Last night, as we were engaging in our weekly ritual, I decided to take the opportunity to conduct a mini consumer survey on an issue which had been bugging me lately.
The issue: About Us pages.
In recent projects, I've noticed a tendency by marketing managers, agencies and/or business owners to use company "About" pages as an extra space to sell their products or services. In other words, "About Us" pages are being used as more of an "about how awesome we are" page rather than an "about our company history and mission statement" page.
While there are no predefined set of rules about what kind of content should go in company About pages, my gut told me this approach was wrong. From a consumer's point of view, this is not the kind of information I look for when I click on a company's About page. Rather, I'm looking to learn more about the company, such as origins, ownership, company mission and practices which make this company unique.
I decided to double check my gut instinct against other consumer perspectives. Turning to the consumers I had on hand, I asked my girlfriends what they thought (let's not forget that women hold a majority share when it comes to consumer spending).
My question:
"What do you expect - or hope - to find when you click on a website's About Us page? Are you looking for more information about the value of the company's products or services, or are you looking to learn more about the company's history, ownership and mission statement?"
GF #1: "I get frustrated when I click on an About Us page and don't find anything about who the company actually is and what they represent. A lot of About Us pages just tell you more about how great they are, not about the company's vibe and ethics."
GF #2: "Yeah, if I go to an About page, I want to know what that company's ethics are, how they conduct their business and what value they offer to their community. If I wanted to know more about why I should buy from them, I'd visit their service or product pages."
GF #3: "Vibe and ethics is a good way to describe it. When I visit an About page, I want to get a feel for what the company stands for and who their owners are."
Ok, so my ad hoc "consumer survey" may not be quite as scientific as a real survey should be, but it confirmed that I'm not alone in my perspective on what an "About" page should - and shouldn't - be.
Let's look at an example of an "About Us" page which is actually an "About How Awesome We Are" page:
What does this page tell you about company ownership? Company history? Mission statement? Ethics? Not much. It gives us plenty of information on the business' value-added services and the level of quality they strive to provide, but none of the kind of information we might look for in an "About Us" page.
If I wanted to see this kind of information, I'd go to the "Why choose..." page, service pages or home page. Or I'd go watch some TV ads.
Now, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this page's copy; I think it highlights the company's main selling points very effectively and could be quite valuable - on a different page.
So what SHOULD an About Us page look like?
I think it's a matter of switching perspectives. Think like a consumer, not like a business owner/marketer. There's no reason your About page can't be a great sell page - but it needs deliver on its promise of providing information about your company. Stop and think:
- What parts of your business' beginnings, ownership and philosophy are inspiring or unique?
- What is your business' core mission, and how does this separate you from the competition?
These are the answers consumers are looking for, and they can pack a much more powerful punch than "we have industry expertise".
Internet marketing software company Hubspot's About page is a dead-on example of an About page which subtly doubles as a direct sell piece. Notice Hubspot's simple strategy: on the surface, their About page simply answers the questions When, Who, Why, What and Where. The fact that they've named the URL to the About page "www.hubspot.com/internet-marketing-company" is, incidentally, also very awesome (from an SEO standpoint).
Acclaimed copywriting company Men with Pens (I definitely want to be James Chartrand, who is actually a woman, when I grow up) takes a different yet equally effective approach in their About page. The what-we-do-style intro strongly conveys a sense of the company's "vibe" and approach, then the content launches straight into introducing you to the individuals who make up the company's team. Beautiful.
Bottom line: save direct selling for your service and home pages. Use your About pages to give an honest reflection of who your business is and what it represents, and let the selling happen organically.
Need help coming up with the perfect angle for your About Us page? I happen to know a web content copywriter who could help you (see what I did there?).
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