I remember when I left my parents’ nest in ’95 and went to college. E-mail was a new concept for my late father, but he wanted to stay in touch… so he had his admin type up his e-mails to me, as he dictated them. Guess what, I knew he was not writing those emails because they were missing the real tough language he always used!
Do you think your audience is so naive, that they will not figure out that this attorney, CPA, or other individual who can’t hold a conversation at a networking event all of the sudden writes great articles?!?! No way. Let me be clear, no way in hell! All your wasted money on a copywriter will lead you to is negative returns. When someone realizes that what peaked their interest about you (style of language on the blog, knowledge shared, opinions on certain subjects) is nothing like what you are in-person, they will shun you like any other liar and cheat. In addition to losing a connection, some people will share this experience with others. Can you really afford that?
Being genuine is extremely important, especially when communicating with a community of current and prospective connections and clients/customers.
There is nothing wrong with running your articles past a good proofreader. I am not the best writer in the world. Heck, it takes me 3-4 hours to write one blog post. I agonize, I check spelling, and than I put it into drafts folder. But, when you meet me in person, you will know right away that I was the author of those posts. My style, directness, candor, and everything else is the same in person as online.
For those of you who got bamboozled into starting corporate blogs… well those are no different from ghost-written blogs. They also suffer from a lack of credibility, and are therefore a waste of effort. You need proof? Read an excellent article by Jeremiah Owyang (Sr. Analyst at Forrester Research) – Consumers Say Your Corporate Blog is Not Trusted.
Hi, my name is Apolinaras Sinkevicius, but most call me Apollo. I am the guy who takes care of the day-to-day business and technology of rapidly growing companies. 12 years in managing the "nuts and bolts" of companies and being a steward of corporate cultures makes me a seasoned operations professional and right hand person to founders and CEOs.
Hi, Apollo,
Thanks for your comment on my post at PsychCentral. I thought I would return the courtesy and take a look at your blog. My husband has a startup ch3biosystems.com (the site is undergoing some serious revamping and we’ll launch the new look in March) so your content is quite relevant.
Your story about your dad dictating his emails to you! What a great way to make your point. Your ‘voice’ is all you say it is, genuine and direct. I look forward reading more.