subject: Online Marketing: 3 Ways Your "about" Page Can Promote Your Service Business [print this page] As a service business owner, your challenge often involves promoting yourself. Clients are buying you. They want to know something about your background and credentials but they also want to get a sense of what it's like to work with you. What style do you adopt when working with clients? What approach do you take?
The first place to promote yourself is to enhance your website marketing by creating a stronger "about" page. Yet many professionals skip this step or skimp on their content. They create a summary that reads like a classified ad. They list credentials. Sometimes they tell a life story that doesn't relate to their qualifications for serving clients.
Most business owners plan an introduction to present themselves at a live event, such as a networking lunch. These days, most of your clients will find you online. Even after they meet you in person, they will look up your website, especially your "About" page.
This page can work for you or against you. Here's how to improve the odds in your favor.
Present Your Background In Context
Be very clear about how your background relates to your current service offerings. For instance, a business coach can build on her background as a corporate manager. She can show that she learned teamwork, leadership and career planning, as demonstrated by her own fast promotions. A financial planner can share his struggles to save money during his early career while he raised two children.
Readers won't necessarily draw these connections. It's better to say explicitly, "Because I spent three years as a volunteer in Africa, I know how to work with clients in a variety of cultures..."
Show, Don't Tell
Avoid the temptation to describe yourself with adjectives. Instead, share examples of success stories. A life coach might say, "Hal was frustrated with his job when he began working together. After just a few sessions, we realized he needed a whole new career, not just a job change."
You can also describe a range of experience. A virtual assistant can say, "I've worked with clients who were just getting started and learning to outsource their requirements. I've also worked with established businesses who had created a 5-person virtual team."
Brag About Your Business History
Describe the way your own business has evolved over the years. You might tell a story like, "When I started I helped my clients write resumes. Soon I realized they seemed to be looking for jobs in all the wrong places. I began to help them choose opportunities and evaluate offers. Today I offer a full range of career counseling services."
