Do you have a story to tell? Pull up a chair and tell me your story. I would like to hear why you are the best jeweler in town. I hope your story doesn't start with something like "In the beginning my great-great-grandfather came home from the French and Indian War and decided to become a jeweler." That doesn't tell me anything other than your great-great-grandfather needed to find a job and he became an entrepreneur instead, and somehow he made it work.
Right not, today, you are all that matters. Somehow you need to keep your jewelry store business operational, well, perhaps more than operational if you want to stay in business. You need to be profitable.
As I mentioned in yesterday's Nugget, one of the better ways to build your business is to put your name and face on it in all your advertising and on social media. But don't forget about your website, specifically the About Us page.
Every website programmer, designer, and internet marketer is going to have an opinion on what I'm about to tell you, and this is my own personal opinion on it...
Over the years, I've seen many different permutations of an "About Us" website page. Every website should have an About Us page and it should tell the reader about the people who run the store, and what makes them different.
You're doing it wrong if your About Us page starts with one of these phrases:
"Being one of the oldest jewelry stores in..."
"Our story began in..."
"We celebrate 100 years of excellence with five generations..."
"What started as a small family-owned jewelry store in 1896..."
I've always felt that the history and origins of a jewelry store should be on an actual "History" page, not the About Us page. The customer reading your page wants to know who will be helping them and why they are qualified.
They will be more interested in learning your store history only after you win their trust, so don't force feed it to them before they want it.
Your readers want to know about you, the store owner, and what sets you apart. They want to know about the manager of your store, and why they should talk to that person instead of asking for you every time they visit.
Readers will be fascinated by your background and what got you into the industry. If you've taken over the business from a previous generation then you should explain why you are still qualified to run the store, other than it being in your blood. Did you apprentice with your parents for 30 years? Were you the first in the family to get your GG? Make sure you also explain what a GG is!
Let's face it, some people just hate the idea of taking over the family business. If you are the most recent generation in a multi-generational store then what inspired you to stick with the business rather than going out to follow your own dreams? There must be something about the jewelry industry that you love, and that's what you need to explain.
Photos... Photos would be very good. Include a photo of yourself on the About Us page. I realize this is starting to sound more like your bio on the Meet Our Staff page, but identifying you as the store owner, and explaining all this stuff will help readers understand the principals by which your store operates.
Your personal principals, more than your long lasting store history, are what set you apart from all the other jewelers in your area. You are unique to your store so make sure to point out why your abilities make your store better than the others in town.
So, bottom line, keep your store history to a History page. Make sure your About Us talks about you, and why your leadership makes the store the best choice for what makes you unique. All the store background is good to have, but make sure you come first.
How can you tell if this method of mine works? First, you have to implement it. Then, watch your Google Analytics to see how long people stay on your About Us page before and after the changes. Also take note of the number of people who click over to the History page after reading the new About Us page.
My educated guess is that you will see a lower bounce rate on the About Us page after you make these changes, and you will see a longer time on site for people who have spent time reading that new About Us page.
