Does Your Marketing Content Sound Like You?

When I ask a client to discuss an article I’m writing for them, I can sometimes see their eyes roll through the phone.

Do we really need to talk about this? You have all the information you need. You know what I want to say.

I get it. They have other things to do. Even if they didn’t, some people would rather invent things to do than talk about their marketing.

But there’s a good reason why that conversation needs to happen. I want that article to sound like it came out of their mouth.

I often talk about the need to capture your voice and personality in your content. But if you want your marketing content to sound like you, you have to go even deeper.

Here’s what I mean.

Suppose I’m writing a blog article about a concept that’s a common source of confusion for your clients.

When I explain that concept in your article, I want to explain it the same way you do. I want to present information just like you do. I want to use the same language, the same phrasing, the same metaphors, the same examples.

That’s a big reason why I record those client conversations. I’d never be able to capture the exact verbiage if I only took notes.

When your marketing sounds like you, it doesn’t just tell people what you know. It tells them who you are.

And it’s more likely to elicit the same emotional and logical responses as an actual conversation with you would.

That’s how you should approach your marketing content. Assume every person who reads the content will have a conversation with you about the same topic at some point.

By the way, that’s not an outlandish scenario. It’s actually the ideal scenario.

Wouldn’t you want someone to read your content and contact you to discuss it further? Isn’t it a goal to get every prospect on the phone or in front of you? Why not make sure your marketing content previews that conversation?

The last thing you want someone to take away from such a conversation is, “Wow, that didn’t sound anything like what I just read.”

If there’s a disconnect between what you say in your marketing and what you say when you interact with a client or prospect, it doesn’t sound authentic. It creates doubt. It introduces questions. The level of trust goes down a notch or two.

And nothing is worse than failing to deliver on the expectations created by your marketing.

Remember, it’s not necessarily the information you provide in your marketing content that differentiates you. Unless you’re telling a story that’s unique to your business or sharing an earth-shattering discovery, that information is already out there.

When all other things are equal, it’s how you deliver information that matters.

Nobody reads your content because they want to hear someone else’s perspective on a particular subject. They’re reading your content because they want your take. They value your take.

That’s what I tell the clients who roll their eyes when I ask to talk about that article I’m writing for them. Yes, I have all the information I need. But I need to make sure the article represents your take on the subject.

Because your marketing content can never sound too much like you.