Be Authentically You

Real is Rare, be Authentic in Your Writing

Be authentically you! In a world full of facades and fakery it's rare to find someone authentic and open. So much is hidden behind agenda and how people wish to be perceived. This is true for business as well. So, when writing business blogs it's critical to be authentically you. You are your business, you are your brand, and therefore your writing should reflect this.

While this is particularly true of small business I believe it holds true for large companies as well. The company voice, or brand, has to be very clear about what the business is about and what it stands for. If a company has a clear set of values and knows exactly what it is about, a spokesperson or marketing department can create a brand that reflects that. Apple is a good example. As a small business owner you have a great advantage here, and it's one you should use.  You are right at the source and you should know yourself and your business better than anyone. You are your voice, you are your marketing department. Be authentically you!

Language Matters

I often see this when working with clients on writing for their business. All personality goes out the window in an attempt to create some perfect sanitised version of themselves and their business. They start to use language that doesn't match who they are. And this is odd, because your customers already know who you are and potential customers will eventually meet you... if what you are saying resonates. So, if your writing style doesn't match the reality of you in the real, that will create a mismatch that may be jarring. Just be you, even when writing your blogs.

A great example of this is a customer of mine that is a bit of a joker. He runs a small company, but the atmosphere, even under pressure, has an underlying sense of fun about it. So when they started to ramp up their social media we discussed the need to be authentic to that sense of fun. They embraced it totally. It comes through in their posts without detracting from their message. In fact it highlights their message. As a result their social media presence has grown enormously in the last year. People are drawn to the authenticity of their brand. It matches perfectly with what they see when they interact with the business in person.

Content Writers

This is one of the main reasons I don't recommend content writers for small business. It's very difficult to outsource you. This is hard to avoid in large organisations, but in small business you are the business! So the writing for the business has to reflect you! Your personality is part of your brand. I know this can be very difficult with the million other things on your plate, but if you can, write you own blogs in your own style, or at the least some of them. This can help serve as a template of style for any content writers you use. And if you are outsourcing content writing, I suggest you edit yourself back into the finished product. Let someone get you 80% there and finish it off with a healthy dose of you! The authentic you!