Put Personality Into Your Business

Put Personality Into Your Business

Popquiz hot shot: what do Sandhills Publishing and InfoUSA have in common? One has a “diverse range of products” and the other is “dedicated to building innovative solutions.” One provides “specialized electronic information services” and the other has “experts who offer a deep understanding with unsurpassed diversity.” Have you figured it out yet? They’re writing is boring. They’re boring. They sound like everyone else.

I like what Jason Fried of 37 Signals writes on the topic:

When you write like everyone else and sound like everyone else and act like everyone else, you’re saying, “Our products are like everyone else’s, too.” Or think of it this way: Would you go to a dinner party and just repeat what the person to the right of you is saying all night long? Would that be interesting to anybody? So why are so many businesses saying the same things at the biggest party on the planet — the marketplace?

If your writing is on the front lines and its boring, it lends the impression that you’re boring. Are you boring? To borrow an example from Jason Fried’s latest article. What do Woot and Saddleback Leather have in common? Saddleback’s story starts with “I got my first exposure to real tough leather at a Mexican bullfight… and I was the one fighting the bull.” Saddleback’s story is compelling enough to keep you engaged. That’s just the beginning of it. Read their warranty. Woot’s FAQ contains this nugget: “We anticipate profitability by 2043 – by then we should be retired; someone smarter might take over and jack up the prices. Until then, we’re still the lovable scamps we’ve always been.” Wow! I love it.

Let’s say you want to write about the simplicity of your latest and greatest iPhone app. You could say: “XYZ is so simple, the features are laid out in an intuitive easy to use way.” I’m asleep already. Or you could say: “One pinky. That’s all it takes to use Final Madness. If you’re a one-armed man with no legs, you can still operate this app. Keep your fingers rested and ready for what really matters - communicating obscene gestures to the ref.” The former is about as useful as saying “we deliver innovative solutions with 35 years of executive experience in our industry.” It doesn’t communicate anything. You could argue that the latter doesn’t communicate much either, but it does put a smile on your face and it gets the point across. It entices you to actually try the app, because you’ve never heard about a one-armed man with no legs using an iPhone. But, you’ve heard about innovative solutions, leading providers, and unsurpassed customer service. Snoozefest.

These vapid business phrases must go. Please have a personality! People don’t relate with products, they relate with people. Have an opinion. You’ll keep us engaged. Don’t let your business be boring. Write like a blogger.

You can follow me on Twitter @jprichardson

-JP

If you made it this far, you should follow me on Twitter.  

-JP


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