The About Us section is an easy part of your online marketing to overlook. For many Calgary businesses, it’s just another item on the web design checklist, or one more place to list phone numbers, addresses, and other contact information. The truth is that your About Us page can play an important role in how you market your business online, if you let it.
Your website has many areas built to share the story behind the products and services you offer, but not as many places to tell the story of your business itself. That’s where the About Us page really shines. Telling the story of your business is a great way to connect with customers on a deeper level, and establish trusting relationships. And isn’t that what online marketing is all about? Ahead, you’ll learn more about how to craft an outstanding About Us page, and how telling your story can add major value throughout your website.
How to Craft a Page that Truly Tells the Story of Your Business
Customers start forming impressions of your business almost as soon as they land on your website, so the user experience experts at Nielsen Norman Group suggest wasting no time in beginning to tell the story of your business. Web users love to scan content, so look for opportunities to include short, scannable blurbs. What does your business do best, and what accomplishments are you most proud of?
You can also choose to work backwards by creating your About Us page first, then picking out highlights to sprinkle through the rest of your site. When creating your About Us page, it’s important to realize that customers will prioritize certain key bits of data, and cover those details early in your page.
- On many websites, the About Us section is really a series of pages, each with information about a different aspect of the business. This is a sound strategy, as long as navigation is simple and the first page has the right content to get the reader hooked.
- Be specific. Saying that you’re an “industry leader” or that you offer “high-quality products” doesn’t actually tell the reader much. Instead, talk about the accolades and innovation that make you a leader, or provide specific examples of how your products have helped customers.
- Since the first page is most important – or the top of the page, if your About Us is a single page – you want it to include the highlights of the highlights. Talk about the very best your business has to offer, and the key values that shape how you interact with customers.
- Accessibility is key. Don’t make readers click multiple times to reach key information, and don’t leave them guessing about how to navigate from one section to the next.
- Quality writing is vital your About Us page, and throughout your site. Avoid unnecessary wordiness, be succinct, and always double-check proofreading to make sure there are no errors on these high-traffic pages.
- If you run into a big topic of expertise that just won’t fit in your About Us page, consider crafting a downloadable whitepaper. Whitepapers are a great tool to share your knowledge, build trust with customers, and ultimately generate qualified leads.
There are many different directions to take your About Us page once you’ve covered the high-priority data in your opening page or paragraphs. Where you take it from there really depends on how you view your business, and how much you want to share with your customers.
- If your company has a large executive structure, consider a page with data about key team members. Include pictures, so readers can connect a face to the names and contact information.
- Your About Us page should answer big-picture questions about your company, but it’s not really the place to address standard, procedural questions. For those questions, you’ll want to include a well-designed frequently asked questions (FAQs) page in your website.
Every business has a story, no matter its name, industry or location. You’ve worked hard to build your business into what it is, so why not use your story to help continue that growth into the future? It’s the perfect way to show off your personality, share your accomplishments, and build trusting relationships with your valued customers.
Need help crafting your About Us page, designing your website, or developing effective online marketing for your Calgary business? Emphasize Design offers everything you need to maximize your return on your online marketing investment.
