content
Writing the “About us” tab frequently gives entrepreneurs a headache. Even though the task is seemingly easy (after all, who knows more about your company than you?), the reality is often quite different. It’s not simple to write about yourself and your accomplishments – anyone who has ever had to pore over a cover letter, use a dating app or summarise a thesis knows it well. Which aspects of your company, products or services should you mention on your website to present your brand in the best light possible? Is the “About us” tab even necessary? We will talk about this in today’s article.
About me, about us, about our company…
There are different variations of sections talking about the people “behind the wheels” of the company and their visions; however, all of them have one goal – to convince customers that the company they are currently reading about is trustworthy.
The “About us” tag is your digital business card – therefore, it should contain all the most essential information about the conducted business, as well as what it has to offer to regular and potential customers. If well written, it answers questions about what, who what, where what, how and why what, thanks to which a given brand is less anonymous and creates a bond with the consumer, while also encouraging them to come back.
What are its other functions?
- It gives lesser-known brands the opportunity to shine. If your company has particular values, you need to mention them! There is a big chance that they will influence the customer’s decision to buy a certain product (or even a couple of them). Nowadays, you cannot afford any understatements – if you produce cosmetics “in harmony with nature” and ensure that the goods you sell generate as little waste as possible, you should definitely show it off.
- It introduces employees’ skills and technologies used by them. While reading a text about a copywriting company established by former PR agency employees, we immediately have the impression that our products are in the right hands. The background of your company makes all the difference; however, in this case, it should always be benefits that play first fiddle, and not vague bragging. “We have a qualified team” doesn’t tell us anything specific, but “Our qualified team helped more than 500 customers increase sales” does.
- It presents the company’s history. Are you the owner of a family coffee roaster which was set up by your grandmother and then passed on to your mother? Or did you start with garage sales like Jeff Bezos? Each beginning is one of a kind – you just have to find the right words to describe it. Then, your company will surely be remembered.
- It satisfies the curiosity. Although chain stores such as Reserved, Sinsay or Mohito are well-known by everybody, not many people know that the owner of those brands is the LPP joint-stock company with the registered office in Gdańsk. Whereas, while reading the website of the Swedish furniture producer, IKEA, you will learn that the company has always aspired to design affordable interior furnishings – in the spirit of the Scandinavian minimalism.
- It optimises positioning. Use the SEO potential by adding the most popular key phrases in the “About us” tab. But before you stuff your content with them, you should do some proper research to find out which phrases are most often searched for by customers. You should also remember that the key to success is to use these phrases so that they don’t stand out from the text and at the same time they maximise organic traffic to your website through a high ranking in search results. If you don’t know how to prepare optimised content, here are some tips.
What should such a page look like?
First of all, you need to remember that preparing a text “dressed” in appropriate words is just the beginning. The page layout and all kinds of “accessories” – pictures, headlines, typography, etc. play a huge role as well. You should also ensure that the whole content is consistent, aesthetically pleasing and, above all, readable. That way, it will be nice to look at for the customers, which may influence a further exploration of the content which the authors considered suitable to share.
Internet users scan websites in various ways – not many of them read content “from cover to cover” (whoever has never rushed through a summary of a school reading before a literature test should be the first to cast a stone). The vast majority pays attention only to particularly eye-catching elements (subheadings, bold words, graphics). It is therefore advisable to diversify the content of the “About us” tab – although it’s difficult to meet everyone’s taste, some recipients will definitely appreciate your efforts.
How to write the “About us” tab?
You already know what the graphic presentation of your website should look like. But what specifically is worth including in it and how to find a golden mean between a text that is too long and too short?
Many people make the same mistake by focusing only on the company’s successes. It is of course worth mentioning them, but you cannot assume that your readers will be fascinated by a text the length of the Discworld series.
The ideal “About us” description:
- Talks about the company’s history, its biggest accomplishments or the team. Be authentic. Anyone can promise the sky, but not everyone has the right amount of enthusiasm and the right means to reach it. If you are just starting your company, don’t write about extensive experience and thousands of satisfied customers. Instead, maybe it’s worth focusing on what you bring to the table or offering a free preliminary consultation, during which your approach to the customer will speak for itself?
- Introduces the products or services offered. Try to summarise your catalogue and focus on what makes it stand out. Don’t write, “We have comfortable sportswear”; instead, write, “We make sure that our quick-drying sportswear improves the comfort of your workout sessions during all seasons.”
- Convinces customers that the provider they are reading about will meet all their needs. Don’t try to please everybody – develop a marketing strategy that will focus on certain aims or a target group. Once you establish who is the most interested in what you offer, it will be easier for you to write about how your company will help in solving the problems that your customers are struggling with.
The last point is the most significant, since the “About us” tab is essentially about the client. Everybody wants to feel special; therefore, clichés such as “We adapt to the customers’ needs” or “We care about the quality of our products” will not pass the test in this case.
Above all, you should be specific.
“About us” description – examples
In its catalogue, Veoli Botanica has mainly facial and body care cosmetics, and since recently – natural primers. If you want to get to know the company, you will see the following content:
Source: https://veolibotanica.pl/o-nas.
[Translation: Hey, nice to see you here! Are you looking for natural cosmetics with formulas based on plant ingredients and state-of-the-art technologies? If so, you are in the right place! At Veoli Botanica, we take care of your skin at every stage of care and we respond to all skin problems. Acne, blackheads, blemishes, dehydration, signs of aging… Does it sound familiar? We know how to handle it.]
The first part of the description has merely six lines – at the beginning, Veoli Botanica welcomes the potential customer, then they talk about resources and technologies used by them. At the end, they get to the point: if you’re looking for products that will help you fight certain skin problems, we are the brand you’re looking for! It’s only later that the company goes into details and reveals which components can be find in their cosmetics:
Źródło: https://veolibotanica.pl/o-nas.
[Translation: What do we believe in? The power of plant ingredients and science. We have faith in the Clean Beauty philosophy. It’s the most demanding and uncompromising trend in the cosmetics industry, focusing on holistic approach to care and responsible, sustainable production. That’s why in our products you won’t find SLS, PEG, silicones, parabens, phenoxyethanol, acrylates, paraffin, artificial dyes and plastic abrasive particles.]
Our next example is Maciek Polak’s project – Ładne.co.
Źródło: https://ladne.co/my.
[Translation: It’s great that you’re here. Nice, isn’t it? We are Ładne.co, a group of people that create, admire, collect. But what? Art – in various meanings of this word. Because, apart from admiring classics of domestic design, we also love everyday art. Our company was created with this in mind and that’s why you’re here.]
From this description we learn that the group brings together Polish graphic designers and illustrators and distributes their original works. The website’s design is aesthetically pleasing in a creative way and it certainly appeals to the target audience. After scrolling the website, we will find the picture of the Ładne.co creator, as well as some of the posters which we can decorate our walls with.
Source: https://ladne.co/my.
The target audience of Estrid – the manufacturer of razors and shaving cosmetics – is Generation Z. People from this age range are said to be very independent and, at the same time, free from prejudices. They don’t want to label themselves and oftentimes they have problems with self-esteem, which is destructively influenced by social media. At the same time, they are more conscious as customers. They select products that are not tested on animals and have no negative effects on the environment. The Estrid brand is a shining example of how to write the “About us” tab that really focuses on customers.
Source: https://estrid.com/en-pl/about-us/.
Besides introducing the most important values of the brand, they also mention price discrimination, also known as „ the pink tax”. Feminine intimate hygiene products are often more expensive than their male counterparts, even though the only difference is that they have a more appealing look. Because of that the company strives to not let any kind of divisions influence products they offer. By adding photos of the happy buyers of the reusable razor, Estrid argues that every person that decides to buy products in their e-shop is “magical” and deserves respect.
Source: https://estrid.com/pl/o-nas.
Although having the “About us” tab is not a necessity, the potential benefits arising from having one should speak for themselves. If you don’t have a “knack for words” or you don’t know what you should mention, you can always delegate writing such a page to an agency that specialises in copywriting. In such a case, you need to remember to add a brief describing the history and values of your brand, as well as your expectations for the text.
