Let’s get real…
People don’t shop at Walmart because the guy who started it had a compelling story to share that connected them with the experience. (Although Sam Walton’s story is actually really interesting, and I do recommend you check it out.)
They shop at Walmart because of the low prices and extreme convenience.
But you’re not WalMart. And you shouldn’t want to be.
When people shop at your store (website), they probably aren’t there for low prices or extreme convenience. They’re there because you have a cool product or a strong brand presence.
But you know what happens when you combine your relatable, inspiring, and honest story with your cool products? Sales happen, that’s what.
Which is why today we’re going to talk about how to create a killer “About Us” page to turn your website into a high-functioning sales machine.
(If you already know why an about us page is important, click here to jump right to the free about us page template to copy-paste it right now!)
Ready? Let’s dive in!
Why your “About Us” page is important
Did you know that 52% of visitors head over to a companies “About Us” page before doing anything else?
An “About Us” page builds trust with your visitors which, in turn, increases conversion to customer lifetime value.
Take the Wordstream Blog, for example. They changed up their “About Us” page and, in turn, raised their conversion rates by 13%. Just by tweaking their website’s about page!
If that’s not enough to convince you...
The Nielsen Norman Group (NNG) recently found that, while the usability of “About Us” pages improved 9% over the past five years, user satisfaction has dropped from 5.2 to 4.6 (on a 1-7 scale).
Why? Because people want more than the average “This is who I am, this is what I offer” pitch. Your audience will want a compelling reason to buy your products.
Take advantage of this opportunity to tell readers how you can solve their problem.
A good “About Us” page will strike a balance between telling visitors who you are and what you do, while also explaining why they need you (and not your competitors).
On top of telling your audience what makes you different (and, let’s be frank, better) than your competition, it’s the perfect spot to include a call to action (CTA).
Your CTA can be anything from getting readers to sign up for your email list to downloading your PDF or buying your products directly. Sales, baby!
So how do you go about writing your “About Us” page? We’re glad you asked...
How to write an awesome about page
Now that you know just how important an “About Us” page is, it’s time to write one for your site!
Feel a knot in your throat yet? Drawing a blank? I feel you. Kicking your “About Us” page into gear can be frightening - especially if you’ve never written one before.
What do you talk about? What information should you provide your audience? How personal should you get?
The top four things you’ll want to cover on your about page are:
What problem or desire does your product solve? People want to know what’s in it for them. So while your about page is technically about you, it’s really about what you can do for your customers.Why did you start your business? If you’re trying to end world hunger or just put food on the table, tell people about it. People appreciate honesty and relatability.
What will your readers get out of your website? Do you run a kickass blog with how-tos and inspiring stories? Does your product help solve a major problem? Tell people about it!
Why should we trust you? Every good about page needs a testimonial or something to give you credibility. You could add places you’ve been featured, awesome product reviews, or certificates you’ve gotten.
Don’t be afraid to get a little personal. People want to relate to you. Relatability = trust!
And, no, this doesn’t mean you have to tell your audience that you like to eat peanut butter from the jar while lounging around in your underpants and watching your favorite movie.
I mean questions like...
How did your business get started? Tell your story! Did you feel inspired after a certain event in your life? Did your passion start back in elementary school? This is your time to shine! Don’t leave out the negatives, here!Who are you? Who are your teammates? Think of your bio like a job interview. Would you walk into a room holding a notecard with 20+ random facts about yourself? Absolutely not! Here, you’ll want to talk about how your business fits into your life and why you love what you do. Hold your teammates to these same standards. Have them talk about why they got involved in your business.
Those two questions are quite possibly the most important questions you’ll need to answer. Give your audience an insight as to who you are, who your teammates are, and what your values are (personal and company values work)!
Along with the content you’re creating for this page, be sure to include company pictures, videos, etc. If you have workers who live in a different country, or you want to showcase your workers individually, grab a headshot of each employee and personalize who they are/their role in the company.
Food for thought: Reel people into your blog by saying something like “If you love X, X, and X, you’ll feel right at home here!”
Killer “About Us” page examples for inspiration
There isn’t an exact formula you need to follow to create a killer “About Us” page. However, you do want your page to be interesting, as well as informative.
The goal here is to make your audience fall in love with your website (as well as your brand).
Still stuck in a rut and unsure of what to write (or where to start)? I’ve got you covered. Here are some kickass “About Us” page examples you can draw inspiration from:
A Better Lemonade Stand
Image Via: abetterlemonadestand.com
A Better Lemonade Stand has their “About Us” page written perfectly. They give you information right off the bat, talk about who they are/what their goal is (to inspire, educate, and support entrepreneurs), and provide direct CTA buttons within their content.
Not only are they selling people on their website, they’re allowing their audience to become further invested in them by inviting them to their Facebook community.
I will, however, say this: While A Better Lemonade Stand is able to pull off 9 CTA buttons flawlessly, most “About Me” pages should not have more than one. You don’t want to overwhelm your viewers, nor do you want to look spammy.
Shopify
Image Via: shopify.com
Shopify has a pretty unique “About Me” page… and I love it! Not only do they tell you who they are, what they can do for you, and their mission statement, they also show you how many active Shopify stores there are (as well as their total sales - thus far).
KissMetrics
Image Via: kissmetrics.com
KissMetrics prides themselves on putting their customer’s needs and wants first… which is what every great eCommerce business should be doing! Notice how they give you a direct sales pitch, too.
They tell you what they’re going to deliver to you without directing you to a new page (or making you sign up for their email list).
Bold Commerce
Can’t forget about us! After all, we have a pretty kickin’ “About Us” page. Above, you can see our employees over the years graph. We’re pretty proud of this - and the list keeps growing!
This is something that nearly anyone can do, too! Whether you have two, five, or fifteen employees. It shows that your company is endlessly growing.
Another unique thing that we do here at Bold is show off our goofy pictures. We have our grey picture (which is our “sit still and smile” pose). But when you hover over it, as I did with Chantai’s picture, you get to see our goofy side!
This is a great feature to have because it shows your audience that you (and your employees) have a personality. Give it a try!
Free “About Us” page template you can steal
I’ve given you the information you need to write up a kickass “About Me” page for your website. I’ve even provided you with four amazing real-life examples from high-ranking websites.
But to put the cherry on top, here’s a 100% free “About Us” page template!
It’s pretty simple. Let’s dive in...
Intro
Every good about page starts with a quick intro paragraph. The top three things you’re going to talk about here are:
Who you/your employees are.What you/your employees will do for your audience.
What kickstarted your eCommerce business.
Remember, you want to be personal, but not too personal. Give them the rundown about your company, but not what you and your team do in your free time.
Picture/Video of company
This is pretty straight forward. If you have an office, take a picture of everyone as they’re hard at work. If not, ask your employees to send you a picture (or two) of them, along with a short bio.
Don’t be afraid to show your fun side! Take pictures like we did at Bold (one professional and one goofy) or come up with your own unique idea.
Same goes for your video. It can be professional, like Hubspot…
… or goofy, like TheHoth:
Whatever you choose to do, make sure you stand by your company’s values.
A paragraph on your business
Talk about how (and why) you decided to get into the business you’re in. Why did you create an eCommerce store from scratch? What made you realize there’s more to life than the 9-5 shift? And why do you care about the work you’re doing?
If you’ve got a heart-wrenching story to tell about how much your father wanted to sell fishing poles, but passed away before he got the chance, tell it. There’s a story behind everything you do. Don’t be afraid to dig it up.
What makes you different?
As I’m sure you already know, the eCommerce industry is saturated with thousands of businesses… some of which are selling the exact same thing as you.
What makes you different? Do you offer free consultant calls? Do you drop free PDFs in your reader’s email bi-weekly? Figure out your companies strengths and harness them.
Testimonials and reviews
I may be guessing here, but I’m going to assume you have a pretty good sales flow going if you’re reading this article.
Reach out to your current customers and ask them if they’ll write you a review (or testimonial) on your services. Testimonials and reviews help to establish credibility. You’re getting real people to show success in your products and services (without having to deliver a sales pitch).
Conclude with a CTA
Your final step! If you haven’t already delivered a CTA, it’s time to end with one. This can be as simple as saying:
“Want fresh information delivered to your doorstep daily? Sign up for our email list today!”
But the best CTAs drive them straight to your product pages. Sell them on why you’re doing what you’re doing, what makes you different, and how your product solves their problem, and they’re almost certain to buy. Sales machine, check!
Quick recap: Here’s your about us page template
This is what you can copy/paste:
<<Intro paragraph - who are you and what do you do?>>
<<Picture/video of you, your office, your employees, etc.>>
<<Next, put a paragraph or two about your business. What’s your story? What problem did you set out to solve?>>
<<After that, talk about what makes you different. Is your product cheaper, stronger, more unique? Is your process more eco-friendly? Do you donate a portion of sales to charity? Talk about that here>>
<<Then, put the proof in the pudding. Add testimonials, reviews, certificates, whatever you have that proves your product does what you say it does and you’re an awesome company to buy from.>>
<<Finally, end with a call to action to get the reader to join your email list or buy your product. This is important - don’t forget it!>>
And there you have it!
Conclusion
It’s easy to neglect your about page. After all, it’s just an afterthought - no one actually reads them, right?
But to the contrary, your about page is likely to be one of your most visited pages. And if it sucks (or doesn’t exist) you could be losing customers!
So take some time today to really put some effort into your about page. Make 2018 the year of extreme growth and profitability for your store.
And when you’re done, be sure to share your new about us page in the comments!
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- eCommerce News
