Use Your Contact and About Us Pages to Increase Sales
by Danny Brown on November 26th, 2007
Whenever a company has a website to advertise their services and products, they usually concentrate on the product page, and the shopping cart page. Whilst this is certainly a key area to focus on, it shouldn’t be at the expense of the other pages on your website. A good example of this is the Contact Us and the About Us pages of a website.
These two simple pages are arguably as important as any page on your website – after all, a Contact Us page allows your customers to know how to get in touch with you if they have any questions, problems, or even to compliment your service. The About Us page is equally as important, as it will show potential customers why you are the right company for their needs. However, there are still basic mistakes being made when it comes to this area, and it could mean the difference between a successful business and a mediocre one.
The Secret of a Good Contact Us Page
If you’ve ever tried to get in touch with any company via their website, you’ll know what the difference a good contact page can make over a poorly laid out one. This is the same for your customers when they come to your Contact Us page – they don’t want to have to trawl through lists of information just to find out something that should be easy and immediate.
Think of it this way – a potential customer who goes to your Contact Us page is already thinking of buying from you. They’ve browsed your website and looked at your products, and now they have questions. This is your chance to close the sale by making it easy to contact you.
To maximize the efficiency of your contact page, make sure that it’s easy to find exactly who needs to be contacted about which issue. For example, if you have 6 sales people in the sales department, one of them might be a better contact for the North American market, whilst someone else might deal with Asia or Europe. Another example is to have a contact email address for different departments or issues, i.e. site support, product returns, etc. Just this simple pointer can make all the difference to a busy customer.
Additionally, having numerous contact options is far more appealing than simply having a “Contact Email” link as the only way for a customer to contact you. Contact forms especially can be a huge turn-off to a customer, because it seems impersonal and somewhat suspicious. Offer a telephone number (preferably toll-free) as well as an email address, and if you have a physical location, place your address on there with times that customers can visit and a map to get to you.
About Us is About You
As user-friendly as your contact page needs to be, you shouldn’t neglect your About Us page as well. Too many companies simply see this as an extension to what their business does; yet that information can be found on your intro page. However, a strong About Us page can often help turn a potential customer into a buying customer. Just as with the Contact Us page, a visitor who goes to your About Us page is already interested in buying from you.
By informing a customer about your company, an About Us page can show them why they should buy from you. Customers are just like anybody else, and like to hear what’s in it for them – so use your About Us page to offer examples of why they should purchase from you. For instance, let other businesses and visitors know what your company stands for, and why you can offer something other businesses can’t (years of experience, best value and/or quality, etc).
Just over 20% of new business comes from a “trust factor”, and a strong About Us page will show any potential customers why they should trust you with their business. Combine this with an informative and straightforward Contact Us page, as well as an easy-to-use website, and you’ll notice the difference immediately, as will your customers.
