The chances are great that you have a great deal of professional competition. That is not a bad thing at all. However, you need to have an edge that will make you stand out among your competitors. From the outside, your competitors may seem as though they offer exactly the same products and/or services that you do for less money. However, what those people don’t realize is that they are not actually comparing apples to apples.
Your About page, if done correctly, will express your human side and that is exactly what your prospective customers will respond to. If they understand that you are human, they can relate to you as one human being to another and what you share with them will resonate. It is important to keep in mind that even if you have a visually stunning website (or some other aspect of your Web presence), if you don’t have content that touches the other person in your About page, you may not make the kind of progress that you are hoping to make. Of course, the look and feel of your website is extremely important for your business but it is not the only thing that matters.
When a person ends up on your About page, the concept of WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) must be crystal clear to him or her. That means that no matter how amazing you and your business are, if you can’t solve the other person’s problem, you won’t get anywhere. Of course, you want your website to attract other people but that is second to being able to solve the other person’s problems. Writing that content may be more challenging than you expected. You can convey a great deal with your About page content. This is really where you can make your human qualities shine. This is one of the main places in which you build credibility, trustworthiness, and your position as a subject-matter expert. It is where you begin a solid relationship with the other person. The content on your About page can potentially convince people who are on the fence that you are the one whom they should hire (or buy from). When considering how you want to write the content of your About page, a few important concepts should be considered.
-
- The spin of the content: Going back to the concept of WIIFM, it is critical that you understand that you must address your content to the other person. The content must clearly convey that you can solve the other person’s problem. You will want to write about issues that the other person may be experiencing and definitely wants to eliminate. Along with that, you will want to bring up what the desired results will be. You must communicate how you plan to help the other person achieve that. You will want to concentrate on helping the other person, not yourself. However, don’t worry. Your needs will be met at the same time (or directly after you have helped the other person). If you aren’t sure where (or how) to begin this process, it may be helpful for you to make a list of potential problems and then you can narrow down the list when you communicate with the other person.
-
- Make sure that you name your page appropriately: This is not a place to be cute or “clever.” You want to be perfectly clear about what the other person will find in your About page. The reason for that is that you want the other person to understand by the name of the page what to expect. If you are not clear with the name of the page, the other person may potentially be confused. If the other person is confused, there is a good chance that he or she will not stay on your website.
-
- Share your story on your About page: Everyone has a story and you sure have one too. It isn’t a matter of you not having one. It is only a matter of how you communicate that story. If your writing is effectively, the other person will react to you emotionally and they will relate to what you are saying on an emotional level. It is very important that you show your vulnerability and softness as a person. The other person will appreciate the fact that you have revealed something meaningful about yourself, knowing that it wasn’t easy for you.
-
- Convey why you stand out and why you are worth it: The fact is that you are trying to convince the other person to choose you and your business. In order to convince the other person to go with you, you need to clearly demonstrate why you are worth it and how you stand above your competition. You will probably have to work at that in order to get the message just right.