It’s a serious question. Are you? Well, of course you are. You know that, because you’re sitting here reading this. But do your customers? After all, you’re just a name, or a business, or a product on their computer screen. You’re just a voice on the phone. You’re just words in an email.
Technology can make us unsociable. Technology means we can forget basic etiquette that we instinctively use when meeting people face to face. You can ignore an email. Speak your mind without seeing someone’s hurt expression. Be self absorbed and only talk about yourself. Be rude. Inundate people with unwanted information.
Well, this blog is a gentle reminder not to let that happen. Isn’t the world tough enough without adding to the experience? And, just as importantly, the online perception of your brand is at stake.
How you act online, day to day, is your virtual cv. It’s a footprint of behaviour that never goes away. Every shirty email, flippant response and dodgy joke is there for posterity. Similarly, every cold, impersonal interaction stays up. Every auto response. What we’re saying is, you need to act human…humanely.
You don’t have to spill your love woes to prove you’re an individual, but you do need to speak with an individual voice. Are you fond of corporate speak and marketing lingo? Then you’re probably not speaking as an individual. Of course, you need to sound professional, but let’s face it: when your mate asks you what you fancy doing over the weekend, so you really reply: ‘I’ll give some top level, highbrow thinking to that and come up with a comprehensive cross functional strategy to tackle your dilemma’?
Well, if you do, read no further. But if you don’t, start reading your content with fresh eyes.
Do you sound like a person you want to be friends with?
Do you sound like a person at all?