When you’re getting started in ecommerce, you’ve got a million things to do.
Creating the perfect About Us page probably isn’t your top priority.
So, what do you need to know to quickly set up an effective About Us page?
Hey all, it’s Jessica with Oberlo, and today we’re going to share 12 easy steps to creating
an effective About Us page for your dropshipping store.
But, before we dive in...
What’s the Purpose of an About Us page?
Your About Us page helps you to establish trust with customers, by letting them get
to know who you are.
Why is this important?
As Simon Sinek said, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”
Your About Us page needs to introduce your brand, values, and mission to your customers.
The idea is to humanize your brand, so that your customers can relate to you on a more
personal level.
Relatable brands are profitable brands.
So how do you communicate your brand’s mission on a single webpage?
Simple: Just follow these steps.
Step #1: Realize that your About Us page, isn’t about you.
Your About US page is actually about your customers, and their need to bond with you
before they’re willing to buy.
This is crucial for you to keep in mind.
Every single thing on your About Us page must be tailored towards the needs of your customers.
So, don’t share the entire history of your business, or list out all of your accomplishments.
Write only about what is most interesting, and relevant to potential buyers.
How do you make sure you get this right?
Well, when creating your About Us page, constantly ask yourself, “Why would my customers care
about this?
What’s in it for them?”
You can also count the number of times you write the words ‘I’ or ‘we,’ and the
number of times you write the words ‘you’ or ‘your.’
If you do a good job of relating your story to your customers, the numbers should be roughly
equal.
Step #2: Maintain your branding.
Your About Us page is the epicentre of your branding.
It’s where you get to boil down the ‘who’ ‘why,’ ‘what,’ and ‘how,’ of your
business into one simple web page.
So, make sure you show off your personality.
If you’re quirky, create a quirky page!
If you’re serious, create a serious page.
Whoever you are, let it shine through every element of your About Us page.
Yellow Leaf Hammocks is a socially conscious business, tackling extreme poverty through
sustainable employment.
They do this by selling hand-woven hammocks from artisans in Thailand.
So their brand addresses a serious issue in a positive, fun way.
As a result, their About Us page contains statistics related to the poverty the company
is addressing.
At the same time, the page is colorful, vibrant, and full of pictures of happy people who are
benefitting from the company’s efforts.
This makes for a meaningful, compelling brand page.
If you check it out, you’ll find yourself eager to order one of their hammocks!
Step #3: Create an engaging design.
No one likes to read walls of text — especially on a mobile device.
What’s more, the human brain processes visual content 60,000 times faster than text.
And with the abundance of visual content online today, people expect to find pictures, videos,
and graphics on your About Us page.
So, bring your page to life by using these visual elements.
Think about what you need to say in writing, and what might be better communicated through
images, graphics, or a short video.
How many words should your About Us page be?
Well, marketing expert Neil Patel recommends that you keep your About Us page under 500
words.
Fashion brand Whipping Post keeps their About Us page, short and sweet.
There’s a few carefully chosen sentences showcasing the company’s dedication to simplicity
and quality.
But, the real work is done by the large images and a short video which showcases their earthy
and masculine brand.
Step #4: Include a mission or vision statement.
Customers want to know that you’re in business for more than just profit.
So, tell them: Why are you selling a particular product, and what do you hope to accomplish
beyond making money?
Nike for example, strives to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.
Maybe you’re trying to make mom’s lives easier by selling cute children’s clothing
online.
Or perhaps you’re selling watches so that your customers feel confident--and show up
to work on time.
Try to convey your values, your culture, and what makes you different from your competitors.
Keep it short and to the point.
It should be inspirational and motivating.
Step #5: Share your story.
Your customers want to know how your business got started and what the circumstances were.
Don’t be afraid to get personal.
Your story is a key opportunity to create a connection with your customers.
Ecommerce store Harper Wilde shares their unique story in an extremely compelling way.
They start with the headline, “It started with a question...
why are bras so expensive?”--a question many of Harper Wilde’s potential customers
have probably asked themselves.
The About Us page then guides customers through a relatable, humorous story of why this bra
company got started.
There’s a link in the description below if you’d like to read the rest of their
page yourself.
So, what’s interesting about your story?
Step #6: Include social proof.
Social proof is great because it lets customers know why others love your brand.
This puts customers at ease and builds trust.
You can use social proof in your About Us page in the form of reviews or testimonials.
You can also include the logos of any major publications you’ve been featured in, or
of any awards you’ve won.
If you don’t have these things yet, don’t worry.
Even one positive review can do wonders for your credibility and authority.
And if you don’t have any reviews, consider including screenshots of some fun interactions
you’ve had with customers on social media.
Glam Seamless does a nice job with this on their About Us page, including a live feed
of customer’s Instagram photos featuring their products.
However you do it, including social proof on your About Us page will make your brand
all the more trustworthy.
Next up on our list of top tips…
Step #7: Show off your team.
Add another emotional element to your About Us page by adding details about the people
behind the business.
This is a great way to shatter the image of a faceless company, and connect on a human
level.
An added benefit?
Your employees will feel more valued.
Pure Cycles, for example, shares images of all of their staff, and the images are fun
and full of personality.
So, even it’s just you working on your business right now, include a photo and a bit about
yourself!
Step #8: Add an opt-in form for your mailing list
This tactic gives visitors to your About Us page a chance to learn about your business.
It also gives you the opportunity to nurture visitors into paying customers.
Why is this effective?
Well, you can assume that anyone who visits your About Us page is interested in your business
and might like to know more.
For example, when QualityStocks added an opt-in form on their About page, it resulted in a
158% increase in subscriber growth.
Step #9: Include Links To Your Products You want to optimize your entire website for
sales.
And, after a visitor has learned about your brand, they’ll be more likely to trust your
business and might be ready to buy.
So, it’s a great idea to add links to a few choice products on your About Us page.
Estee Lauder approaches this in a unique way.
After sharing their story, they give visitors the option to ‘shop the story’, by sharing
three products related to what they’ve just shared.
Simply, give interested visitors an easy transition to browse your products.
Remember, keep the focus on your customer, let your brand’s personality shine through,
and don’t be afraid to get personal.
What’s your mission statement?
We’d love to know, so share it in the comments below — we read them all!
Thanks for watching, and if you liked this video, remember to hit the subscribe button
below, and turn on the notification bell for more videos on how to grow your dropshipping
business!
And until next time, learn often, market better and sell more.