About Us – It’s Not All About You

Many companies desperately need “a cleanup on aisle 13” – and that aisle is the “About Us” section on their website.  It seems the majority of these sections I read are vague, confusing, trite, jargon-filled diatribes that do little to inform the audience, establish credibility or spark interest in moving deeper into the site.

Your “About Us” should be honest, clear, descriptive and (gasp) interesting.  It should convey confidence and give a sense of your company’s personality.  Visitors are often comparing you to the competition so it’s critical you address your unique selling proposition.  And speaking of visitors, this section is most often read by first-timers to your site, so remember you’ve only got one shot at a first impression.  This is essentially a speed-date, so don’t be boring and unremarkable!

As with any marketing copy development, it’s important to put yourself in your readers’ shoes.  Make it relevant and leave them with a feeling of wanting more.  This may be as far as they get on your site, so you may want to include a call to action (company phone number, email, video link etc.).

Enough talk about “exceeding expectations” (duh), “striving for excellence” (I should hope so), or “creating solutions” (unless you are a chemist, I guess).  Get real, to the point and add some flavor beyond salt and pepper.  You’re asking for someone to consider a relationship with you.  Act accordingly.