[Guest Post] Going Deeper than “About Us”: Five Elements for a Brand Story that Connects & Converts

Newsflash: Your ‘About Us’ page on your website isn’t really about you.

No, I’m being serious. I know what you’re thinking: “How can that be true? After all, the name of the page says that it is, you know, about us.”

I get it.

When we put together an About page that only details historical data such as how long we’ve been in business or who works for us, we miss an opportunity to tell people what they want to know more than anything else: what’s in it for them.

Everything is about the benefits.

Your story is the sum of WHO you are, WHO you help, HOW you help and the BENEFITS of your help. Your About web page is really all about your success in serving others.

As such, your official brand story – displayed in text or audio or video or all three – on your About page is the perfect place to really, really show potential customers, partners, and other stakeholders why your organization is the best choice for your audience. It is the place to connect with your audience and begin the process to convert audience members into customers. The opportunity is huge.

Unfortunately, many organizations and small businesses miss the mark. Instead of clearly highlighting the value, we emphasize features. We have a tendency to detail the process of whatever wonderful thing we do, rather than showcase what people really want to know and giving them tools to take that knowledge to the next level.

Your story is the place where your audience should fall in love with your brand. It is one tool you can use to put your brand’s awesomeness of full display. It is also the perfect place to direct your audience on the best way to begin a relationship with your organization.

To help you maximize your opportunities to connect and convert, here are five elements to consider when crafting your brand’s story:

Highlight Your Strengths

Your organization does something really well. What is it? Along with the basic details of who you are, your story should also highlight your strengths and/or specialties.

Only focus on what you do well.

Connect With Your Audience

Your audience – that is, your customers or the base of people you serve with your offerings – wants something very specific from you. But before they select your brand to give it to them, you have to connect with them.

Connecting with your audience is as simple as understanding what challenges, pain points, issues, or needs are right before they need to begin working with you. Your brand story should draw attention to the fact that your organization understands these needs.

Showcase Your Value

After your let them know that you understand, now you have to show them that you can deliver a solution to address their needs. Remember, it’s all about the benefits here. Everybody wants to know what value you bring to the table.

Your audience wants to know exactly how they will benefit from working with you. Tell them.

Talk About Your Success Rate

Brag.

In this instance, it is perfectly acceptable to brag about your brand’s accomplishments. Before potential customers or clients make contact with you, they want some form of proof that your organization knows its stuff. Detail some of the concrete results previous customers or clients have experienced as a result of working with you.

For added value, use a few case studies or testimonials to further illustrate your success.

Tell Them What To Do Next

Lead them to you.

Not everyone who visits your About Page is going to be your ideal customer. But for those who are, you want to be sure to include a call-to-action that identifies the next steps to build the relationship with you.

Your CTA could instruct visitors to schedule a consultation or ask them to give you a call or send an e-mail or download an e-book.

No matter what it is, you want to include a call-to-action that allows you to follow up with necessary so that you can begin the process of turning that page visitor into a paying customer.

Need more tips? Check out this blog on creating an About page that connects from HubSpot.

 

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Ashley Northington is the founder and director at DENOR Brands & Public Relations.

She is passionate about helping brands boost their visibility and income through engaging storytelling, compelling visuals, and intentional action. A thoughtful communications professional, she specializes in helping emerging and aspiring brands reach their full potential. She is a contributing author of #BossLiving: A Practical Guide to Starting Your Sustainable Small Business. She will release a new book, Counting Dollars and Likes: Growing Your Brand and Business in the Digital Age in 2016.

Connect with her and her business online at ashleynorthington.com and denorbrands.com. Follow her and her business on Twitter @ashnorthington and @DENORPR. You can also join her #LiveYourBrand group on Facebook: Facebook.com/groups/liveyourbrand.