Blogging is About Finding the Voice Within You

If you’re new to blogging, it can be intimidating. When you first start, writing can feel like an overwhelming task. And some people, no matter how hard they try, are not cut out for blogging. I believe those people are the exception and not the rule.

I teach a number of internet marketing boot camps and blogging is something we cover in all three workshops. Many of my students tend to freeze up when the subject of blogging arises, because it is not something that comes easily to them. And that’s okay. Very few people are expert bloggers on day one. Blogging takes time, practice, a little trial and error, and a whole lot of passion.

Listening to Your Inner Voice

Blogging is about finding your voice. Not the voice you think you should have, but the voice within you that has always been there and is simply waiting to come out. The most challenging part of blogging is eliminating the noise so you can find your voice. Being able to quiet the world around you long enough to hear your inner voice is difficult. But it is possible and when you succeed, you’ll be surprised at who and what surfaces.

I started blogging many years ago. At that time my friends, family, and coworkers has not even heard the word blog. I was an earlier adopter, because something told me blogging was at the heart of Internet marketing and good SEO. But guess what? I was a crappy blogger at first. I was talking but I wasn’t talking from my heart. It took a while to find my voice and to be able to write from my soul. And I do write from my heart and soul. I believe in what I write. I’ve either done it or I’ve helped someone else do it. I’ve used it and know it works. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t write about it because I only write about what I strongly believe in. Transparency is who I am.

Your Voice Can Change Overtime

Four years ago I quit my corporate job and founded our company. During this transition I had to restart my blogging efforts because I was blogging about a completely new topic. I literally had to find a new voice and rejuvenate my blogging mojo.

My original blog posts were about ERP software and as boring it is to some people, I was passionate about it. I believed in it, because I believed in our software product. I used it every day and I had used it as a customer before I marketed it. I knew it inside and out and I loved every little piece of the code and data points. This passion was within my blog posts and people I met would tell me so. My readers remembered my blog posts because I was passionate about what I wrote. It set me apart from all of the corporate ERP bloggers.

When I started our company I shifted to blogging about internet marketing. I was already doing it, but not talking about it, so this was a major shift for me. My writing skills had to adapt. My first blog posts were not so great. I’ve even deleted some because I could tell I was talking, but not really listening to the voice within me and writing from my soul. Talking doesn’t connect with people. It just blends in with the other noise and it is forgotten.

After a few months I found my internet marketing voice. I dug deeper into WordPress and SEO and I absolutely loved the world I was uncovering. WordPress web development, organic SEO, and social media were all exploding and I was part of it. I loved it and I could not wait to start my work day and learn something new that I could apply to our business and our client projects. With this excitement and passion came my new voice. I didn’t force it to come, it was just born.

Once Liberated, Your Voice Can’t be Stifled

I believe the inner voice can apply to both individuals and companies. I’m a strong believer in focusing on the people behind the company. There is no better representative for your brand than your own people. Allow them to be free and be true to who they are and both the company and the individual succeed. Stifle the inner voice and neither succeed.

People often ask why I quit my cushy corporate job to start our firm in the heart of the recession. One of the main reasons I did was because I was no longer able to use my inner voice. I could no longer speak from my heart and soul. I was stifled. I still believe in my former employer, their product offering, and I have great respect for the people. But it was no longer a representation of who I was and who I wanted to be. So I left and I founded our firm so I could liberate my voice and once again talk from my heart and soul.

This liberation became so much more than I realized it could be. Don’t get me wrong, it was scary. Especially once headcount started to grow and I was now responsible for the income of others. I now look back at this transition in awe, because I had no idea what I was undertaking. But the voice within me was calling and it was reassuring me all was well and that we would succeed. And we have.

Find Comfort in Your Voice and Others Will Too

Today’s internet marketing is challenging and rewarding all at the same time. There is a massive amount of information available, which is great, but it makes it difficult to differentiate yourself from the masses.

Finding your inner voice and being comfortable with it, allows you to present you – the unique person you are – and this, in itself, helps separate you from others. It makes you memorable, likable, and approachable all at the same time. It makes you marketable.

If you are considering launching a blog, but are scared to take that leap, stop and listen. Take a moment to listen to the you within and the you that is waiting to be born. Don’t discount your ability to become a blogger or communicate over the internet.

The blogger within you is there, quietly waiting for you to liberate it.