As social media consultants and professionals, there may be times when we struggle to create an effective voice. Whether it is for our clients to counsel them on developing a personal voice that also delivers a brand message, or for our own blogs where we are sharing our ideas about social media and how businesses can best utilize the technologies.

The Personal Brand Conundrum

Justin Kownacki had a post a couple of weeks ago questioning whether or not professional bloggers were seen as a person, or a brand. We know that many bloggers may continue to be followed through their career – no matter what company they are blogging for. People like their voice, their personality, and the comfort of the name (or is it the brand?).

I think that what makes a brand successful on the internet is its ability to be personal. We have all decided that transparency and authenticity are two ingredients necessary for a blog to be credible and popular. People want to read blogs that are written by people that they understand and relate to. They want to feel a part of the conversation and interact with others who are interested as well.

(Picture credit: Beth’s Blog)

The Passion to Blog

On Monday, Toby Bloomberg had a post asking if as women bloggers, we could directly impact the success of social media in a corporate world. One of her main questions was this:

Q: What is one common denominator of a successful blog?

A: I say passion. Without passion about the topic it’s difficult to sustain these hungry critters with content. (Yes, there is also honesty, transparency, authenticity and more but stay with me on this one.)

That got me thinking, the most popular blogs are without a doubt those written by passionate people. From technology to social media to entertainment, the most influential blogs are those written by people who are passionate about their life and their work, and are determined to share those thoughts and ideas with others.

Where would Web 2.0 be without those people who were driven to discuss and start conversations about how we were interacting with one another online, and how we could be doing better?

So What?

I think that overall, people read blogs because they like the personal connection. They enjoy the feeling of community and interaction that comes with it.

There will always be people who criticize and disagree with your views. It’s the nature of the immediate impact that blogging has on the internet, the ability to gain comments (good and bad) and other insight from all kinds of people. Again, once something is posted, it’s there online forever. So, stand by it and be proud of where it came from. It’s your passion.

The main question is, are the relationships you are forming and conversations you are starting on your blog for yourself, your business, or your brand? What do you want your voice to be?