Defining yourself is even tougher

When I ventured out on my own, I got a few gigs writing website content for a number of companies. One of the things that became very clear is that the “about us” section (or whatever you call it on your site) was one of the hardest pieces to write.

The real difficulty did not sink in until I had to write my own About page. Defining yourself and your online identity is tough.

So I decided to share a few thoughts about this process with you.

The about us page must capture the essence of the company.

This requires 2 things:

First, the company has to be able to convey its identity, messaging, differentiation etc. Then, I got tasked with “dressing it up” and presenting the information in a simple yet appealing fashion.

In a sense, the written description becomes a mirror for the people in the company. It reflects the the identity and personality and a few short paragraphs.

And in many cases, the looking glass reflects the flaws and imperfections.

The business model that does not quite make sense. The unique selling point, that is not very unique. And the messaging that, to say it bluntly, does not say anything.

With this acknowledged, the real work can begin.

photo credit Sebastian Fissore

Tagged as: business, copywriting, identity, Unique selling proposition, Writing