One of my favorite things to write for clients is their About Me pages. Not because they’re easy (umm no, they definitely are not!) but because I think your About Me (or About Us) page is the most important one on your website.
Sure, your homepage might get more traffic (after all, that’s where your visitors land when they enter your URL), but your About Me page is the one people choose to view first. Everyone wants to know who they’re dealing with before they even think about hiring you.
One of my favorite quotes from author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek goes like this: “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”
Did you catch that? It’s not what you do that gets people to hire you.
There are a lot of people out there who do what you do, and I’d wager some of them even do it better than you. But when you tell people why you do what you do, they see you as a person who cares about your work. And that’s pretty powerful.
That’s why I think your About Me page is so important. It’s where you sell yourself, what you value, and what you believe.
It’s About You Helping Them
I’m going to take a step back for a minute to clarify that an About Me page is not actually about you. Maybe you’ve heard that before, or maybe not.
Your About Me page is where you talk about how you can help your customer. (So I guess it’s kind of about you. It’s about you helping them.)
That means your About Me page is not the place to brag about yourself with a never-ending list of accomplishments that don’t matter to your clients. (I think it’s great you’ve been recognized by the local Chamber of Commerce as one of the city’s 30 under 30, but what does that have to do with me?) Nor is it the place to ramble on about your collection of job titles over the years. (I really don’t care that you spent four years working as an “information advisor.” I don’t even know what that is!)
What it is the place for is bragging about the results you’ve got for your clients, the problems you solve, and the way your business supports the people you work with.
So don’t just slap up a few photos and a mission statement and call it a day. Milk the potential of your About Me page! Use it to make a connection with your reader. Tell them about who you are, how you got to where you are, and why you’re in business. If you have a team, do the same for everyone on the team. People want to know about the people they’re dealing with. Who’s running the business, and how does it operate?
Must-Have Elements for Your About Me Page
Now that you know what your About Me page should do, what, specifically, should you be putting on this prime piece of online real estate?
Here are the key elements every great About Me page has:
An introduction – This includes a charming or intriguing headline that lets the reader know right away this is where they’ll find an answer to their problem. From there, you can talk about the challenges they face (and how you can relate) or tell a story that lets them know you understand whatever it is they’re struggling with. And don’t forget to actually introduce yourself by name!
A section on what you can do for them – Here’s where you can shine a light on your experience with empathy. If you’re a nutrition coach, talk about your own struggles with diet and exercise and what you learned from it that you can put to work for them. If you’re a contractor or tradesman, talk about how you can make a client’s home more comfortable, attractive, or functional.
An idea of what they can expect when they work with you – This is the perfect place for your mission statement. It’s also a great spot for testimonials from happy clients who will sing your praises for you. Don’t underestimate the power of reviews; people pay close attention to what others say about working with you. In fact, marketing agency BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey for 2019 showed 91% of consumers are more likely to hire a business because of positive reviews, while 82% of consumers will think twice about working with a business that gets negative reviews.
An incentive – No, this isn’t a kick-back for working with you. The incentive for working with you should be the promise of something better for your client. A health coach may deliver strategies that will get their clients in the best shape of their lives; a contractor can build you a warm and inviting space for you to enjoy the company of family and friends. Use this section to talk about the transformation you can bring to your clients’ lives. Where are they right now and where do they want to be? Your About Me page should tell them how you can get them there.
A call to action – A lot of people forget to tell readers what they’re supposed to do when they get to the end of their About Me page. Do you want them to book a discovery call with you? Follow you on social media? Read your blog? Your call to action (CTA) doesn’t have to be “Hire me!” In fact, it probably shouldn’t be. But you need to have some sort of CTA, otherwise people have no idea what you want them to do next.
Stay on Top of It
Although I didn’t list it as one of the key elements of your About Me page, I also think it’s smart to include something that gives your reader a glimpse into who you are.
On my own About Me page, for example, I talk about my love of Seinfeld and my secret desire to have a pet hippopotamus. Are either of those facts relevant to what I do? Of course not. But anyone who comes to my page and reads this: a) gets an idea of my sense of humor; and b) probably knows I’m a little on the silly side. For people who appreciate Seinfeld humor and silliness, this makes me stand out. And your quirks will make you stand out, too. Don’t hide them!
Above all, remember that your About Me page (like every page on your website) is not a one-shot deal. Go back and revisit the page periodically and update it to keep it current and relevant. Your experience has grown, your focus may have shifted. The photo you used when you started the site in 2007 is outdated. As an added bonus, keeping your About Me page up-to-date shows you can stay on top of things and that you’re committed to keeping current.
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