In Florence, Alabama, in 1917, Clyde W. Anderson set up a newsstand.
With the profits from it, he bought a bookstore. His sons built more stores,
incorporating them under the name “Bookland” in 1964. Bookland survives as a
subsidiary of Books-a-Million, which since 1988 has become a chain of over 200
superstores, mostly in the southeastern United States. The company went public
in 1992. It is the second largest book retailer in the country. The closest
thing to an About Us page is Corporate Profile.
OVERALL GRADE: D
Products/Services: D
The Corporate
Profile page provides a good summary of the
current size and scope of Books-a-Million, along with its operating divisions. But
the page consists entirely of small type and a few headers. Our Commandment
6 of About Us pages is, “Honor thy visuals.” Archival photos of early locations,
early signage, or previous logos would liven up this page. More importantly, the
page seems to be aimed at possible investors rather than customers. It conveys no
sense of excitement about the products and services the company provides, nor
its essential business history. Book people, especially, have an obligation to
be corporate storytellers.
Personality: E
Completely missing from the Corporate Profile page is the story of the company’s century-long
development. Who founded it? What was their driving purpose? What did they do
right, and where and when, that helped make the company last so long?
At the foot of the page is a list of directors and corporate
officers. Each is listed with name, title, and nothing else: no capsule bios,
no contact info, no hint of their goals for Books-a-Million. According to
Wikipedia, the company was founded by Clyde W. Anderson. On the Corporate Profile page, the first two names under Board of Directors
are Clyde B. Anderson and Terry C. Anderson. Hey, bet there’s a family
connection there! Why not tell us about it?
Accessibility: B
The contact page is available via a link on the top
navigation bar. It offers a list of mailing addresses, emails, and (sometimes)
telephone numbers for questions about retail stores, the website, the company,
complaints, employment, and media relations.
TAKEAWAY
Your corporate history is a powerful tool for setting your
company apart from the crowd. Use it!
Does your Web site’s “About Us” section
accurately convey your organization’s history and capabilities? Every two weeks
we evaluate one example, grading it in three areas that are key to potential
customers: Personality (Who are you?), Products/Services (What can you do for
us?), and Accessibility (How can we reach you?). To talk about your About Us
page, contact us!
Today’s example was chosen at random;
CorporateHistory.net has no ties to this company.
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