When I started this blog, I thought that it would be a great outlet to become a better writer. I have found out that the best way to accomplish this is to write, keep writing, and when you finally think you are done and sick of writing, write some more. The main reason for this blog is to help me in my professional life. I have a pretty decent creative mind and have a certain knack for identifying issues and finding simplistic, yet impactful creative solutions. I am always trying to stay on top of the latest trends in photography, music, social, and creative design. I find this essential to becoming a well-rounded marketer. My biggest weakness is in my creative writing ability. Anybody reading this out there that is a copywriter - God bless you. Many people overlook the importance of this role, but it is one of the most essential in the creative process. And I suck at it.
As I have been writing these posts, what I have found is that it is really easy to write about myself. Some of my favorite posts (and easiest ones to write) include stories of personal experience, opinion and self-deprecation. I shine in the latter, as you will soon find out in a future post. The reason these come to me so effortlessly is because I am being myself and writing about what I know. I am my own audience. I use this space primarily to improve a known weakness and hope to make people like me laugh along the way (which is highly debatable). It is a really simple process because I am just being me.
This made me think about my professional life and my struggles with writing, as well as other companies that offer lackluster content. As a company, the message that you convey to your core-audience should be a reflection of who you are and what you stand for. Being genuine and real counts. Many corporations and small businesses feel like they need to be everything to everyone. I say that if you’re not alienating some portion of the population that you’re doing it wrong. Would you rather have a core base of crazy fanatics of your brand, while isolating some groups, or have a homogenous fan base that will switch brand allegiance unhesitatingly? I’d rather have the former, even at the expense of potential market share and other blah blah business talk that investors and people in suits worry about.
This is why companies that are real have an easier time engaging their customers. Be yourself. Just like it is easier for me to write about my life, the same holds true in business. Companies that aren't afraid to be who they are come across more genuine to their audience. It's really noticeable when you try to fake it. Listing customer service as a company pillar on the "About Us" section on your website means absolutely nothing. They are empty words if not truly embodied every single day. But having a passion and caring for genuine customer service is instantly noticeable. You don't even have to list it on your website. People don't need websites to tell them how to think or feel about a company. In an unofficial survey that I just made up in my head and have absolutely no research to back up, 98% of customers appreciate genuine customer service. The other 2% are jerks that complain about everything. The key to becoming a better writer and getting people to notice you or your company as genuine? Be yourself.
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