How to write a text "about the company", "about us": step by step instructions
Step-by-step instructions on how to write a text "about the company
The "about us" page is a strategically important step on the way from getting to know the company to making a deal. Through this page you create a first impression, a sense of trust is formed in a potential buyer.
Most "about us" texts look like this: "We are professionals, we are reliable, the best in the market. Order from us." What emotions do you get from this text? It is unlikely that you would want to continue to get acquainted with this company, because except for bragging, the text does not contain any useful information for the reader. And the reaction will be appropriate — a potential client will just close the page and go away.
Let's figure out how to write a text "about the company" so as not to lose customers, but to multiply them.
Content:
- Objectives of the "about us" text
- 5 steps of problem solving in "about the company" text
- SEO and "about us" page
- Major mistakes in the design of the "about the company" page
- An example for inspiration
- Conclusions
Objectives of the "about us" text
Let's first define for whom this information is needed:
- For competitors. They want to see how you build the "about us" section of the website. Perhaps borrow your ideas or make sure their information is presented better.
- For the potential customer. He is in search of a product or service and needs more information to make a decision.
- For the customer. He has already made a purchase, but there may be doubts about the right choice. He needs confirmation that he is not mistaken.
For us, points 2 and 3 are the most important. How to influence a potential customer to lead him to a purchase? How to satisfy the need for confirmation of the right choice by the one who has already made it?
You need to understand that the text "about us" is a commercial tool. In case 2 and 3, these are people who are specifically looking for more information and this is no longer a "cold audience".
Popular writer Maxim Ilyakhov, author of "Write, Shrink", shows how to write "good" and "bad" texts about a company, let's look at some examples:
And here's an example of an exemplary "about us" text:
Now we will see how to write the same texts using the method described in this article. The solution for writing a text "about the company" consists of 5 steps. Let's analyze them in detail below.
5 steps of problem solving in "about the company" text
Step 1 — Information
At this point, the reader gets what he or she came for — information and arguments to make a decision. When making your arguments, back them up with real facts. For example:
- We have been in the market for a long time — > Our company was founded in 2010
- We have really fresh products — > We receive products on the day of sale. What we don't sell, we deliver to shelters.
- We are located in the heart of the city — > Our office is located 5 minutes from the central square.
You have to agree, the difference is obvious.
Step 2 — Detachment from competitors
Being able to objectively assess the pros and cons of your competitors is an important step when putting together an "about" page. Ask the customer for data on the results of your target audience analysis. If this is not possible, your solution is your competitors and your target audience hypotheses.
Determine how competitors position themselves, what data they place in this section. Based on this information, you can create a section called "Our Advantages" and specify what your competitors do not have. At this stage you may be able to see where you are winning and where you are falling behind.
Step 3 — building trust
Building trust is the activation of a psychological trigger - disposition, that is, after reading the text about the company the reader should like it. Let's assume that this has happened, then the client will turn from a potential client to a real client. This is where positive emotions come into play and then an action is taken - a purchase.
But there is an opposite effect of the text. He will not like the user if it is not specific, not disclosed the needs of the reader in the necessary information. Text based only on praise and adjectives "best" emotionally create the opposite effect — rejection of the service or product.
It is important to mention the mission and values of the company. In this case, you are voicing points that coincide with the reader's beliefs and values. And so he likes your company even more.
Other points favorable to the user for the "about us" section are honesty and openness. Even if you are a startup and do not have much experience at this stage — do not be afraid to talk about it. Talk about your desire to work for the quality and name of the company.
Introducing the team is another attribute on the way to customer trust. Add live photos of employees, give the company a human face.
You can also post a video of the workshop, the work process, or just the office where the employees are. Allow the reader to think in terms of images, so that you are the one who will eventually reach out to them.
Step 4 — psychological triggers
There are plenty of other psychological triggers to hook the reader. The penultimate step and you are almost there.
Here we want to talk about other triggers you can use when putting together an "about us" page.
- Customer base. If you have already built up a certain number of clients — show them off. You could create a section on "our clients", reviews also work well. Even better if they are videos of satisfied clients. If your business doesn't involve collecting testimonials, make a block with figures (number of clients, experience in this niche).
- Awards, diplomas, certificates. Showcase your employees' accomplishments. People love working with professionals.
- Community. Create a community to promote a themed product or service. Becoming your client means becoming part of this community.
Step 5 — getting a response
The final step on the way to the application. This is where you make it easy to contact you. Place "contact us" or "leave an application" buttons.
You can place them both at the beginning and at the end of the whole section, or better both. It is not certain that the text "about the company" will be read to the end.
SEO and "about us" page
Overloading with keywords is one of the main mistakes when compiling an "about us" page. The main thing is the value of the information the section contains. You can read about how to properly use SEO optimization for the site here.
Remember that the text should not be a canvas, divide it into the blocks we talked about earlier. For example, you have a lot of information, how can you organically fit in key positions without boring the reader?
Use the summarization from ReText.AI. With its help you can shorten the text online. The service selects key points from the information, removes water and voila — you have a ready text for the "about us" section.
Major mistakes in the design of the "about the company" page
- Lack of narrative logic
- Lack of useful information in the text
- Fictitious, hyperbolized facts about the company, its services and products
- Using photos from stock photos
- Outdated information that does not correspond to reality
An example for inspiration
Metro Cash&Carry Russia
The "about us" section begins with the history of the company.
Projects next section, note that the bar with additional features comes down when you scroll through the page.
Values designation is what we talked about above.
Caring for the environment is another point on the road to trust from the reader.
Demonstrating the team's workflow — putting a human face on the company.
Quality control at the product release stages.
And now you are ready not only to buy something, but also to become a part of the team.
Conclusions
A text about a company is a commercial tool. It has its own tasks that it has to solve. We have shown you 5 steps on how to compose an "about us" text, all you need to do is adapt it to your business.