Give your ideal clients what they need to know
Last week I got this friend request on Facebook.
I clicked on her profile and found she works with people on their relationship with food. I was interested to learn more, so I decided to go where I know I can get a really good feel for someone and the work they do - her website.
I landed on her Home page, and right away, it was clear who she served and what she was helping them with. Interesting. I wanted to know more about her, so…
I clicked on her About page.
And, that's where things started to feel a little off.
First, she spent several lines with some additional empathizing about the problem. Ok, I thought, but I want to know about you.
I kept scrolling. And then, she went into her story. You know the "I used to be just like you…and then I overcame this very thing you're struggling with" story? That one.
She went on with this for quite a while.
And then, somewhat abruptly, she ended the page with a long list of links to podcasts she'd been on.
That was it.
On To Other Things
There was no information about her qualifications. Her training. Her experience. None of that.
I had no idea how long she’d been working with clients. Or if she’d always been doing this work. Or if it was something she came into via an adjacent path.
In fact, as I thought about it, I didn’t have much of any information about her at all.
The messages the page seemed to give were:
I see you (This is a good message for your website, but it belongs elsewhere.)
I was just like you. Then I overcame. (Presumably the implication here is that a) you can too and b) this is what makes me qualified to help you)
Here are a bunch examples of me talking about this
In truth, there just wasn't enough information there to tell me what I needed to know about her. I feel bad but before I realized it, I'd clicked away from her site and went onto other things.
Potential Clients Need More
Unfortunately, I see a lot of well-meaning coaches, healers or other creatives out there creating About pages that just aren't designed to do what they need to do. They don’t mean to, of course. There is a lot of information (a LOT) of information out there about what to do and what not to do when writing your website. And there are many different philosophies that are behind these different approaches.
One approach I see over and over again emphasizes the importance of story in marketing. And, while story IS important (it’s how we remember things), I look at marketing as a chance to create and cultivate connection.
And, creating connection, genuine connection, requires creating trust
When crafting your About page, know that the purpose of the page (like most of your marketing) is to help create that level of trust. That connection.
It's to answer this question in your potential customer's mind:
Can she do what she says she can do?
Of course, not every person needs a lot of detail to make decisions. Some are OK with less. But more often than not, especially in the transformation space, less is not more.
Can she really help me?
A visitor to your site may be there for any number of reasons. She may have seen a post on social media. She may've gotten your name from a friend. Perhaps she found you on a Google search.
Whatever the reason, she’s there because she’s looking for more information.
And, if she clicks on your About page, she wants to know more about you. It means in some way your message has resonated with her and she wants to know more. She’s wondering if you can really help her.
This is your opportunity to give her the information she needs to start seeing you as someone who can help her.
This is your chance to tell her how you’re qualified to help. What your experience is.
This doesn’t mean your About page has to be a sterile resume from your last round of job interviews while still at your corporate job. It can be written with warmth, care and love. And, it should give your potential clients the information they need to feel confident hiring you.
Don’t short-change your website visitors. They’ve landed on your website because they think you might be able to help them.
Be sure to let them know you can.