About Us Page

About Us in an Age of Transparency and Authenticity

Quote:

Because we’ve studied About Us content for over a decade, we have a strong basis on which to assess the major trends surrounding corporate-website design. Perhaps the most noteworthy trend that emerged in our most recent round of research is that users now expect companies to demonstrate a heightened level of authenticity and transparency not only on their websites, but in every interaction a person may have with the organization. More than ever, users are skeptical of companies and see right through complex corporate speak, jargon, and stock photography.

https://www.nngroup.com/articles/about-us-information-on-websites/~

Now you have your Shopify store up and running technically,

But here are the stats of how important information is about you and your business is to your customer.

A list of ideas for your about page

1. Mission Statement - TAGLINE -

2. What Are Your Values and Goals

Summary at the top of the 'About Us' page - 1 - 2 paragraphs telling your customer why and what?

3. Outline Your Journey

4. What Was Your 'AHA' Moment

5. Describe Your Customer

6. What Are They Going To Get (Zappos)

7. Brag A LOT

8. Who Are You (Photo Please) and Your Team

9. Community and Sustainability

10. CTA - Give your customer the next step without them having to leave the page. Link them to the main product (the one you started with) or the featured product that you are very proud of! ....sells well...a lot of customers buy?

How to Start Your 'About Us' Page

Story Housing

Question - make them reflect

Story - make them imagine

Results - make them remember (payoff)

Challenge - Make them Act

HEADLINE:

When all else fails, use a formula.

The Internet is full of fill-in-the-blank blog title suggestions, like these, courtesy of CrazyEgg.

• How To [Accomplish Something] In [Short Amount of Time]

• How To [Receive Benefit] Without [Undesired Expenditure]

• The Unbelievably Easy Way To [Accomplish Something]

Structure of your page - STORY TELLING

INTRODUCTION:

Paragraph one: Try to get the reader’s attention and share the big idea for the article.

BODY SECTION:

Paragraph two: Try to emphasize the need for the article. Prove to the reader that they need to read this.

Paragraph three: Explain the big idea of the article. Take a look ahead at what the reader is going to experience and learn

SUMMARY:

Completes your idea

• Repeat the main point
• 1 or 2 paragraphs only
• Build Social Proof
• Include additions resources

CALL TO ACTION: Tell the reader exactly what to do next.

TIP: Close with a question - give the reader something to think about

Images

Google

horizontal - hero image

alt tags, title of images

H1, H2, Tags, images

optimize for speed

Pinterest

1000x1500

Facebook

LinkedIn

Shares at bottom of page

Beyond Your About Page

QUOTE:

In our studies, users turned to social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn to see what other people were saying about their experiences with the company. Many people also relied upon user review sites such as Google Reviews, Yelp, and Glassdoor, to get a more realistic picture of the organization they were researching.

~ Nielsens

shopitimize

Your ‘About Us’ page should reflect that change as they read along. This list is a great starting point for creating your narrative

1. Set the stage. Give an intro to the “characters” or setting of your business. Tell the audience “the way things were” before your business. Or for your target customer or industry.
2. What’s the conflict? What problem caused you or your business respond to that need?
3. Meet the problem. How did you find a solution (starting your business) and the struggles you had along the way.
4. Slaying the dragon. Tell us your big wins and how your business is pursuing its mission.
5. What’s next? What’s the next thing you’re trying to reach for?

When you combine all these elements, you get something like this:

[THE TEAM] started [BUSINESS] because [REASON].

That’s why [BUSINESS JOURNEY TO SOLUTION].

Along the way, [DRAGONS SLAYED, BIG WINS].

We want to be [FUTURE GOALS]. Keep in mind, this shouldn’t be the exact copy that you use. It’s a little boring and dry as is. Make sure to write it in the first person, using “I” and “We”, to build more of a personal connection. The story is just the start. The About Us page shouldn’t just tell the story and that’s it. It should show it. There are other elements that can help define your brand that you should include.

Things You Could Include On Your About Us Page

It doesn’t have to be cutting edge to mention. There are examples in history of companies mentioning the same things that all companies in the same industry do, but they are the first ones to mention it.

Some of your own examples may be:

• How you pass the savings on to the customer by cutting out the middleman that’s typical in your industry
• How you donate a certain percentage of profits to charity
• How your packaging is environmentally conscious
• How your business positively impacts your community

Press mentions, testimonials, and awards

How are you affecting your customers’ lives? How are they talking about your product?

There are different ways to integrate social proof into your Shopify store.

For example, Loox. Firstly, it’s free. Second, it invites users to send in a photo of them holding/wearing their purchase in return for a discount coupon off their next purchase.

When your prospects see real people using the product, it’s so much more powerful than just a simple written review.

Numbers help give more of a foothold for what you are trying to prove and is less arguable.

Consider what numbers you could integrate into your About page to prove your mission statement or company objective.

Tying figures into your company’s narrative puts “your money where your mouth is” so to speak.

Consider the two following statements: “Purchases of our clothes help kids go to college. Kids in America are dropping out each day. A part of all our profits goes to helping kids in need” Compare what the company, Merit, use on their about page.

This is what builds better trust between brands and consumers and there’s nothing stopping you from doing it either.

Putting a face to a brand (With E-commerce About Us Page Examples)

If people do business with people and not brands, then what better way to show that there are real people behind your business than to put your team’s picture on your store’s About page? Even if you only highlight yourself and not your team, it’s a chance to build your own brand for making quality stores and serving your market.

Call to actions to wrap it up

Your About page can also be used to send visitors to other parts of your online funnel to keep up with you for new updates. Stitch Fix knows how to make the most of their About page. At the end of the page, they offer a way to Get Started as well as a link to ask questions about their service. Incorporate any relevant links with an appropriate call to action.

It gets better with age

When you’re just starting your store, it may seem like there’s not a lot to say. But if you know what you do for your customers and why you do it then you have a great starting point. You can always add more as you gain new insight into new business accomplishments. For stores who are a bit more developed and have a bit of a following, it may be worth checking your analytics to see how many people stop by your About page. Whether you are just starting out or already cranking out sales, your About page is a valuable asset to your business, often underutilized.

On top of that, the paid version allows you to import reviews from AliExpress, so if you’re dropshipping from there, you can leverage other customers’ reviews until you start getting your own.

This gives your Shopify store instant credibility.

Quantifiable numbers (With E-commerce About Us Page Examples)