Finding Your Voice as a Content Marketer
All the successful content marketers tell you that finding your voice as a content marketer will change how others respond to your content. When you read content by someone who’s found their voice, there’s a really distinct tone to it. You can tell they’re extremely passionate, really self-expressed and know what they’re talking about.
People are moved by those who speak with their real voice. Think about the last time you attended a speech and were moved by the speaker. Yet what most people don’t realize is that almost everyone who’s found their voice had to put in a lot of work to find that voice. It doesn’t usually come naturally.
So what’s the trick? How do you find your voice as a content marketer?
Start with What You’re Passionate About
It’s pretty simple really. If you love internet marketing, get into the internet marketing field. If you love crocheting, get into the crocheting field.
Ask yourself: What’s a topic that you could talk about for hours and hours on end?The topic you talk to everyone about, even those who have heard it from you before?
What’s a topic that you’d talk about and obsess about even if you weren’t getting paid? You might already be doing it like a hobby that you spend all your free time on or how you raise the best kids.
What’s something that really lights you up in life and gets you excited? Maybe it’s something as simple as your son playing baseball or the fun you have decorating each year for Halloween.
While not every passion can be turned into a career, you’d be surprised at how many people do manage to turn their passions into money, even in very obscure fields. Think about the reality shows on TV. Duck Dynasty turned their inventions of duck calls into a career or American Pickers who travel around and buy other peoples junk.
Start with what you’re really passionate about. It’ll come through in your voice.
Be as Self-Expressed as Possible
Write without censoring yourself. Don’t worry about grammatical correctness or political correctness. Your not writing for your college professor. This is something I’m still working on.
If you’re speaking from your real voice, you’re probably going to turn some people off.
However, you’ll also attract the kinds of people you should want to be attracting.
People who have strong voices are polarizing – Some people like them, others might hate them. But that’s how you build real followings. People pleasers seldom build a strong following.
One thing to do when you’re writing any kind of content, is to write as if you are talking to a friend. Your words will sound more natural in a casual yet self-expressed and passionate manner.
Care about the Impression You Want to Make
Can you spot the difference between someone who’s written something and they really care if you succeed, as opposed to someone who’s just writing the content to fill the page?
Most likely, you can tell that the first one has a completely different feel to it. You can almost feel the passion pouring out onto the page. We’re naturally drawn to those who really want to help us.
When you’re writing content, ask yourself:
- Who are you trying to help with this content?
- How would you like their life to change as a result of you writing this content for them?
If you really want to help people, pour you passion into your words. People will sense you are really trying to help them. It comes through in your writing and your voice. It creates loyalty, a true follower.
Your writing voice isn’t “one thing” that people can point to and say, “Hey it’s good” or “Oh,that’s bad”. It’s more of the overall vibe of your content. It’s how everything you say is put out there and presented. A great voice will create a sense of community, loyalty and following, while a weak voice will turn people away from your content.
I am still working hard at finding my voice. Have you found your content marketing voice yet? Are you passionate about your content or are you just putting it out there? Leave a comment below on how you found your voice.
