I hope you answered entry number 2. Much of the information is the same, but the way it is presented along with the benefit-to-consumer in the 2nd is far more effective. Your messaging is important, and therefore, it must convey what you can do for the customer.
Here's a quick exercise to test if your current About page is doing this. Put yourself in the shoes of a potential customer. Then ask "how many times does the company address me and address my needs on this page?" If the answer is very little to not at all, you may need to make a change.
Sometimes it is hard to put yourself in the mindset of the customer. We are obviously going to be slightly biased towards our business' messaging, especially if we are the ones that wrote it. If that is the case, reach out to me! Or maybe you don't yet have an About page on your website and would like some assistance. I can help with that too.
Send me a chat or head to the contact page if you are looking for help with your About page. Always remember to say to your customer, "it's not (about) me, it's (about) you." The best part is, instead of this line being used during a breakup, its being used to start a relationship with your customers!
Comments