In the private Facebook group, Creative Marketing That Works (you should join! Here’s how), writing your about page is something that comes up often.

Your about page on your site is one of the most important pages there is.

The pressure is on to make sure your about page is the best it can be.

It can often be a matter of making or breaking the sale.

I’m about to share with you some of the common mistakes I see with about pages.

Some of these might surprise you:

Common mistakes you might be making in your about page:

1. You write your about page like an autobiography

People online these days have the attention span of a goldfish (not you, of course).

This is not the time and place to write about your life story.

Many about pages for handmade business owners go too far back in history and include every tiny detail that you really should only share with your grandmother.

Go to your about page (after you’ve read through this post) and for every little tidbit of information that you share, ask yourself if this is really something that your potential customer needs to know.

So until you get that book deal, save your memoir for another time.

Well, what should you write about?

Keep reading below.

2. You don’t include any pictures

The old marketing adage rings true up to this day:

In order to sell your products, people first need to know, like and trust you.

An easy way to do that is to show people who you are and who they’re buying from!

Does your about page include any photos of you?

If you don’t like the way you look on photos or you’re camera shy, post photos of your studio or workspace.

Give people a look inside your world.

3. You don’t tell your customers who you are, what’s your name?!

Along with not showing any pictures of yourself or your business, another mistake is not saying who you are.

You can’t assume that people already know who you are the moment they come to your website.

When you don’t introduce yourself and your name, you risk looking like a faceless corporation.

That puts people off more than you might think.

This is such a simple tweak you can make to improve your about page now.

So do it!

4. You don’t show any personality

At some point in the handmade revolution, creative business owners were once advised to set up their biz online like they were a big company.

People were made to believe that if you’re a professional company with a team of 112 employees, you were more trustworthy and customers would be more likely to buy from you.

But since social media came into the picture, your customers want to buy from people who are real and down to earth.

The absolute worst about pages have too much technical jargon and corporate speak.

Stop trying to look big.

Stop using “we” or reference yourself in the third person if it’s really just you running your business by yourself.

Make it easy for your customers to read, avoid using big words and write like you would speak.

5. You don’t address why the customer should shop from you

Your about page is the best place for you to talk about how your products will help your customers.

But most about pages fail to address this.

If I could change the “About Us” standard for naming this page, instead it should really read “Why Us“.

If your customers care about quality then you can talk about how your products are so well made that their heirloom qualities will last for several lifetimes.

If your customers care about style, mention that your jewelry will make your customers look fabulous and feel confident even if they’re wearing sweatpants.

Get the picture?

6. You try to appeal to everyone

This mistake doesn’t just apply to your about page, but to your overall branding and your communication with your fans and customers.

Your about page should polarize anyone reading it to think that they’re your best customer or not.

Here’s an example of a great about page:

After reading this you might think, “this sounds really expensive”.

That is the exact response you should be looking for.

Because the people who aren’t your target customers won’t waste your time and theirs.

And it’ll be love at first sight for the people who are your target customers.

Stop trying to appeal to every single person.

It doesn’t do you any favors and it makes your writing bland and boring.

7. You don’t speak about your why

Do you know why you do what you do?

This goes beyond having the passion in making your art.

But what is your ultimate purpose with your work?

This can be tricky to figure out in one sitting, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t think about it.

For me and my jewelry business, my “why” is making people happy.

People shopping on my website are looking for gifts to make someone smile.

When people learn about why you do what you do, they’ll form a connection with you if they share the same values.

It’s simple but powerful.

Transforming a so-so about page to one that makes your customers fall in love with you

So how do you craft your about page so that it’s really good and your customers want to be your BFF?

Here are some practical ways:

• Count your me/I/we/us/our vs you’s
  • aim to have far more you’s then me’s
• Talk about how your products will help your customers
  • what are its benefits?
• Include a few testimonials
  • this helps your customers trust you
• Include some photos
  • and don’t forget to tell them what your name is and where you’re located!
• Have some fun
  • show off your personality. This is your magnet for attracting your target customers