When someone comes to your site for the first time, they’re likely to hit “about” or “bio,” says author and marketing genius Seth Godin. Why? “Because they want a human, a story and reassurance,” according to his straight-from-the-hip article, Five rules for your About page. (Mine is called “Meet Rebecca Lacko”; it’s right here.)
Here are Godin’s helpful guidelines (okay, they’re actually imperatives):
1. Don’t use meaningless jargon:
... is a recognized provider of result-based online and mobile advertising solutions. Dedicated to complete value chain optimization and maximization of ROI for its clients, … is committed to the ongoing mastery of the latest online platforms – and to providing continuously enhanced aggregation and optimization options.
2. Don’t use a stock photo of someone who isn’t you (if there is a stock photo of you, congratulations).
The more photos of you and your team, the better.
3. Make it easy to contact you. Don’t give a contact address or number that doesn’t work.
4. Be human. Write like you talk and put your name on it. Tell a story, a true one, one that resonates.
5. Use third party comments and testimonials to establish credibility. Use a lot of them. Make sure they’re both interesting and true.
Seth Godin has written a dozen worldwide bestsellers that have been translated into more than thirty languages. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.
A columnist and fiction writer, Rebecca Lacko chronicles the sometimes chaotic adventures of exploring the world with her husband and two sons.
Her food column, The Unassuming Foodie, has been featured in a celebrity charitable cookbook, which was the finalist in the cookbook category of the 2009 National Best Books Awards sponsored by USA Book News. Her blog, Rebecca Lacko allows a perfect distraction from writing her first fiction novel about a hopelessly dysfunctional Orange County family unraveling at the seams.
