Most organizations waste the “About Us” section on their web sites.
This is the property’s big moment to woo you. If there was ever a place on a web site to apply storytelling techniques, it’s here.
Yet, the section typically regurgitates the company party line.
I’m going to periodically take a look at an organization’s “About Us” section.
Today’s “lucky” winner is a union, the Steamfitters Local 602.
Now, you might be thinking if any organization was going to shape its narrative with dogma, it would be a union.
And you would be wrong.
The Local 602 tells its story in a straight-forward and conversational manner.
Let’s break it down John Madden style:
We build and service heating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
Given many people don’t know what a steamfitter is, I appreciate the simplicity of the line.
It’s an industry that’s been around for thousands of years; it’s also as new and high tech as the latest laptop.
They could have replaced “the latest laptop” with “the latest tablet,” but that’s a nit.
For years, we’ve been called fitters. Steamfitters, pipefitters. Because we make things fit. And when the systems are built, we maintain and service them – keep them healthy and fit.
It’s like they’re sitting across from you on a bar stool, “… we make things fit.” Since we’re at a hypothetical bar, they get a pass on the funky grammar.
Because of the work we do, buildings are fit to work in, fit to live in.
One line to beat on the chest isn’t bad.
So, yeah, we’re fitters.
If you don’t catch the attitude, you’re not listening.
Well done, Local 602.