Day 2: Show the World What You’re About
Well, so far so good – your mind is simmering about how you want others to see you online. You may even see places you need to cut or expand in your business.
Later we’ll be going into ways you can SHOW and prove your message, rather than by just stating it, but for now, we have to have it in writing.
Why Is an About Page an Important Part of Branding?
Recently, several people emailed me mentioning how they went to someone’s site I had recommended, but there was no information about who they were, so they either didn’t buy at all or didn’t sign up on their list.
I never knew OTHER people looked for that information. I thought “About” pages were ignored. I know I personally DO look at these pages before I do anything else on a person’s website. Just thought I was dorky like that.
An About page is the one page when someone lands on your site where they expect to see what YOU are all about (or your company’s mission). They know it’s not a sales spot – they want realism.
So today, you’re going to take your promise and the words that best reflect you and you’re going to create an About page for yourself. It can be on your domain or on a free blog platform but get one out there.
My Embarrassing Attempt at an About Page
If About pages are so important to me as someone considering listening to others, then why does mine look like this:
How horrifying!
I know WHY I did it that way – I was rushing and assumed no one cared about them. And why am I writing in 3rd person?
I see this as creepy.
So I’m about to redo my About page. So are you. The reason we’re doing this is that it’s one of the most basic components of a blog – one we think people ignore, but they really don’t.
An Example of a Good About Page Story
Sorry, Debbie to put you on the spot but this stood out to me:
coming soon… about Debbie page…
It’s a great About page because it evokes an emotion in me. I build trust with Debbie for a variety of reasons:
1. She’s using a picture. She’s smiling.
2. She’s telling her very personal story.
3. She’s building trust INSTANTLY with me because she refuses to show a before and after picture that lures people into thinking she has some lose weight quick option. Shows she cares!
4. She empathizes with the feelings her audience is feeling now as well as how they’ll feel once they succeed.
5. She invites me to join her in the journey.
Debbie is speaking from the heart – as you will be doing, too. She wasn’t selling to us. She wasn’t making things seem too good to be true. She was just “Debbie!”
Elements of Your New About Page
I want this to be your style – not mine. But there are some guidelines I can give you on what I think would make a good About page if I was visiting one and looking for information about whether or not I liked first impressions of this person and felt like investigating them further.
Your promise statement should be somewhere prominent in this page. It’s not “all about them” as some people say – and it’s really not “all about you,” either.
If you think about it, what they want to know is: will you be good for them?
Will you be fair, honest, and worth their time?
The LAST thing I want you to do with this branding is to write some sterile Unique Selling Proposition. Or follow this shallow advice I saw online – look what their advice on an About page is:
· your experience
· links to your other websites or blogs
· your contact information
NO!
All impersonal and not what your visitor is after. There are contact form plug-ins for contact information. There are sidebars and other places to include links. The only thing worthy on that list is your experience – but not in a cold way.
People related to stories. So tell yours on this About page.
Start with a picture. Yep – time to get out the old JPG!
Breathe…you can do it!
It can be a thumbnail. It can be anything but it needs to be you.
I put my real picture on there. It’s different from the one I used to use. The one on Tiffanydow.com (the home page) is me with my hair curled, a little lighter, etc. The one now on my About page is me on any given day – hair straight and partially put back, with bangs. Brown. Not as professional.
After the picture, give a quick snapshot of who you are. For me, I tell my age (it matters in some niches and with my niche, people always tend to tell me their age). I also explain I’m married, and I have kids.
Give your backstory then – what led you to be where you are now? I tell the story about my son’s illness.
Give information about how your path has altered over time. Did you start out on eBay and move to network marketing? Explain the transition. Talk about what you did and didn’t like. I discuss how ethical marketing wound up being important to me.
Talk about what you think makes you different than your competitors. What will they gain from you that they can’t have with anyone else? (Or at least not many others).
Work your promise statement in there and expand on it.
Weed out your NON-audience. I talk about being blunt. So I hope those who need coddling won’t follow me.
Invite people to connect to you. And by that, I don’t mean saying, “Please feel free to contact me.” Be a little more personable. Set their mind at ease about reaching out to you – so many people feel like it’s an inconvenience.
Check me out NOW:
coming soon… ( About page )
Much better I think. And I may organize it later but right now I think it’s more important to be heartfelt and real.
And I didn’t go through a list of accomplishments. I feel that’s more resume-ish than connecting with someone. I wouldn’t meet someone at a dinner party and start saying, “I’m the proud author of 13 ebooks and have had X number of sales.”
No – I’d say, “I started working from home when my son was diagnosed with RSV…” and take it from there. Be PERSONABLE. This is not a job interview.
When you’re finished with YOUR About page, how about you share it with me? Or on my blog in the comments section so others can support you with feedback?
What Not to Include on Your About Page
Don’t sell on your About page.
Don’t stick a bunch of hyperlinks to all your sites there. (Or to others).
Don’t ask people to opt-in – unless it’s at the BOTTOM of your About page – they’re just now showing an interest in getting to know you, so tell your story first and then later invite them
Don’t be nervous, either. Your About page is fully editable at any time. The key now is to attract people to your intentions and your abilities. You have that in you – just tap into it!