What type of people are visiting your About Us page? Most likely, they’re prospective students considering if your school is one at which they would like to study. Your About Us page is the one place you can subtly sing your own praises and tell the world why your school is wonderful.
So how do I go about that?
Think about Your Reader’s Needs:
Your About Us page is not entirely all about you. You must speak the language of your visitors. Your writing must relate to them and address their specific needs, their objections and hot buttons. You don’t need to detail your courses and experience but rather focus on how you can help a potential student. It should tap into their emotions by solving a problem or answering a need and motivate them to act.
Get Personal:
A visitor to your website wants to know a real human is behind this business. Be sincere and personal as you tell the story of who you are and how the school got where it is. Be conversational in your writing and write as though you’re speaking face-to-face. Convey the passion you feel for education. Once your visitors get to know you, they’ll like you. And if they like you, they’ll trust you. And if they trust you, they’ll give you their business.
Inspire Trust:
The Internet can be a big and scary place. For that reason, your About Us page must give legitimacy and credibility to your business in the eyes of the customers.
Give details of your experience and background and evidence to support this. Maybe mention the people and companies you have worked with in the past, possibly opinions. Third-party endorsements are solid testimonials that can go a long way toward persuading a visitor to trust you. If you belong to any associations or work with examination bodies include their symbols.
Every nugget of information you openly share helps inspire a little more trust.
What makes your school special:
This is the part where you explain to a potential student why they should choose your school over others. Obviously, all schools will mention their special approach to teaching, their experienced teachers, their great learning environment, fantastic results etc., etc., But, if in addition to that, there is something unique about your school this is the place to mention it.
Meet the Team:
This is where we showcase the exciting personality of your school and the people behind it. People want to connect with other people so ask your teachers and staff to write up a short biography of themselves.
- Name
- Role in the school
- What they like about their job
- Some background information
- Interesting fact about them
- What they like to do in their free time
Include a Timeline:
Has your school been around for more than a few years? A timeline can be a great addition to your About Us page. Include all the relevant milestones and details about your business. You can use a template, such as the one below offered by SlideSalad, or create your own custom presentation.
Include a Call to Action:
Now that our potential student has read the About Us page don’t let them just wander off. Include a call to action; this is where you helpfully direct your visitor on what to do next. Here are some examples:
- Enrol for a course
- Subscribe to our newsletter
- Check your language level
- Schedule a visit to the school
- Join our email list.
Writing your call to action is easy. Just keep it short, make it easy to understand and offer a benefit.
Other points to bear in mind
Photos Catch the Eye
We live in a visual world. Many people skim text, pausing just long enough to get the gist and determine its relevance to their needs. Pictures though, grab their attention, adding colour to your page and often making a bigger impression than any copy ever could.
While stock photos can work on some of your other pages, for the About Us page the visitor wants to get to know you, not the model posing in front of a too-perfect background. These pictures will make you seem more real and approachable.
Update Regularly:
Your About Us page should be a work in progress. Update it as your school evolves and grows. If you target new markets, develop new courses, or add key people to your team, these deserve a mention.
If your About Us page starts getting a bit too long, break it into easy-to-digest sections. For example, sections such as: Who We Are, What We Do, Meet the Team.