Do you cringe at the thought of writing about yourself?
You’re not alone.
The dreaded “About Us” page can leave the best of writers slumped over their keyboards.
Knowing that it is one of the most frequented pages on your site only waters that growing pit in your stomach.
Most small businesses will resort to typical methods for filling out this page by answering some pretty basic questions:
- How long have I been in business?
- How did I stumble into this business?
- Where are we located?
- How are we different?
- Why are we a good fit for someone reading this?
These typical questions lead to predictable answers and create what is called “Ad Speak”.
Ad speak is exactly what your website visitor was expecting. The things that every business says in a misguided attempt to win you over.
Oddly enough, writing your “About Us” page for your business is very similar to writing one for an online dating profile.
The goal is to connect with visitors who want to know more about you and give them confidence in reaching out to you.
Recently, I tested out a new theory on how to create a better bond with people visiting your “About Us” page. I tested this by creating two identical dating profiles but I tweaked the copy in the “About Me” section.
The results were eye opening.
I saw a 251% increase in leads (emails from interested visitors) in my experimental profile over the control profile.
Here’s a video going over that experiment.
So what did I do differently?
Here’s what the ad speak profile said:
“A little about me… I’m fun and easy going. I enjoy traveling to new places. I like to laugh and make people laugh whenever possible. I like sushi or italian whenever the mood strikes.
I enjoy all the seasons and the different things that come with them. I play a good amount of basketball to stay healthy.
I’m looking for someone who is down to earth and easy going. Likes to have a good time and enjoy life and also has a good head on her shoulders.”
Here’s what the experimental profile said:
I believe you should laugh everyday before 10am.
I believe your health is important.
I believe laughing is healthy.
I believe the way we treat each other matters.
I believe the littlest things carry the greatest joys.
I believe in opening a door for a stranger.
I believe you should share your dreams.
I believe life can be salty at times and family makes it sweet.
I believe our actions speak louder than our words.
I believe listening is an acquired skill.
I believe there is no fork in the road if you’re creative.
I believe in blazing a trail.
One profile tells you trivial information while the other peels back the curtain and tells you my beliefs.
One profile blends in while the other encourages you to start a relationship with me.
If someone has similar beliefs as me they are likely to feel a bond and want to reach out.
Open a word doc and on the left hand side start a series of belief statements. Use “I” if you’re a sole proprietor and use “We” if you have a team of employees.
Then begin to fill those statements in based on your beliefs as an organization.
If you really want to ramp it up and get more eyes on your belief statements, simply change the label of your “About Us” page to “I/We Believe” depending on your business model.
People will click on this new page, read your beliefs, and then the people who see the world in a similar way will naturally be attracted to your business.
Or you can tell them how long you’ve been in business for.
I believe in your freedom of choice.
Eric Worral is a Content Strategist for a marketing agency in Buffalo, NY called Of the Sea. I’ve created a free writing guide on how to create the most impactful “We Believe” page. You can get that free resource by clicking here.