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Yes, Your Small Business Needs an 'About' Page

Posted: 15 Mar 2019 11:00 AM PDT

Though the About page is fundamental to nearly every website, most business owners tend to simply "get it over with" by filling it with a brief, uninspiring bio, not realizing just how valuable an asset it really is.

As a matter of fact, it is one of the most frequently visited pages on your website. A 2015 study reveals that 52 percent of people tend to visit a company's About page when they first land on the homepage.

Why Your 'About' Page Matters

So, why do so many people exhibit such behavior? Shouldn't they check out the Pricing section first? Or perhaps all the content and resources that you offer?

It's simple. Here's an analogy: when you meet a new person at some event, what's the first thing that you do? You check for similarities. By asking about their background, hobbies, favorite food, and so on, you try to discern whether they have a "similar story" as you. It is only when you find them credible that you start forming a meaningful connection with them and consider investing effort in maintaining the relationship.

Similarly, when a prospect visits your website for the first time, they head to the About page to find out if they can trust you. They want to know your story and judge whether you "get them" and their problems. They want to understand why you're doing what you're doing. Therefore, if you create a personal, likable, and believable About page, your prospects are more likely to be comfortable buying from you.

Editor's note: Looking for web design help? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.
 

 

How to Create a Cogent 'About' Page

Finding your company's unique identity and voice, and then translating it into a well-crafted copy will take time. However, keep the following guidelines in mind and you'll be well on your way to creating a compelling About Us page.

Keep it customer-centric

Your About page does not have to be all about you. Your customers are on your website because they are facing a problem/challenge with which they need your help. If you are able to prove that you understand their problem, they'll feel more inclined to trust you.

So, don't glorify your company by just writing big, philosophical missions and visions. Instead, do write them but keep it real and very clear that you're here to solve their problems. Also, don't hesitate to parade some genuine client testimonials to prove your quality of work.

Tell your story

Storytelling is an extremely powerful means to captivate your audience's attention. An engaging story about your business' humble beginnings can establish an immediate trust in your customer's mind.Share how your product or service was developed to improve lives. Talk about the problems or challenges which you faced yourself which led you to start this business. Genuine stories humanize your brand, providing context and meaning for your business.

Confirm you're not a robot

Feature your best employees with their photographs and short bios. It makes your business look more authentic and human. So, for example, if someone wants to reach out to your human resources department, they know exactly whom to ask for when they call. 

Make it memorable

Whatever you do, do not make your About page boring. Strive to create a lasting impression on the minds of your prospects so they don't forget you the moment they close the tab. People are far more likely to do business with people they like. Forming the right first impression with your 'About' page can make all the difference. While the above example is different from BuildFire's one, it still looks professional and authentic. And a bit of humor is always welcome. 

Finish with a call-to-action

Last but not least, don't leave your prospect hanging. If you've done your 'About' page right, ending it with a call-to-action can seal the deal. Some examples include:

  • "Check out our <product name>"
  • "Start your free trial"
  • "Browse our catalog"
  • "Schedule an appointment"

Even a simple "Shop Now" button can work well if crafted well.

Your About page is not just a requirement that needs to be fulfilled because everyone has one and is considered "standard." Especially for small businesses which lack brand value, creating an amazing About page is akin to making a lead generating machine.

 

 

How to Boost Subscriber Engagement on Your Blog

Posted: 15 Mar 2019 07:00 AM PDT

An exciting part of growing your blog is watching as visitors trickle in and spend more and more time browsing your content. The more time they spend, the more it shows that you're providing them with high-quality information that's both beneficial and entertaining.

Without subscriber engagement, there's no telling how long it would take for your blog to reach the success level you want. Building an audience takes time, and building an audience that sticks around and comes back takes even more time. However, if you know how to get their attention and keep it, you're on the right track.

It's not always easy to get your visitors to engage with your site more frequently. Here are three ways you can encourage engagement from your subscribers on your blog.

1. Add calls to action.

You can't assume a first-time visitor will know exactly what action you want them to take on your website. If you want your audience to take action, you clearly tell them what to do. To do this, use calls to action (CTAs). Research by HubSpot found that CTAs can increase conversions by 121 percent.

A CTA is something that pushes visitors to take some sort of action on your website. This could be anything: download a lead magnet, sign up for an email list, click through to the landing page, etc. It uses words, colors or images to persuade users to do what you want them to do. It's most effective if your CTA leads to a page where users can further engage with your content, but it's essential that you're clear about what you want them to do.

It's important to A/B test your CTAs to ensure they'll deliver the value you want. Testing elements such as the button color and text will tell you how your audience prefers to be spoken to and persuaded. This will help you optimize your lead generation strategy even further.

2. Use internal links.

An important aspect of boosting engagement is to focus on reducing bounce rates. Your bounce rate is the single-page sessions users have on your site without clicking on any other links or leading to other webpages. After viewing your site momentarily, they exit, gaining nothing from you. You want these rates to be as low as possible if your engagement is going to increase, and a good way to do this is internal linking.

Internal linking is when you link to other pages on your website in your blog. You use suitable keywords for your anchor text, which is the hypertext link itself, to link to more information on the same topic. When a user reads through your blog post and sees keywords highlighted that lead to more information, they're likely to click through because they're already interested in that subject. This leads them to spend more time on your blog as they weave through page after page of interesting information.

It's also important for your website's search rankings. If the content you link to is relevant to the content of the webpage it's on, Google takes notice. Black hat SEO techniques will not get you far in the search engine game, so avoid keyword stuffing or linking to irrelevant content.

3. Improve site speed.

What's more annoying than visiting a website for the first time, only for it to take ages to load? Everyone's been there, and it never gets less frustrating. If your website doesn't load within a few seconds, you can bet your bounce rate will skyrocket and conversions will plummet.

Google reports that after five seconds, the probability of someone bouncing increases by 90 percent. If you haven't optimized your website's user experience (UX), you need to focus on that right now.

If people visit your site and experience poor UX, lagging and other errors, it won't be long until they exit to find another site that gives them what they're looking for. You don't want to miss out on all that potential ROI for your blog, so it's time to improve your site's speed. Use Google's Test My Site to determine how quickly or slowly your site loads for users.

Conclusion

Producing longer engagement levels on your website means optimizing the UX. You want it to be fun for users to stumble upon your blog and explore its contents, and that's difficult to do if your website isn't optimized for conversions. You need to evaluate your website to determine which areas need improvement. Add CTAs to your webpages strategically so users feel compelled to follow through with the actions you set out for them. Use internal links to boost your SEO and get your content in front of new users. Double-check your site speed to ensure visitors aren't getting frustrated waiting for your content to load.

How will you improve subscriber engagement on your blog?

Leverage the Gig Economy to Launch Your Real Business

Posted: 15 Mar 2019 06:00 AM PDT

 

It should come as little surprise that many aspiring entrepreneurs are turning to ridesharing, delivery and other gigjobs to supplement their income and establish a professional network for themselves. After all, Lyft and Uber are clearly establishing themselves as the transportation leaders that will come to define the future, scooping up as many drivers as possible to meet the ever-growing demand of customers who want to get to where they're going as soon as possible. 

With those high earners being the most likely consumers to use ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft, struggling entrepreneurs may find ridesharing to be an astonishingly effective way of bolstering their personal network and drumming up some investor interest. Some mistakenly believe that ridesharing apps are largely used by those just trying to enjoy a night out on the town, but in reality many of those who enter your car will be accomplished business professionals always ready to add another friend to their contact list.

If you want to leverage ridesharing so as to more effectively launch your real business, you need to understand that this endeavor can backfire if you're not dedicated to proving an ideal user experience. Customers who leave your rideshare experience disappointed with the cleanliness of your car or the friendliness of the driver are unlikely to become future customers of your real business, after all. That's why it's imperative to remember that you can't ignore your ridesharing customers in the pursuit of launching a real business if you don't want to accidentally tarnish your future brand.

Marketing your forthcoming business through your side gig

So, how do you go about actually using your side gig to increase the buzz surrounding your rising business? You can't be afraid to chat, as many customers you encounter will be perfectly willing to hear about your forthcoming company or give you some feedback. You should also carry a business card with you wherever you drive; you'll be surprised at the number of customers who are intrigued in your potential and ask about a way to contact you in the future. 

Many Uber drivers improve their user reviews by including complimentary water bottles or snacks for their customers, for instance. By doing this (but supplementing in your products or services for snacks) you'll seriously get people hooked onto your products before they even hit the open market. Never underestimate the value of giving out free samples.

Finally, learning about the importance of saving and generating additional income for yourself through ridesharing can be the difference between your business surviving or crashing within its first few years.

Generating the capital you need

Starting a business is no easy feat, not only because it requires creativity and perseverance, but also because it demands a great deal of capital if you're really hoping to succeed. If you ask many aspiring entrepreneurs why they haven't quit their day jobs and started their own companies, they'll likely tell you that they simply don't have access to the funding they need.

Driving for services like Uber or Lyft, delivering for Doordash, or completing gigs on Handy, are a fantastic way to earn some cash on the side. There are a number of resources out there that provide great driver advice for new gig economy workers, and can help if you're struggling to pony up the needed amount of funds to get your shop off the ground.

If you're going to make money ridesharing or working in the gig economy, you'll want to listen to the advice of the experts who have used it to start their own businesses in the past. Many top Uber drivers have put forward their thoughts on how to capitalize on your time driving by focusing on the big fish clients and rush hours when payments are the biggest. With an injection of much-needed capital and some additional marketing under your belt, you'll likely see your real business taking off in no time.

 

 

Gig economy apps are nearly unparalleled in their ability to introduce you to a diverse series of new prospective investors and customers, so don't hesitate to hand out your business card or offer free samples when shuttling travelers to and fro. Before long, you'll find that all your real business ever needed in order to launch was a little boost from your ridesharing side hustle.
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