Why Your About Page Is Important

The  about page is the second most important page on every website (after the home page). To understand why, think about how you surf the web. Say you and your family are looking for a way to spend your next free night.

You come across a website for a science museum in your town. The home page has you hooked, but you instantly want to know a little more, so you visit the about page. The home page clues you into the fact that it’s a science museum, but the about page tells you about all the hands-on experiments they offer. The about page tells you about the scientists who demo experiments three times a day for the kids.

As a website reader, nothing is more frustrating than a vague and uninteresting home page with no about link on the website. Had the museum made this mistake, you’d have clicked away and found another way to spend your free day with your family. Vague and uninteresting content with no about page is a quick road to disaster.

Writing Your About Page

Who is your audience? Are you trying to increase your business with your blog? Then you need to think from your readers’ perspective. It’s up to you to figure out what exactly they are looking for—and execute.

What is the tone of your business? Are you looking to keep a professional tone and appearance? If you are targeting high-end business professionals with your copy, you probably need copy that reflects that. If you are looking to set yourself apart from your competition by putting your quirkiness and creativity on display, well then your copy should reflect that as well.

A creative page that makes some people laugh may turn some business away, but chances are it may not be the clients you are looking for anyway. Once you pick a path, go with it. There are no right answers. It’s a personal, individual decision each business will need to make.

I’ve written copy in both directions for businesses. The important thing is that the tone of your copy reflect the nature of your company.

Capture the Detail

Your about page gives the true detail, and tells your reader why they want to do business with you. When I write as a journalist, there’s something called the 5 w’s—who, what, when, where, and why. These are all elements that need to be answered in a good story.

They are also crucial material to cover in your about page. Who are you? What is it that you offer? When did you start in your profession? Where are you based? Do you serve customers locally, regionally, nationally or internationally?

Just as with journalism, the why is possibly the most important piece. Why do you do what you do? Why should your readers choose you? What sets you apart from the competition?

These are the elements of a strong about page. They’re crucial questions to answer if you’re looking for your customers to come back.

Answer these questions in an engaging way, and you’ll be far ahead of the

competition. 

Do You Have a Business Blog?

What’s stopping you from starting a business blog? A blog puts your business in front of potential customers on a regular basis. They increase your scope and your influence within your industry. They increase your bottom line. 

I talk with business owners all the time dragging their feet for one reason or another. Blogs either take too much time, or business owners feel that social media and online marketing will be a fad. It's too damaging to sit on the sidelines right now. That type of thinking will slow your business profits down.

Chances are your competitors are blogging. It opens you to a large pool of potential customers you otherwise would not be talking with. Now is the right time to get started.

What to blog about for your business?

Take a scratch piece of paper and write down the articles that you’ve read about your industry in the last few weeks. What opinions did you have? Why is now the right time for people to buy what you sell? What tips can you offer people shopping for your services? What industry news should people be paying attention to?

The answer to any of these questions will make good posts. It’s time to keep a running list of ideas and get started blogging. It’s important to stick with it and write on a regular basis.

 You’ll notice the benefits to your business.

Write About Your Company

It used to be that marketing meant grabbing a megaphone and garnering the attention of as many people as possible. It used to mean buying newspaper ads, and placing your business in a prominent spot in the phone book. Clever TV ads meant to reach a wide audience were a necessity. Not anymore.

As a small business owner, you need to be a jack of all trades. You need to be a master of accounting, as well as a master of the arts. You can add one more talent to the list of things that a small business owner must be. Like it or not, you will need to be a proficient writer, or hire one. Social media, websites, and blogging all mean content.

If you are the DIY type, you will need to write about your company—a lot. That’s going to mean a few things for you. For one, you’re going to have to start thinking about the big picture for your business, and how you want to communicate your message.

What’s your business’s story? How can you tell it in an engaging and entertaining way? How can you distinguish your business from your competition? In order to answer these questions you’ll need to be familiar with your competition and what they offer. You’ll need to be consistently reading industry related magazines, books, and blogs to keep a good log of what is going on.

One thing writers always say is to read good writing. I’ll take it an additional step. Read writing that will push your boundaries. Don’t just read business books. Read books about creativity. Read some fiction and non-fiction. Read some books you might disagree with. The important thing is to just read.

From there, it’s time to put your own stamp on the material. Keep a notebook of ideas. Don’t be afraid to tweak your website content. Blog about your business as much as you physically can. And engage with your friends and followers via your social media channels.

When you do these things right, they’re not just good internet marketing, they’re good marketing. So open up your word processing software, brush up on your grammar and dive in. Do things right, and it can pay off to write about your company.

Know Your Audience

When you blog or write website content, it’s important to know your audience. You need an understanding of their knowledge base, and talk to them where they are at, and not in a way that will send them rushing out for the dictionary, because they won’t come back. Your customers may not have the industry vocabulary that you have.

This is one lesson I’ve learned as a journalist. Sometimes you have to translate the technical for your readers. You don’t want them to consult another resource, because you’ll lose them.

Business owners who are blogging could learn a lot from this. You simply want to be friendly to your reader.

A basic, conversational language will go a long way. This means not using five words when one will suffice. You don’t want to tell your readers that there are approximately five of something, when you could say there are about five. For example, “apparently” is shorter than “It would appear…” etc.

You’re not writing an inner-departmental memo between scientists or doctors. You’re writing to someone who has a lot of other choices for what they could be doing on the internet, and doesn’t have the same industry vocabulary that you do.

Product Features Vs. Value Statements

When I worked in retail, I had the difference between a product feature and value statement drilled into me. One is an excellent component for dinner table geek talk. The other can help sell a customer on the benefit of your product.

This is an important distinction to make as you write about what it is that you sell. Cars are an easy example. What you have to consider is what the feature means for your customer.

If you tell your customer that a car gets 35 miles to the gallon, they may not completely understand what that means. If you tell them that they can drive nearly 500 miles between fill-ups, well now you’re speaking their language.

While a V6 engine excites gear heads, you can achieve that same level of excitement in any driver by telling them about the increased pickup, and the ability to enter traffic when it was otherwise not advisable.

It's not a matter of the brand new feature that your product or service includes. How does what you sell improve your customers’ lives? That’s the question.

Try Being Useful

             Scrolling through your email box can take a lot of patience. The important message that you’re looking for may be nestled directly between a monetary offer from a Nigerian Prince, and a surefire way to improve a piece of anatomy that you may or may not possess.

            With your Facebook feed it can be even more frustrating. If your feed isn’t dominated with what your friends ate for dinner, it’s asking you to support their latest venture—meaning they need something.

            Everyone knows how frustrating sifting through this information can be. So don’t be that person. It’s better to actually be useful.

Conversational Content Sells

            Why don’t you try something else instead? Write with a conversational tone. It will get you farther with people online. How do you do this?

            First of all, your content does not have to be one giant call to action. You don’t need giant “buy now” buttons decorating the page. You can simply write engaging content, and invite people to respond.

As a business owner, you possess a wealth of knowledge about your industry. Why not tell people who are potentially interested in your product or service something that they need to know?

            You can do this casually. You can do this conversationally. You can do this in a way that won’t send them to the top of the screen to close out the window.

            Next, you don’t need to impress them with your tremendous vocabulary. If they need a dictionary or Google to define a word that you’re using, they’ll leave your website and likely never come back.

            Keep it simple and keep it friendly. Write how you talk. It doesn’t need to be any more formal than that.

How To Give Your Customers What They Want

The coffee is ready. The inbox is bursting with unanswered emails. There’s two phone calls to return, and the kids need someone to drive them to baseball practice.  Only then, can you begin with today’s official order of business.

It’s no secret that small business owners are defensive of their time. So when marketers are telling them that they need to be utilizing social media and blogging in order to increase their business revenues, their posture is a little understandable.

Your Customers Crave Conversation

            No one wants to be spammed. That’s the bottom line. If all you do is try and sell to them, they will see right through that and walk away.  Instead, they’re looking for a likeable resource.

            If you can continuously prove your worth and your value while being likeable and friendly, in the long run, you’ll win. How do you do this? Provide them with helpful content through your blogging platform and social media. In the long run, they'll thank you for it. 

Find The Time To Blog About Your Business

            It’s possible to come up with a good blog post in about 30 minutes. Sharing an article that you find interesting, or interacting with another’s post only takes a matter of seconds.

            These are the things that will accumulate more business. It may not happen right away, but somewhere down the road, new jobs will start to add up as you meet more people online. Just keep at it.

            I’ve recently picked up a few jobs from LinkedIn and Twitter. It’s about knowing how to use these tools in a social way, and taking full advantage of what’s in front of you.

           

Know What You Want To Do Then Do It

            Remember all those projections you made about your business? It’s the small and daily tasks (like blogging and social media) that add up to your monthly totals. You don’t get there simply by thinking big. You have to produce quality marketing content. Period. 

            It may take waking up a half hour early. There are programs out there that will block your social media and email notifications for a given time, so that you are better able to use that window productively. Shut the office door. Use headphones. But come out with something concrete. You’ll be happier for your efforts.