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Bring Your Content To Life: Find Your Voice

When writing content for your web site, it is important to consider the “voice” of your content. In other words, how does your writing sound to your users as they read it? Is it casual and fun, or uptight and no-nonsense? Does your content have personality, or does it sound stiff and lifeless like a legal document?

You need to find your voice. That voice is what will set your content apart from your colleagues and competitors. It is what will make your content interesting and noteworthy.

A term you’ll hear a lot if you start to read about doing business on the Internet is “authenticity”. People on the net can be skeptical, and authenticity is a great tool you can use to connect with people and earn their trust. Simply put, authenticity means putting a bit of yourself out there, your real true self, so people can see who you are. How much you put out there is up to you, as everyone’s comfort levels vary when it comes to putting personal information up online.

When people talk about authenticity, often they are referencing social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. But while authenticity can have a major effect on those sites, developing a “voice” in your web site content is important too. The more content your audience reads from you, the more they will feel like they are getting to know you, if you practice authenticity and try to use your unique voice. They will eventually feel like they know you and can trust you to keep your end of any business deal.

Of course, your content also has to be appropriate. Even if you swear a blue streak in real life, chances are you shouldn’t do that in your web site copy. You want to be personable and approachable, while remaining professional. Remember that the Internet never forgets, so make sure whatever you put out there is okay to stay out there.

You might not be able find your voice right away. That’s okay. One of the keys to finding your voice is to simply practice writing. Just keep trying, and eventually you’ll settle into your groove. Once you do, you’ll be well on the way to developing your business online as authentic, trustworthy, and one with real personality.

What type of voice do you use in your content? Do you want to develop a new voice for your company? Let us know what you think in the comments!

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About Karyl Gilbertson

Karyl is New Harvest Media's Creative Director. He is passionate about design, and pretty stoked about things like web standards, usability, and Wordpress too.