Ever leave the house with the sinking suspicion that you’ve forgot to do something really important? That is the exact feeling many corporate bloggers (and those responsible for setting up their blog sites) should have right after they launch a new interactive blog website. Because the truth is that they have forgotten something very important …the About Us section of their website.
We deal with loads of clients that are trying to make a big educational impact on the marketplace and most of them are worried about how to create strong content on an ongoing basis. While it is true that this will be their single, biggest, ongoing challenge, before they even begin worrying about delivery schedule or editorial calendar, they need to think about appropriate positioning of their blog in the minds of their target readers. That is the precise role of the About Us section. It helps companies think about what a blog will stand for and sets the expectations of the visitors on what type of content they should expect to find at that location.
When you think about it, the need for an About Us section is absolutely critical for a well established company – whose corporate website has probably evolved into an effective mouthpiece focused on the needs of a variety of different potential users. These visitors could include existing customers, prospects, investors, the press, and more. Each of these groups has different needs, and most will expect to find the type of information that they have generally received from your site in the past. If you plan on introducing a new site or section of your site that offers a different type of material, then you need to explain that to visitors. When done well, this will set their expectation on the type of content that they should look forward to seeing at that location, potential get them to register for this information and certainly give them a reason to return over and over again.
In addition to providing visitors a description of the type of content that they should expect to receive from your site, an About Us section helps you define the types of bloggers and access they should expect to see. It also provides you an opportunity to provide a legal disclaimer, privacy policy, and rules (if any) on posting comments. For some great examples of About Us pages from others, check out the examples at SocialMediaToday at http://socialmediatoday.com/ralphpaglia/141903/social-media-employee-policy-examples-over-100-companies-and-organizations .