Siri, I’ve a Feeling We’re Not in Athens Anymore

I'm back! After 3 months of traveling, getting lost, eating my weight in gelato, riding a camel, seeing the Queen of England (yes, I'm not kidding), and so much more, I’ve finally made it back and settled in. After spending time exploring, learning and constantly eating, it's nice to find my way back to the land of endless Chick-Fil-A and overuse of the word y’all (guilty as charged). After I graduated, I ventured off to Vegas (won $5, so naturally, I put it in my retirement account. Got to start somewhere right?), South Carolina, London, Venice, Rome, Nice and Paris. I can’t say enough how amazing it was, how much I learned in my time abroad. There truly is so much rich history that has lead us to where we are and the Earth is so beautiful if you take the time to stop and look at it. 

My last stop was Israel, a truly perfect place to end the summer. The 16 days I spent there were some of the most transformative and eye opening days of my life, ones that I will never forget. When I came back, it was time to strap on those big girl pants that were hiding in the back of my closet and begin a career I’ve been preparing for my entire life. 

With college withdrawals still hitting hard, checking my newsfeed every five minutes and seeing pictures and statuses of my younger friends returning to college only fueled the FOMO more. But it was time to embrace my inner Taylor Swift and start “feeling 22”, with all the awkward, confusing and exciting new adventures that state of “in-between” includes. Although it's so cliche, she really did get it right. 22 is the the age of knowing everything you need to know and being utterly clueless at the same exact time, theoretically needing to have it all together, only to realize how far from “together” you actually are, and most importantly, to be ok with it. 

Although the education I received was truly irreplaceable, there’s naturally things in the real world that college can’t teach you. And even though internships give us that insight into office life, it’s still only a glimpse. Learning how to have a job is just as challenging as learning how to do that job. 

One of the most challenging things I’m still learning is how to find my “voice”. What does this even mean? Finding my voice and intertwining it with the organization’s voice and message defines yourself and who you represent. There needs to be that sweet spot, where your voice and the company’s message come together in your content. I’ve read countless articles on this mysterious “voice”, yet, it’s hard to nail down. Thankfully, I’ve managed to narrow it down to these simple points. 

1. Who you’re talking to matters 
Whether its business owners, moms, foodies, cat lovers, potential voters or doctors, everyone needs and demands different types of content. You have to put yourself in their position and ask yourself, “would I care to know this?”  Walk a “social media mile” in their shoes and discover the types of things that peak their interest, informs them and makes them love listening and engaging. 

2. It's more than numbers
Yes, getting lots of likes, retweets, mentions and replies is important, your message should be worth sharing and engaging with. But the way you say things on social media defines who you are, what you believe in and your organization’s character. 

3. What do you care about? 
Do you want people to support your cause, sign up for your newsletter, eat your product or watch your show? You have to pinpoint exactly what you want to achieve with your content marketing before establishing the voice you use. And yes, it seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised. 

4. Your voice isn’t permanent
Just as your organization can drastically change, whether its expanding its services, taking on different types of clients or rebranding, you aren’t married to the voice you’ve established. Our world changes so quickly and adapting to those changes may mean a shift in voice. It’s ok to recalculate. 

5. Be innovative
Sometimes the most successful content is the one that pushes the boundary and grasps people’s attention. Although I’m not advocating that your organization should copy these, but sometimes you have to try something new to get people talking. Sometimes celebrities, politicians and companies alike do things that seem ridiculous or absurd but they do it to get people talking about them, that's exactly what they set out to do. 

And so with this, I embark on this new journey to find that voice. And with the start of my love affair with Atlanta traffic and after all that pondering in the car, I’ll come up with something that accurately define it. Until next time, lets discover what’s worth saying and let our voices be heard. 

xoxo, 
Mel

Comments

  1. I like your ideas about the Online Election Campaign Strategy and it is very impressive. This blog shows you are the energetic and looking forward at your own business.

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