Why you need a little About Me on your website

Okay. Obviously, I don’t mean that you need a little about ME on your website (although that would be nice wouldn’t it?).

When I say About Me, I mean about YOU and I’m referring the About page on your website.

I know many copywriting clients and copywriters would prefer to skip this critical page altogether citing, “oh, no one will be interested in me” and they couldn’t be more wrong.

The About page is possibly one of the most important pages on your website after the homepage and that’s not just because it’s usually the most visited, which it is.

The first step in planning the content for your website’s About page is understanding why people visit the page in the first place. Your potential clients simply want to know:

Who you are

Your About page gives you a chance to tell your story and it’s your story that will give your reader the opportunity to develop a connection with you.

That connection could be the difference between getting in touch or closing that website forever.

Don’t be afraid to put a name and a face to your business and remind the person reading right now that you are, in fact, a human being. People buy from people and the point of clicking on to an About page is to find a human connection.

You probably don’t want to share information about what’s in your bathroom cabinet or the names and ages of your kids but it can be really useful to share the details of:

• how and why you got started
• why you keep doing what you do (what you love about it)
• some personal snippets, like your favourite movie or jam.

This kind of information helps a potential client understand what you might be like to work with. And working with a copywriter can be an intense collaboration… liking each other, even a little, can really help.

That you know what you’re talking about

Life tells us that liking someone will only get a relationship so far. There has to be more. Like actual expertise. So, apart from sharing that you love Thirteenth Warrior with Antonio Banderas, help potential clients feel confident that you know your stuff by including information about your expertise.

• what did you do before writing copy?
• how does that background serve your clients?
• what do you specialise in now?

That you understand where they are coming from

Remember that clients are only interested in how your experience will benefit them. While you need to include enough details about your expertise make you credible, your About page shouldn’t be a chronological story of your life.

So, rather than talking about yourself, talk about your reader. Link your experience to their outcome using phrases such as:

What that means for you is…

That means I can write copy that…

What to do next

Every piece of marketing needs a call to action. Especially your about page!

You’ve just spent the page making a connection with a potential client. They get a sense of who you are as a person and what you might be like to work with and they feel confident in your ability to get the job done.

Ahhhh, warm and fuzzies all around!

Don’t let the moment pass without giving them some guidance on what to do next. Read your latest blog post, or get a quote, or download your super duper report. Whatever it is, make sure you end your page with an action.

So go and take a look at your About page now. Have you checked those points off? Do you think there is room for improvement or perhaps you disagree? Let me know!

Belinda