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About_Us_Pages_in_Small_Business_Websites
| About Us Pages in Small Business Websites
The Internet has been heralded as "the great equalizer": on a
browser window, any company, no matter how small, can look as
good as a large company with a long history of quality and
service. This situation presents an important challenge for
small businesses: how can I convince my potential customers that
I am not an unethical, fly-by-night operation? The best way to
do it is through a properly structured "About Us" page.
Your "About Us" page must not only introduce your company to
your potential customers, but must do so in a way that it
explains, beyond a shadow of a doubt, why they should trust you
and your company. Often, this means answering six basic
questions:
Who is behind this website?
People are getting tired of large, bureaucratic companies and
their "your-call-is-important-to-us" service mentality. As a
small business owner, you can give your customers the personal
attention they won't get from the big guys. Get that message
across in your "About Us" page. Don't be afraid to talk about
yourself and your passion for the business, and by all means
include your picture. The central message you want to convey is
that behind your business there is a real human being who has
his or her customers' best interests at heart.
Is this a real business?
Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to list your
full physical address. There is something reassuring about a
"bricks-and-mortar" location, even if your customers will never
visit you. A physical address shows your prospective customers
that you don't have anything to hide. Include your full contact
information, including your physical address, in a conspicuous
location within your "About Us" page.
How do they make money?
You know the cliché: "If it sounds too good to be true, it
probably is". If you don't make your business model evident to
your visitors (in other words, if you don't show them how do you
make money) the first question they will ask themselves is:
"what's the catch?". If you offer too many things for free, or
price your products too low vs. your competitors, prospective
customers will hold back. Use your "About Us" page to explain
what your main revenue streams are, and why do you charge what
you charge. Remember to always talk "value", not "price".
How long have they been in business?
People tend to regard longevity and stability as important
qualifiers to determine trust. Since most small business
(especially of the on-line variety) tend to be very young, it
may be hard to use the longevity card to solicit trust. If that
is your case, you can talk about your past experience instead.
For most small business owners, their past experience is highly
relevant to their current businesses. Use your "About Us" page
to talk about it, and how does it relate to and benefit your
current business.
How do I know they deliver?
The best way to show your prospective customers what you can do
for them is through testimonials from satisfied customers.
Ideally, the testimonials should come from companies that
accurately reflect your customer's demographics. To be
effective, these testimonials must provide some form of contact
information of those who offer them (usually, a name and a link
to a website will work). Presenting a small table with a list of
previous clients and the type of work you did for them is also
very effective. Make sure you ask for permission before listing
your clients' name (most of the time, they will be more than
glad to give you authorization, especially if you link to their
websites).
Are they related to the business community?
Another way to establish credibility and trust is to belong to
community, trade or professional associations. These entities
usually authorize their members to use their logos. For example,
a repair shop's website can use the seal of the ASE to emphasize
that its mechanics are well trained. Similarly, a business
consultant's website can display a logo of the American
Management Association, or a real estate agent can display a
logo of the National Association of Realtors. Use these
associations to your advantage in your "About Us" page.
Should I trust them with my private information?
People are very protective of their personal information,
especially on-line. You should have a privacy policy crearly
displayed somewhere in your website, and you should link to it
from your "About Us" page (and also from your homepage). Aside
from that, if you sell goods or services on-line, it is a good
idea to become a Truste privacy sealholder. By becoming a Truste
member and displaying the Truste seal in your "About Us" page,
you will demonstrate that you abide by Truste's best practices.
This alone may make the difference between prospective customers
buying from you instead of from somebody else.
Some Implementation Details
If the information in your "About Us" takes too much space and
makes your text too long, you can always split it among several
pages (you will then have an "About Us" section instead of just
a page). If you do so, create a small menu of options that apply
only to your "About Us" section. The links in that menu can be
called: Our People, Our Business, Portfolio, Customers,
Community, Privacy, etc. The best location to place this menu is
on a column to the right of the page, since usually the left
column or the top of the page are reserved for the main
navigation menu of the site. Finally, a link to your "About Us"
page must be present in your homepage (it doesn't have to be in
the most prominent location or in your main navigation menu, but
it has to be visible and easily accessible).
Summary
On the web, it is very difficult to determine if a company is
good and reputable. One way to help prospective customers know
that they can trust your business is through a good "About Us"
page. A good "About Us" page must answer the most common
questions prospective customers are likely to ask themselves to
determine if they should give you their trust. Your "About Us"
page should be easily accesible through a link in your homepage.
About the author:
Mario Sanchez is a Miami based freelance writer who focuses on
Internet marketing and web design topics. He publishes The
Internet Digest ( http://www.theinternetdigest.net ), a growing
collection of web design and Internet marketing articles, tips
and resources. You can freely reprint his weekly articles in
your website, ezine, or ebook.
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