Write About Yourself Effortlessly
Over the last couple of months, I’ve been talking about ways to optimize your website for maximum convertibility. So far, we’ve covered the flow of your website and optimizing your homepage. This time, we’re talking about the next page in the flow: your ‘About Page.’
So, let's talk about creating an ‘About Page’ and how to talk about yourself effortlessly without overly talking about yourself.
I get where you're coming from. You don't want to brag overly about yourself and come off like a douchebag. You don't know what to say, but you want them to know you’re experienced.
I'm going to really break down the key things you're ‘About Page’ needs to cover. And I really want you to just soak this in and let this just kind of marinate, because when you explain yourself in this way, this is where a lot of light bulb moments happen for your customers in terms of wanting to spend money with you and them willing to pay money for you.
So, let's talk about the core components to have on your ‘About Page.’
#1: Why Do You Do What You Do?
Your ‘About Page’ needs to be about your unique connection to the service you provide or the product that you offer. This is a temperature reading for your potential customers to understand your passion behind what you offer. Let that sink in a little bit.
Your unique connection is what you need to be talking about. And when I say unique connection, I'm saying: why did you choose to offer this over something else? If you're a service professional, why are you a service professional for this industry versus a different industry? Why are you offering this service versus a similar service that's different? If you're a wedding photographer, why are you a wedding photographer versus a newborn photographer?
Something about the experiences in your life led you to this point. And when you think about things in that way, it really shifts how you talk about yourself. You're no longer speaking from a place of trying to be this expert. You're speaking as someone that is an enthusiast, like someone that genuinely cares about what you do, and that is palpable for your customer.
A customer is 10 times more likely to spend their money knowing that you just dig what you do versus you saying, “I love coffee and I love light, and I love going hiking.” When they’re looking for a solution, they don’t care if someone goes hiking on the weekends, they care if you can solve their problem or provide what they need.
That's what I see a lot of creative entrepreneurs do. They don't know what to say, and so they'll fill their ‘About Page’ with their hobbies and think that someone will hire them because of the mutual interests they share. That is not what it's about.
You're not really trying to win friends. This isn't you going on Bumble trying to make friends with people. You're trying to get people that genuinely appreciate and value what you have to offer and want to pay you money for that.
And so, like I said, they're much more likely to pay for someone that loves what they do versus someone who also shares the exact same interests. Make sure you're being so clear on that point.
If you can answer why do you do what you do with sincerity and honesty, it is so significant because however this job allows you to get joy or fulfillment, when you share that, that is so easily translatable. Your customers will feel that so tangibly.
So why do you do what you do? Pause and really take a second to journal it out, write it out, answer that question, and then continue.
#2: Explain Your Approach
The second thing that you're going to want to do is explain your approach to what you do and how you crafted your approach.
There are many people in the world that do what you do for a living. You're obviously not the first person to come up with this, and there are many people that offer what you offer or something similar enough to it.
They have their own way of doing things. You have your own way of doing things that's different from Joe Schmoe who also offers the same products. There's a reason why you like doing it the way you do it. At some level, you felt that would either make your life easier or that would make your customer's experience better, or both.
When you're able to articulate your approach, you are communicating value in a very clear way. Explain what do you do? How did you come up with this approach? What's your philosophy?
#3: Communicate Excitement
Number three, you need to, somewhere on your page, communicate a level of excitement or a sincere desire to serve your customers in some capacity.
In addition to wanting to hire someone that is good at what they do, that is passionate about what they do, they want to know that they're not just giving someone money to treat them like every other customer.
I want you to share that you are excited about them. What are you excited about working with your customers? How deeply connected to your customers do you feel? I want your sincere desire to serve your customers to just be like absolutely springing from the page. It could be as simple as saying:
“I have just come to fall in love with each and every one of my customers, and that is something that I absolutely can't wait to do for you. Each customer gets such a custom approach, and I want you to know that when you work with me, you are getting someone that is fully committed to your journey.”
Damn! If someone told me that, I'd be like, “Yes, take my money!”
It is so important to remember that they've probably looked at professionals that offer what you offer or something similar to what you offer. And somewhere along the line they've probably wondered what makes this person different than someone else that I may hire.
When you express that you’re eager to serve them, and you're eager to give them an incredible experience, they are going to genuinely feel like you're going to take care of them. That is what people are willing to pay money for. People are willing to pay money to feel taken care of, and that is just the beginning and end of it.
#4: Images
How many images should you have? How important are images?
You ideally want four to seven images on your ‘About Page.’ Your main head-shot photo—and this is absolutely non-negotiable—must be a face forward shot. We want to see both eyes.
Why is this a non-negotiable? There is buyer psychology that suggests that if a customer goes on a website and they're not able to see both sets of eyes, they immediately feel like they don't trust that person.
Why is that? If you're seeing the profile or seeing the back of their head, you can't see sincerity. You can't see intention. But you can tell someone's character and their energy by what they communicate with their eyes.
And so, non-negotiable, you have to have a face forward shot. It doesn't have to be fully faced forward like you’re getting your driver’s license photo done. Even if it was just tilted to the side, as long as you can see both of their eyes, that immediately conveys so much trust.
You also need to have an image that is you contextualized within the craft of you doing what you do, you in the field, you in action, you working with a customer. We want to see you in your environment, in that zone.
Why is this important? Because they're going to be reading all this copy on your website that talks about how you can't wait to serve them, how you’re committed to serving them. Showing you in a picture actually in your zone and your environment, that creates that brand consistency and illustrates that commitment and passion for your craft, where they're like, “Wow, they practice what they preach. That's them doing that in that picture, and that completely aligns with what they just told me in their copy. I like that.”
That is why you always see photos of, for example, a carpenter in their shop, making a stool or table. There's a reason why those are impactful.
The remainder of the images are up to you. It's okay if you want to share a picture of you on a hike if you want, or if you want to share a lifestyle situation. Just make sure that the images are aligned aesthetically with the first two images and with your brand.
All that being said, your ‘About Page’ is going to be so transparent that you can't afford to squander it. This is the way that you communicate it. Make sure that you are including each of these core components, and I promise you there is going to be trust from those people looking to hire you. You are going to win their trust and they are going to feel so confident and they are going to be ‘Hell Yes’ clients.
If you want more in-depth training on this and other topics for creating a thriving business, check out my Business Conservatory Membership Program! Join for free today and get access to over 30 trainings, direct access to me via DMs & bi-weekly Hot Seat Coaching with me. Learn more about my program here.
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