How Start-Ups Can Build Effective "About Us" Pages
What can you say on your site's "About Us" page when you've only just begun? Here are strategies -- and real-life examples.
What can you say on your site's "About Us" page when you've only just begun? Here are strategies -- and real-life examples.
Since writing on “about us” pages a few months back, I’ve received several inquiries like this one:
Thank you for a very valuable information on the “About Us” page, good examples.
How about new companies or companies that are being created? Customers are skeptical to engage with new companies. What would be your advice in terms of what is the best content to put in it, what to highlight, if you do not have history and you are staring from the “garage” location?
What do you do as a start-up? What do you do if you don’t have a laundry list of credentials and an extensive track record?
Goal: Be a Credible Option
First, define your “about us” page’s goal. In some cases it’s the last page prospects will visit before they convert, so often the page’s goal is to simply build your company up as a credible option.
Being small or new doesn’t automatically slap you with a disadvantage or keep you from being credible. You have several things working in your favor:
Other columns have touched on the needs and motivations of the four different consumer temperaments (personas). Let’s use those as a basis for some of the issues you must address on the “about us” page.
Methodical Persona
This temperament makes slow, logical decisions when buying. Likely, folks in a methodical buying mode are your most difficult converts. Their conservative, “show me your track record” style should prompt you to provide facts about your company and qualifications and substantiate each claim. Jaduka is good example of how to speak to a methodical. Do the following:
If you truly don’t have an impressive list of credentials or experience, you’re unlikely to win over a serious methodical buyer. That’s OK. You still have three remaining buying modes to sell to.
Spontaneous Persona
These folks are fast and emotional. They make impulsive decisions. Novelty, flash, poise, personality, and new features appeal to the spontaneous. Most just have to like you to be persuaded to convert. Values of n does a nice job speaking to this type. To talk approach the spontaneous consumer:
Competitive Persona
These are fast, logical buyers. They don’t waste time, and they need to be logically convinced your company can serve their needs. Competitives also value competence, so that must be proven. They love to have the advantage, to be first, and to have things others don’t have. The Omni Group does a great job of speaking to the competitive type. Items to remember:
Humanistic Persona
These buyers are relationship- and people-centered. They make slow, emotional buying decisions. They value and seek relationships with companies they buy from. CrashPlan does a decent job of communicating in a humanistic style. To speak to humanistic buyers:
Your Story
Your company exists as it is for several reasons other than to make money. You could sell one of a million different products or services, but you chose (or created) your products for a reason. That reason is the story your company has to tell and the value it has to offer. Your “about us” page is the perfect place to tell that story. If you tell that story with integrity and passion and speak to personas’ needs, you’ll have a powerful piece that will increase conversion.
Have you seen any great about us pages recently? Share them with us.