Is your About Me Page Authentic (and Maybe Even Vulnerable)?
Flashbacks to job searches during college entered my mind and gut – that uneasy feeling where you have to share stellar accomplishments without bragging. My ‘About Me’ website page was due for a makeover. Experts say that page should be all about the reader, but I wanted a change. This time I was ready to do something bold – be fully transparent and vulnerable which is way outside of my comfort zone.
The About Me page is often the second page people visit on websites after reading the home page. If you captured their interest when they landed on your site, they will likely want to know more about you – who you are, what’s your story, what’s the company mission, and more.
There are lots of ways to structure an About Me page. I was sold on my new format right after reading ’10 Things About Me’ on a friend’s website. It was perfect! Now, I just had to create my own list which wasn’t as easy as I thought. Do I make it all business? Do I make it all personal? Should I be humorous or serious? How do I balance being professional yet fun so my true personality comes out? Do I really have to brag?
I decided on ‘Top 10 Little Known Fun Facts’. I share my excitements (like winning 6th row tickets to Tim McGraw), my failures (like not having any job offers after college), and things in between. I seriously contemplated how much to reveal to the world on the web. Then, I choose to go all in. Playing safe keeps me small, so I went big. Check it out and let me know what you think: ABOUT ME
I challenge you to try the 10 Things approach for your About Me Page
It’s a great experience thinking through your life and picking the best nuggets. However if you prefer to be more traditional, here are some alternatives:
1. Tell Your Personal Story
How and why you started your business including some of the highs and lows. Just remember that people are visiting your page to learn what you can do for them, so don’t ramble too long about unrelated points. Share enough to bond with people, but stay focused on them.
2. Be the Expert
Share your knowledge and expertise. This is the place to brag a bit on great posts that were shared, awards, and even testimonials from stellar clients who gained big results after working with you. Like the persona story approach, be sure to know your audience so you make it about them, too. Your successes should be their successes – like a partnership.
3. Share your Winning Personality with Visuals
Don’t just tell a bunch of facts about you. Use video and photos to show the real you. Video is still hot and allows people to see you outside of written words. Share your values and beliefs in your video and tell engaging stories which won’t have the same effect with words.
4. Inspire, Engage, and Wow them with your Words
People love to be inspired by stories, quotes, and more. If you are a strong writer, use that to your advantage. Give your readers a sense of what it’s like to work with you with creative copy writing. Just remember to write how you speak so it’s very conversational.
5. Make it about Them
Share how you can solve their deepest problems and support them to success. Let them know, like, and trust you so they want to work more closely together. Give case studies and testimonials from others just like them so they see themselves working with you!
While I don’t have any official guidelines on how often to update your About Me pages, it’s important to keep it current. I know I plan to swap out one of my 10 things about me as soon as I climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. That would be an interesting fact to claim! That one is on my bucket list for 2016 since I turn the Big 5-0.
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If you have a situation with your business where you want to do something differently, how long do you want it to take? Do you want change over 6 months, a year, a month?
Most business people that I deal with want to change right now. What I do that’s different is a program where we spend one day together and cover as much as you could in 6 months or a year. You are compressing the change into now.
If you are looking to change your business and change it quickly, it makes sense to front load with a strategic plan so you can implement things right away – not months down the road.
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When was the last time you took a day off for you and your business? Let us help you find clarity and the next best action to do now. Get the advantage! Want just a taste before investing in a full day? Pick Nancy’s brain with SPEED CONSULTING!
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