So, tell me about yourself in two concise, interesting sentences and include reasons why you are a business owner and what makes you special.
(insert long pause and many deleted sentences)
Whenever I have to submit a bio, the blank slate of my life stares back at me. Big, fat zero, with nothing cool to say. It’s as if I emerged as an adult, the inevitable outcome resulting from a series of ho-hum experiences. Why is it so hard? Because honest writing is difficult.
About Us is the section that answers the important questions people want answered: Why does this business exist; What makes it relevant to me; Who is behind it? Dodging these answers or hiding behind familiar, forgettable copy and images is not a win.
About You is an opportunity to connect with your clients on a human level. This is the place to share the motivation behind your decision to put yourself out into the world and stand behind what you offer. What you say does not have to be personal, it needs to be authentic and inviting.
For instance, our client, Alpine Specialists. The owner wanted to convey a sense of independence and problem-solving when presenting his team and their skill sets. These people are active, they are doers. We suggested individual portraits of each person in their preferred environment.
The message is fun and genuine.
Having someone else tell your story is one way to approach the challenge. Ask a friend, coworker or business partner to write a short piece. Catherine and I worked together on our stories. She reminded me what to include and picked up details that I overlooked. This simplified the process because she was thinking about me, not herself or her image of herself. An objective perspective does not happen easily.
The level of personality that comes through is for you to determine. About Us is where we look for resonance, we verify the truth between what is said and what is shown. For our portraits, Catherine and I chose to highlight some humour - the red lips and laser blue eyes – and overexposed the images to underline the essential principle of what we do – portray the personality of our clients. Our style stays on our website. Your style is yours.
Dare to be honest. Showing more range in your profile demonstrates you as a human being. That is what people want to find.
