Why No One Cares About Your “About Us” Post
In theory, an “About Us” video or blurb is a great idea.
In practice, not so much.
Typically, an “About Us” or an “About Me” post on social media will be a video or a couple of paragraphs, targeted at a business’s niche audience, pointing out all their products and services and why they are the number one choice in their industry.
Many business owners discover that their About Us or About Me content gets overlooked and dismissed on social media.
Which is frustrating, because these same business owners will tell you that if they are lucky enough to get an audience with a potential buyer long enough to give them an About Us presentation, they often close the sale.
Nevertheless, there just doesn’t seem to be any interest on social media, even among qualified connections and targeted audiences.
Why is this the case?
Well, there is no nice way to say this.
Are you ready?
About Us posts are boring.
Ever been on a terrible date, where the other person just spends the whole night talking about themselves? About Us posts are a lot like that.
Yawn.
So, how should you make an About Us post more interesting? Could catchier copywriting do the trick? Flashier video?
Maybe.
But in most cases, it’s not the message that’s wrong. You could have a list of 1,000 valid reasons why you are absolutely the best at what it is you do and have 1,000 sincere arguments why you are the right choice for whatever contract it is you are seeking, and yet no one will be interested in reading or watching your About Us content.
The reason for this is that – on the Internet – time and focus is precious.
Asking someone to sit and read or watch an About Us post is asking a lot – so make sure you do everything you can to make it relevant and interesting.
If your About Us post is dead in the water, consider these reasons…
It’s all about you
Let’s go back to the bad date analogy, where the other person is making the whole night about themselves and you’re bored to tears.
Now, I know what you’re probably thinking… isn’t a date all about getting to know each other to see if there’s a fit? Shouldn’t you talk about yourself?
The same can be said about business meetings or networking events… don’t we need to talk about ourselves in order to see if there’s potential collaboration?
Yes, but you need to do this with some finesse.
Try this – instead of focusing on selling yourself, focus on helping the other person, by solving a problem and adding value.
Whether you’re on a date or in a business meeting, you can do this simply by asking questions. Find out what problems are bugging your audience, and then offer solutions and provide value.
However, how are you supposed to do this in a written blog post or a recorded video? Unlike face-to-face interaction, it’s a one-way conversation.
The thing is, if you don’t know ahead of time what the conversation is – that is, what problems your target audience is facing, and how you can add value – you have a much larger problem that you have to deal with first.
If you don’t know what frustrates your potential client, you don’t know your target audience. And, that means you don’t know your brand. If you don’t know your brand, you need to back up a little and get a strong grip on these things first, before you should even think about making an About Us video or blog post.
No street credibility
Is there anything more unconvincing than someone talking about themselves?
One way to create a convincing About Us post is to get someone else to do the talking.
Assemble testimonials from satisfied clients and impressed peers. Have other people and organizations vouch for you.
Link to reviews, reports, and research that support your stance.
When you do this, your About Us post suddenly has more credibility.
Because, anyone can say anything abut themselves, but there is no reason to believe them.
When others talk about you, people listen.
You jumped the gun.
Now that everything has been said and done, should you even bother making an About Us or About Me post?
Believe it or not, the answer is YES.
There is a time and place for the About Us post, but the problem is most people put it out too soon.
You should definitely post an About Us post on social media, but only after you have provided tons of valuable content, because you have to offer value and establish rapport first.
So, sprinkle the About Me posts sporadically, but the majority of your posts should be providing valuable content. Consider working your About Us blurbs into your content, as calls-to-action after you’ve provided value.
You should also have an About Us page on your website, because often times, when a potential client has arrived on your website, they are already at the stage where they want to learn more about you.
About Us blog posts and videos are often a hard sell. This is because people have a low attention span on social media, and are unlikely to want to spend time learning about you and your business, even though they might benefit tremendously. You can make a more appealing About Us or About Me post by making your post about them – your target audience. Set out to solve the problems and frustrations they face instead of making it all about you. Add credibility by including testimonials and reviews from reputable parties. And, be sure to drop your About Us or About me post only AFTER you’ve provided tons of valuable advice and established rapport and trust.
If you’re ready to take your business blog to the next level, check out my FREE eBook, “How To Blog Like An Entrepreneur” here…