When Writing a Blog, Be Yourself

Managing a blog, particularly a company blog, can become draining on your creativity. You may find yourself brimming with unique ideas in the beginning, but at a certain point, there are only so many “10 Things People Do” posts you can write.

I have recently found myself in this dilemma, and made a decision to not just write as a faceless company blog, but as myself. Marketers, particularly those in companies that might not appeal to the individual, may find this practice alarming. However, your potential end-customer wants to see a human face behind the company you are marketing.

There are several strategies to humanize one’s blog posting style, and many of them may go against nearly all of the marketing training you may have received. But, personal experience has taught me that they work.

First Person

As you may have noticed with this blog post, speaking in first-person is the most effective way to personalize your writing. When blog writers speak in third person, they are removing the human element from their work. While this may be a tried and true marketing tactic from time immemorial, in the new world of digital content marketing, it doesn’t hold water.

When a reader – myself included, feels that they are listening to an actual person as opposed to a faceless entity, they are more likely to identify with what they are reading – not to mention feel a greater sense of trust.

Appeal to Emotion

Humans make decisions based on emotion. Regardless of whether you are an executive or a stay-at-home parent, purchasing decisions are made and broken by the emotional connection you make with a company or product.

Be Opinionated

While many marketers like to play it safe, I am of the opinion (see what I did there?) that a reader is interested in me and what I think – why else would he or she be reading my blog? You have to walk that fine line between being opinionated and being inappropriate, which can sometimes be a difficult dance.

Say what you mean, and mean what you say – in the end, you can’t be anyone but yourself.

Be Original

As I mentioned earlier, there are enough “10 Reasons Content is King” – type blog posts out there. What readers need and want is something new; something they can sink their teeth into. Coming up with original ideas and putting them on paper in an engaging way can be tough – really tough.

Take, for example, this blog post. It is my job to write content for our blog, and I write a lot of it. At some point, it becomes incredibly difficult to get my creative juices flowing. What I did for this post was to write about my own experience, and how I deal with constantly having to come up with new content. I’ve gone down the road of regurgitated content; it has all been played out.

Talk About Experience

Everything we are as people is based on our own personal experiences in life. What better way to come up with good writing material than to tap your own experience. After all, it is yours, and no one else’s. When writing about a personal experience, and relating it to your company or product, you will bring your reader in – and in turn, they will feel a closer connection with your company.

You are the best you can be. Don’t shy away from letting your own voice shine through your writing, even if it is for marketing purposes. In the immortal words of Steve Jobs, “Don’t be trapped in dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.”

via Business 2 Community http://ift.tt/1jFtsEB