Your website’s About page is your customer’s first impression of you as an e-commerce seller. It is your opportunity to introduce yourself, your products and your selling philosophy – which means an effective About page can encourage more buying and spending. So how can you get the most bang for your About page buck? Here are 5 easy tips.
1. Grab the shopper’s attention in the first two sentences. Draw the reader in with powerful language, strong emotions or the excitement of making a purchase. If you sell vintage toys, perhaps your About page could tug on the memories of your visitors: “Do you remember how you felt when you got that Raggedy Ann or Big Wheel on Christmas morning? We want your shopping experience here to be exactly like that.”
2. Add a human element. The “we’re just like you!” approach is especially effective for e-commerce sellers; you’re in the business because you love it, and because you believe your customers will too. If you sell handmade copper jewelry, explain your selling approach like this: “Silver, gold, platinum – it seemed like every time I looked for copper, all I heard was ‘no.’ Then I realized it was a market segment I could fill myself!”
3. Differentiate. An important part of your story is how you’re different from other sellers. Why should customers buy from you instead of from other e-commerce site owners or major marketplaces? Tell them: “Sure, you could buy knitted goods at the mall. But you won’t find a comparison to the beauty and complexity of our hand knitted sweaters. Take a look at our products and I’m sure you’ll agree there’s no substitute for handwork done with love.”
4. Share your philosophy via video. Video allows you to showcase products in use, tell a story in a different way and leave a lasting impression of your “voice” as an e-commerce seller. Certain visitors won’t bother reading through a paragraph but will almost always click on a video, so put as much information as you can into three minutes of content; using the hand-knitted goods example from above, show your needles in action, pan over your yarn stash and provide close-ups of your work.
5. Share your unique history. Again, don’t be afraid to put emotion into your About page — give visitors a good glimpse into what inspires and motivates you. Do you sell baseball cards? Explain why: “My earliest memories are of sitting on the hard seats of Fenway Park with my grandfather, munching on a hot dog as he kept score of the game in his program. When we weren’t able to attend games, I’d sit in my room, happily rifling through my card collection.”
The Bottom Line
As you set up or update your e-commerce site, pay special attention to your About page. Be sure to take advantage of this unique opportunity to “greet” your site’s visitors – and encourage them to stick around, and shop!
