This is a guest post by Murray who shares make money online tips at his blog Murlu.com
An about me page is more than just a page about you; it’s a great way to tell people what you’re about and allows them to identify with you and your blog. About me pages are one of the most overlooked pages on a blog.
Unfortunately, bloggers that do not utilize an about me page are severely gimping their chances to connect and build a community. Within this post, I’m going to share with you some of the ways you can create a great about me page to build trust and a community on your blog.
Introduce Yourself
The first and foremost thing you should do with your about me page is to introduce who you are. A visitor that lands on your blog may greatly enjoy your writing and subject, they may want to get to know you better.
Guess where they look? – The “about me” page.
By telling people who you are, what you do and why you created your blog, you’ll be able to fulfill your visitor’s inquiries and build a better long term relationship through trust.
Tell Your Story
Another great use of the about me page is to tell your unique story.
Stories are driven by passion; it could be rags to riches, an accident or a general interest with starting your blog.
Ever wonder why movies and books are so well received? It’s the story.
A story is the chance to tell your unique angle on life, to identify with people that have experienced similar events. A story gives your reader a glimpse into your eyes, it shows character and allows people to trust you.
Show Off Your Accomplishments
Resumes are the thing of the past; it’s accomplishments that get people’s attention. If you’ve done something remarkable in your life, don’t be afraid to share it in your about me page.
Tell people about your skills, important events in your life, major hurdles you’ve overcome. The blog will help validate these points by showing off your skills within your niche.
Backed by your about me page, people will fall in love with you and your blog.
Tell Them How You Can Help Them
For many people, it’s WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). Instead of talking about the points of your blog, you can talk about the solutions your visitors will receive by reading your blog.
By presenting your visitors with solutions, they will dig deeper into your blog to find them. People inherently have some kind of problem that needs to be fixed. They are seeking information about a topic and by providing them with how you’ll solve this problem, you’ll engage the reader.
Share Some Media
One picture will do but a video is better.
By showing off pictures of where you’ve been, recording a video interview about yourself or sharing an audio clip, you’ll be able to engage visitors on a new level besides text.
The addition of pictures will also allow people to use these images when talking about your blog or if you’re featured in print. Think of this as your media kit.
Contact
After you’ve told a little bit about yourself, make sure you give your visitor the option to ask additional questions or get in touch with you.
Place a contact form on your about me page. This can be accomplished with simple coding or WordPress plugins such as Contact Form 7.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let your about me page go waste. You’ll be surprised how many people visit your site and immediately delve deeper to find out more about you.
Don’t be shy, take this opportunity to build your brand and strengthen your community. People want to know who they are talking with, who they’re reading and what you’re all about – share it with them with an about me page.
If you don’t have an about me page setup, go do this now, you won’t be sorry.
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thanks very much for this, i havent really been using my about me page much, Just putting a contact link etc. Will try out everything you’ve said.
.-= Peter J´s last blog ..Check your blog design – It could save you as a blogger =-.
I think you’ll be very surprised to see how it turns out. As simple as creating even a paragraph or two About Me page will garner you visits and engagement because people will appreciate you’re being upfront and honest with them.
It’s hard to identify with people that lists dozens of achievements that are beyond your expertise. How does one connect with a business professional of 30 years? Now an About Me where you tell your story that people can truly relate to will click with people.
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..How To Choose A Profitable Niche Blog Topic =-.
So true – I often click the About Me page to find out who I’m corresponding with, particularly if I plan to leave a comment for the first time. I like to get a sense of the person behind the blog before I do. Great tips, Murray. Thanks! I hadn’t thought of using video instead of just a picture. Good idea.
.-= Holly Jahangiri´s last blog ..My Books Won Awards, and My Publisher Threw Things at Me!? =-.
I believe video will soon become very common on many about me pages due to the ease of recording, editing and distributing your video.
You can now buy an HD video camera for under $100, edit it with free software and upload it to a host of websites for free as well. It also helps to show people exactly who you are because when people read, it’s generally within their own voice (the inner monologue) but video will be able to reveal all kinds of subtleties and your overall persona.
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..How To Choose A Profitable Niche Blog Topic =-.
I agree with Murray 100% and think the about us page is so important and I personally find it’s left out and ignored by many people. I made my about me page before I even wrote my first blog article. It’s important and a huge part of gaming new and dedicated reader.
I don’t have any media on my about me page but I could probably out something together.
Great tips Murray p.s. love your blog!
.-= bbrian017´s last blog ..The Blog Engage 45 day SEO keyword Challenge =-.
Excellent choice Brian.
When you think about it, it’s almost like a business plan or mission statement. Although it isn’t required, having a plan (in this case your About Me) will help you to solidify what you plan to talk about by telling people right off the bat.
If you ever begin to be sidetracked, you could always reflect what your intent was with creating your blog, realign and get back on track.
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..How To Choose A Profitable Niche Blog Topic =-.
Thanks Murray. Great advice for bloggers. It’s always important to build your brand and your About Page is a big part of that.
It’s been very interesting to see the evolution of the web in terms of branding and identity. Back in the BBS/Forum days of yesteryear, it was really about the “handle”, almost a proto branding phase.
Now it’s essentially vital due to social media and transparency on the web. People are coming out of their shells and engaging each other as actual people, not just as an anonymous being across the wire.
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..How To Choose A Profitable Niche Blog Topic =-.
Yep ! You were right on point with all of the above guidelines in setting up a successful & effective About me page – it literally connects you with your users ( readers) and it enables you to build a more personal relationship with them . Excellent points brought to the forefront here – in fact I am utilizing them with the launching of my second site 😉
Great post !
.-= Mia´s last blog ..Review : The Webs Best New Up & Coming Web Designers =-.
Personality goes a long way especially when you’re sincere. Reinforcing your message and voice throughout your posts, then confirming it with your About Me page is very powerful. For regular readers, they come to know about you over time just from being active within a community but many bloggers loose site of catching the attention of visitors by now trying to build relationships from the get go.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..How To Choose A Profitable Niche Blog Topic =-.
Great tips.. I think telling your story is th best way to make people see you are real.. Look how goos it worked for shoemoney. showing how fat he was and sharing the process of losing weight.. he still shares that in his about me,,,, powerful shit.
.-= John Paul@Make Money With A Blog´s last blog ..Breaking Into The Top 20 Internet Marketers Online With No List =-.
Indeed. We all have a unique story we are able to share; it doesn’t even need to be the journey you made to get to where you are today. A story could be anything which shows a great example of your personality (which is why Shoemoney’s story works so well).
Even on yours, reading the “kidney transplant recipient” peaked my interested because I immediately thought “hrm, how’d that come about?”
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..How To Choose A Profitable Niche Blog Topic =-.
The “About Me” page is a necessity for all bloggers. For all readers, byt this page, they can get familiar with the blogger as quickly as possible.
.-= Duia´s last blog ..3 Tips for Selecting Domain Name Hosting Service =-.
These are some really great points. You can add to the human aspect of your site by putting a face and personality in an “about me” page. I had better get on it, I think.
Thank you everyone for such kind words.
When we’re able to show who we are and represent the blogs we work with, the community becomes stronger. Everyone has their unique story; don’t worry if you think it’s not as “spectacular” as others because people appreciate getting to know you for who you are.
I hope the post inspires everyone to take a look at their about me page and figure out what ways they could present themselves to their readers, tell them how you plan to help them and really display the passion you have toward your blog as to them.
.-= Murlu´s last blog ..How To Choose A Profitable Niche Blog Topic =-.
I agree. I told my story on my about page. I always like to know WHY someone writes about their subject. The story behind the blog. I like the idea of adding a video. If I wasn’t horrifically camera shy I might give it a shot. 🙂
.-= Melinda´s last blog ..Volcanic eruption fun – cleaning with baking soda =-.