If you want people to give you something (money, attention or their email address), you’re asking them to take a risk: the risk you’ll sell them crap, or waste their time, or spam them silly. To act, your visitor needs the risk they perceive to be smaller than the trust they have in you. The more you want from them, the more they need to trust you.
Trust is a bigger issue online than in real life. Most of us are good lie detectors (or think we are); if you’re doing business with someone face-to-face, you can scope them out and back off if they don’t feel right. Online, how do you make the same assessment? With your About Us page! Your About Us page is actually all about your visitor: it reassures them that you’re a real person, and not a scammer, a stalker, or an incompetent.
1. Write it conversationally. Start with, “Hello, I’m…” You don’t have to name every team member, but if you can…
2. Include a photo. A friendly one.
3. Include any relevant qualifications.
4. Mention how long you’ve been in the business, if it’s a long time.
5. Describe what you like about the business, focussed on your customer: “I get a real kick every time someone emails me to say how nice their dog smells now.”
6. Include a few details about what you do when you’re not at work: “When I’m not up to my knees in suds, you’ll find me pretending to fish, watching my kids run around in circles, or cooking a damn fine barbeque.”
What’s your updated About Us say about you? Tell us in the comments!