How to write an About page for a brand (not a person)

I’ve talked about writing a compelling About page before.

It’s an important page on your website – regardless of whether we’re talking about a solo-run small business or a multi-national corporation.

Your website (or blog) About page should tell a story that helps someone connect with your business. And it’s that connection that will tip them in favour of doing business with you…. or not.

Your readers and potential customers want to know:

• Who you are
• That you know what you’re talking about
• That you understand where they’re coming from
• What to do next

It’s easy to be personable when you’re the face of your business – when you’re the business and the business is you. But how does a larger organisation write a humanising About page?

Traditionally, About pages have talked about the company history and how many staff members are employed. How many collective years of experience everyone has and, sometimes, a bland company mission statement.

I’m going to be blunt. Those kinds of About pages are RUBBISH.

Just because a business is larger than one person, it doesn’t mean it has to have a boring About page. Your goal, as a copywriter, is to humanise what could otherwise be a faceless (and heartless) corporation.

Here are some tips.

Switch your pronouns

When you’re writing on behalf of a brand and a team, switch to referring to the business in the third person (the business name). You don’t want your copy to become too formal, though, so mix in some first-person pronouns team talk (we, us, our).

Since MailChimp is self-funded, profitable, and quickly growing, we spend our time improving our product and listening to the people who use it. – Mailchimp About Us page

Try not to use the same descriptors as everyone else

Being original will help your (or client’s) business stand out. Apart from the obvious nature of that statement, you should apply it to the language you use.

Avoid using the same phrases that everyone is using to describe their business.

Like “professional”. Maybe you are professional but what does that mean for your customers? Does it mean you are always polite on the phone? That you’re always punctual? Does it mean you do what you say you will? Or that you follow industry guidelines?

Give well-used phrases additional meaning by explaining them – tying everything back to how your customers benefit. Or just use more original words. You can do that too.

SUPER RESOURCE ALERT: If you have never done a brand personality exercise, here is a great explanation on how with an awesome free resource of hundreds of personality words to inspire you.

You don’t have to talk about your history

When a business first opened its doors is interesting if you’re making a point about your customer service being so awesome that it has lasted the distance. Or the fact that this is still a family-owned business.

But, in truth, customers don’t care about company history; they care about how the company will benefit them now.

So rather than rolling out a boring company history, talk about:

• Why this business got started (why is so much more interesting than how)
• Any core values the organisation holds to
• How employees live up to those values every day
• What the business is trying to achieve (the mission and vision)
• How the business improves life for its customers,

These are the points that make up a brand’s story. And that story can be just as strong a connection point as one person’s story.

You can still talk about people

If a business has made the transition from a solo small business to a business with a team, you can divide the About page into sections – with one section or page on the company and then other sections or pages about the business owner/CEO/key leaders.

You can also focus on the values that guide the team – from the points above. That makes it a story about people.

Just as for an About page for an individual, make sure your points are interesting and link back to why your customers would care. Give them a reason to care.

Always include a call to action

After you’ve made a connection and your reader is feeling good about doing business with you, you don’t want to lose them.

Make sure your About page has a call to action reminding your reader to ask questions, download your free thing or contact you for a quote.

Remember, the About page is one of the most visited pages on a website. It’s the chance you have to make a more personal connection with a potential client. Why? So they can stop looking for a solution to their pain because it’s right here.

So there you have it, writing an About page for a brand really isn’t that dissimilar to writing one for an individual… Are you surprised?

Belinda