About Us pages are probably the first type of web pages and have carried on despite the changes to websites and the internet. No matter what type of business you are running, you should share a few words about your company. It is like a business card – the potential customer needs to know with whom they are dealing.
And for the reason that “they’ve always been around,” many small businesses take no time and effort to update and improve their About Us page. Other companies go straight up the corporate path and post a bland description of their operations and history, which no one will read in full.
While there is not much creative freedom in the substance of your content (after all, you cannot reinvent your company history), there are many attractive ways in which you can structure and present it. And, of course, the tone of voice matters the most. It sets the tone for your entire brand and people form an idea about what your company is doing from the way you tell its story.
Here are some great and engaging ways to create your About Us page:
- Use a Friendly, Conversational Tone
Imagine that you meet an old school mate, whom you haven’t seen in years, and you tell them all about your business. This is how your About Us page should read. In a world which has seen its (more than) fair share of corporate lingo, people want a more personal approach.
It is all about giving your business a human face and making prospects comfortable in interacting with you. After all, we are all ready to connect when we hear a friendly tone of voice.
- Forget about Promotion, Be Factual
In the attempt of being creative, some businesses start tooting their own trumpets on the About Us page. They are an “incredible” team with “awesome” creativity and passion and have “amazing” products and services.
How about leaving people to start thinking in these terms from what they read? Talk about how many people work in your team, how long you’ve worked together in the business, how you came up with your product idea, how many units you’ve sold so far. Simple facts and numbers speak volumes and are more believable than all the hype you want to create.
- Consider Adding a Timeline
Facebook™ used to have a chronological timeline for the users’ profiles, focusing on important life events. This structure is very good for the About Us page of companies which have several milestones to share with potential customers.
This type of graphical presentation is not only creative, but also easy to follow. It lets people make an idea how long it took your company to grow from start-up to a medium-sized business with offices and employees, and how many changes your key products went through until they reached the current version.
- Share a Video Presentation
Why tell them if you can show them? Many innovative companies prefer to take their website visitors on a tour of the premises, introducing each key team member and sharing the company vision in free speech.
This approach is more authentic and personal and it works very well for young entrepreneurs who are really passionate about their ideas, and this enthusiasm shows in how they speak about it. It is important to be camera friendly, and not look uncomfortable as you take the video, or it will ruin it whole purpose.
- Create a Connection with the Reader
About Us pages should have a call to action and connect with the reader. Do not allow your page visitors to remain passive. Challenge their imagination and emotions and make them want to learn more about your business in the other pages of your website.
After all, your About Us page is the calling card – your purpose is to get invited in the reader’s personal browsing time and have the chance to show off your products and services.