From Where I Stand — We Gotta Talk About Us

Outside of the “Contact” page, the “About Us” section of a website is almost entirely ubiquitous across the commercial internet. Some websites have gotten more creative in their nomenclature such as “Who we Are”, “What we Stand For” or “Our Story.” All these pages essentially perform the same function — it is a short, inspirational page that tells a company’s story. It is often not the page businesses use for the hard sell. It does not advertise. It barely markets. It is all branding. It tries to invoke an emotion directly related to why the company exists. It is a little vain and self-indulgent and that’s ok.

Over the span of a few weeks, I had to organize two panels of business owners and senior managers. The first was a panel at our Spring Training event in Eureka, IL. The second, was our Hot Topics panel in Glen Ellyn. I knew some of the panelists well, I knew some moderately well, I knew some by reputation, and others I had never met. Having to moderate one of the panels and write questions for the other, I started in the most logical spot, their About Us pages.

I am a huge business culture nerd. Landscaping is a very competitive field with a high degree of consumer choice. When a consumer starts seeking a landscape professional, I am sure they assume all of them are pretty similar. Landscapers dig holes and lay sod and install brick.

If a client seeks multiple bids, he or she will have his or her eyes opened a little wider that each landscape company has a unique culture. Contractors have different design and maintenance principles, styles, philosophies, and, of course, costs. Many consumers probably visit their prospective contractor’s website and hop around a few pages before making that final spend. Consumers want to see some photos, meet the team, learn some history, and understand what makes this company tick. In short, they want to learn a little About Us.

ILCA has learned a thing or two about panels and having a pre-meeting helps everyone get comfortable. This leads to interplay between the panelists and the moderator. Further, it relaxes the panel and humanizes them. We used to send the questions and tell them we’d see them there. We then would quickly find out some panelists are much more passionate about a certain question than others. Some are more comfortable talking about sales while others love automation and ops. Some use a lot of business technology while others wing it. Asking the exact same questions to each panelist without background context is a disservice to them and the audience.

As I gathered intel for my report on each panelist, I saw how each company used those 200400 word About Us sections very differently. The commercial landscape companies recognized their cut-throat competition and used words related to price, efficiency, and technology. The design-build firms were more artistic — some invited their clients into a collaborative project while others informed the client their needs would be taken care of. Older, more established companies relayed they were old and established. The younger upstarts explained how they are young and different. The large, multi-branched organizations talked about the advantages of being big. The small, boutique companies relayed the advantages of being tiny.

Almost all of them followed the same formula. They established credibility — often with the age of the business and how they are interwoven in the community. They transitioned into an overview of their services. Next, a brief summary of the professionals who work there. Then, on to a quick discussion of the client/contractor dynamic. Finally, they ended with words of inspiration or whimsy. The skeleton was the same. It is the same whether looking at landscape companies, automobile manufacturers, restaurants, or microbreweries. It is only the word choice and what they choose to spotlight that sets each one apart.

This column is not about writing a better About Us section of a website. There are thousands of webpages dedicated to how to do that. I would wager that most people reading this column already have an About Us section of their website that they haven’t read in many years.

Instead, open a Word document on your computer right now and write a brand new About Us section without looking at the previous one. No cheating! Use about 300 words and break them into 3-4 short paragraphs. I’ll give you 30 minutes. Dog-ear this page and come back to it.

Hopefully, before you go and bang out some words because Scott Grams gave you homework to do, spend 10-15 minutes thinking about your organization. You don’t have to be an owner. In fact, it probably helps if you aren’t. Think about what you see in your organization. How do you approach clients and customers? What motivates you and your team? What does success mean? We are talking about big answers to big questions. In short — why do you exist and why should anyone care?

Now, write those 300 words. It is ok to use a few drafts. Make sure you try and look through the eyes of the reader. Will they understand all the terminology? Is it all about you or all about them? The correct approach to an About Us section should be