We’ve seen many a business owner paralyzed by the challenge of crafting a perfect “About Us” page. How do you write about yourself and not sound awkward? How do you sell yourself without boasting?

Still, that’s no excuse to ignore it. Your “About Us” page is likely one of your most frequently visited pages, and, as such, it deserves more attention. Read on for a few of our top tips for bringing your company story to life:

Tip 01: Your “About Us” page isn’t really about you.

Readers visiting your “About Us” page are doing one thing: deciding whether they want to give you their business.

They’re not looking for a corporate résumé or moment-by-moment log of your business’s history. They want to know whether they can trust you and whether you share their values. Can the product or service you sell actually help them?

Express your commitment to solving your customers’ problems or meeting their needs. Tell them what’s in it for them — and then explain why you’re uniquely qualified to provide that necessary product or service.

Tip 02: Hook your audience with a strong opening statement.

You have, at most, a few seconds to capture the attention of your prospect. So, take a look at the opening sentence on your “About Us” page. Does it simply tell them your founding year? Or, does it draw the reader in?

Any copywriter worth their salt can rattle off a few tried-and-tested copy conventions that’ll hook a reader. Try out one of the following to see what works for you:

1. Speak to your audience’s needs. As noted above, your “About Us” page is really about your customer. Lead with how you’ll help them overcome their problem.
2. Use an anecdote. Marketing is all about telling a good story. If you overcame a disastrous launch or met your business partner through some bizarre coincidence, that’s perfect fodder for an entertaining creation story.
3. Make your reader feel the suspense. There’s a reason plot twists and cliffhangers are such popular storytelling devices for TV and movie producers. Tease your readers. Leave them wanting to know what happens next.
4. Ask a question. Think about what questions you hear most whenever you talk about your business. Start there. Your “About Us” page is the perfect place to answer that No. 1 FAQ.

Tip 03: Share your company story authentically.

Your “About Us” page should reflect you: your voice, your style and your values. It should explain how you’re different from your competition — and you won’t accomplish that by copying from the Joneses. Showing the real you is the best way to attract die-hard advocates.

It’s time to get personal. Use the first person (I or we) and conversational language. Ditch the jargon and corporate-speak. If your prospect can relate to you, you’re more likely to win their business. Don’t just rehash the copy from your home page; instead, show your readers the humanity behind your business and tell them what they can expect from you.

If you’re not a confident writer, experiment with other forms of media that reflect your personality better. Photos and video are great options if you feel at home in front of the camera.

Tip 04: Let your customers do the talking by including social proof.

Let’s say a prospect reads your “About Us” page and thinks you sound like a good fit. What’s next? It’s not the sale (yet). Next, they’ll inspect your online reputation.

Yes, you may be awesome, but your prospects aren’t going to just take your word for it. They’re looking for the lowdown on your business from the real authority: your current customers. In fact, a full 85 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, according to BrightLocal’s 2017 Local Consumer Review Survey.

What does this have to do with your “About Us” page? Like with any page on your website, you have the opportunity to influence your reader’s next move. Whatever that destination is should be advantageous to you. Here are a few options to use social proof on your “About Us” page:

1. Mention any customer-focused accolades you’ve been awarded, such as your local newspaper’s Readers’ Choice. Better yet, include a row of badges that highlight your numerous awards and link to their respective announcements.
2. Link to your business listing on the review site(s) of your choice. Yelp and Facebook tend to carry the most weight, but Google and TripAdvisor are other reputable picks.
3. Include a customer testimonial or two — or link to a more comprehensive testimonial page. Remember, prospects are looking for credibility, so including your customer’s full name and photo will go a long way.
4. Include customer testimonials in your video marketing. If you already have an explainer, behind-the-scenes or other type of video on your “About Us” page, insert a few customer testimonials.

Tip 05: Your “About Us” page will always be a work in progress.

Your brand story will continue to evolve and, as such, your “About Us” page will never really be complete. From adding new team members to mentioning impressive new partnerships, your “About Us” page should reflect each new iteration of your business.

From a technical standpoint, your work is never done either. Today, you must make sure this foundational page is mobile-responsive. In the future, you’ll soon need to tackle personalization, multi-device user experience and design practices for what comes after the mobile revolution (e.g., augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality).

Keep an eye on your Google Analytics data for pages across your site and incorporate what you learn. If you customers respond best to images, add more of those. If you notice a strong correlation between video views and conversions, consider producing a video for your “About Us” page instead. It all comes back to testing.

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