How to Win Customers With Your Team Bios

The "team" page tends to be a neglected one on a lot of businesses' website. But your team bios — just like any other copy on your website — are an opportunity to prove your credibility and uniqueness and to help your ideal customers picture what it's like to do business with you. So how can you turn your team bios from an afterthought to a valuable tool that builds customer interest (even if the “team” is only you)? We've got your game plan.

‍Think of Your Customers' Needs

‍What information should be in your team bios? How long should they be? How should they read? The answers to all those questions depend on just one thing: your customers. What would help them trust you and feel comfortable doing business with you? You'll want to include facts that build your business's credibility — like your staff's experience, education, accreditations or certifications (whatever's relevant for your business).

But besides showing their qualifications, you want your staff bios to convey your team's personality. This is especially important if your customers will be interacting a lot with your staff. What do customers need to know about your team members to feel a connection to your business? Maybe they're looking to do business with people who share their values, or maybe it's your team's sense of humor that will make customers choose your business over another. (This is yet another reason to get really clear on who your customers are.)

One more way to make your team bios customer-friendly is to keep them on the brief side. This isn't the place for your team members to tell their entire life stories. Remember that prospective customers aren't going to read every word of your team bios. Just like you, they're busy, and they'll be scanning quickly to get a sense of your business and whether it's a fit for them.

‍Show Polish and Professionalism

‍Besides communicating your staff's qualifications and personality, your team page also conveys another message to customers. It shows them how thoughtful and detail-oriented you are. In other words, it signals that you have your act together — or that you don't.

Imagine that you are visiting the website of business you're thinking about buying from. You decide to check out their About Our Team page. The staff bios are all over the place. Some are a single sentence; some are loooong. Some are funny and jokey; some are dead serious. You notice grammatical errors throughout. The photos of the team members don't have a uniform look — some are just blurry selfies. What's your impression of this business?

A team page like this one is usually the result of letting staffers write their own bios and then just copying what they wrote onto the site. If you can, get a single writer to create your bios (develop a questionnaire that staffers can fill out and that the writer can draw from). They'll have a more unified, professional feel. If that's not an option, give your team members some parameters for writing their own bios. For example, "No more than 250 words. List only experience that's relevant to your current role." Then be sure to edit the bios they submit to improve clarity and catch any grammatical goofs. (A professional copy editor can make quick work of this task if you don't want to tackle it.)

Finally, spring for professional photos for your team bios page if possible. Customers like doing business with companies that feel warm and personal. And there's nothing like great photos for building that connection. If hiring a photographer isn't in the budget, make your bio photos look consistent. For example, decide that all staffers' photos will be in black and white and taken in front of the same backdrop. Even little touches like this demonstrate that you're the kind of business that takes the time to get the details right.

At DesignGood, we can help you maximize every opportunity — including your team bios — to convey what makes your business stand apart. Call us today to learn more.