Many companies make the mistake of thinking that writing the About Us page will be the easiest part of creating their website content. But, unless you are a professional content writer, it may be harder than you think. Just because it’s your company and you are closest to the information that will live on this page (or section) of your website, that doesn’t mean it will be easy to convey to your audience.
Consider Your Audience First
What you write on your About Us page should be specifically tailored to your target audience. You may have a lot to share about your company values, mission, etc., but it’s important to first organize the information in a way that matches what your audience is looking for.
You can tell your whole company story and history (and you should!), but if your audience is looking to find out what you do and who you are, you may want to present that information first. To write the very best About Us page for your company, we recommend the following:
1. Tell Them What You Do and Who You Serve
Your About Us page serves many purposes, but first and foremost it is meant to clarify exactly what you do and who you serve. This will remind your audience why they visited your website, and confirm that your company is the one they want to hire or buy from.
Before you get into the details about why you do what you do and tell your full story, you’ll want to clearly state your mission and the specific products and/or services you offer. This part of your About Us page should be short, sweet, and to the point.
2. Explain Your Approach
Now you get into why you do what you do, and why it works so well. If you are a financial institution, for example, this is where you would talk about what makes you different and better than the competition. This is where you would explain what it’s like to work with you, and how easy it is.
Be sure to use language that makes sense to your readers rather than speaking to your peers. The point here is to reiterate the value you bring to the table – not to brag or one-up your competitors. The more genuine you are in explaining your approach to business, the better your message will resonate with potential customers.
3. Tell People Who You Are
It’s best to start with a description of your company as a team, first. Tell readers what your company vibe is, what your values are as a company, the organizations you are involved with, etc. Once you’ve introduced viewers to your team, you can break it down and talk about the individuals that make up your company.
When talking about individuals within your company, it’s best to include as many faces as possible. Don’t just talk about the CEO and Vice President – be sure to include everyone who makes your business run day-in and day-out. Your audience wants to meet the people behind your brand – so let them!
4. Tell Your Story
Now that your readers have had a chance to understand what you do, why and how you do it, and who you are, it’s time to tell the full story. You’ve built up your audience’s anticipation, and now you can deliver the compelling story of how your business came to be.
This is where you will expand on why you do what you do. Some examples of questions to answer here include:
- How and when did your company get started?
- What was/is your inspiration for your starting and continuing your business?
- How did you choose your company name?
- What’s your favorite part about the work that you do?
- What’s the hardest part about the work that you do?
- What lessons have you learned since you started your business?
- How has your company changed since it began?
- What keeps you going each day and running your business?
We think you’ll find that once you’ve answered all of the questions above, you’ll have more than enough information to write an inspiring story for your readers.
5. Sum Up Your Mission or Story with a Strong Tagline/Purpose Statement
Once you’ve clearly identified your company for your readers (and yourself), you can sum it all up with a tagline or purpose statement to drive your point home. This can be a phrase, sentence, or short paragraph, and should serve as an introduction to the about us section.
This statement will give readers a general idea of what your company does and who they are in just a few words. Not only will this statement further clarify your company identity, but it will also provide a quick answer to who you are for those who don’t want to read the full story.
If you’re considering re-writing your About Us page, or don’t have one at all, these tips will help you to create compelling content that your audience will care about and enjoy reading. If you need help writing your About Us page or any other content for your website contact us today.
