I was talking to my good friend and client, Michael Lee, the other day about blogging and what it takes for a business owner, CEO or any other top Executive like himself to be a consistent blogger. I thought the core of our conversation was so universal to other executives I wanted to share this with you.
The conversation started in a discussion about “frequency” of blog posts. As it turns out, most people don’t realize that Google and other search engines now reward you for posting more often and this overall helps your search rankings – but that is the topic for many more posts. The reason we were talking about frequency is that one of the biggest issues with “executive bloggers” is their ability to post frequently. Why is that? While there may be a myriad of reasons, one of the biggest I have personally seen with my clients is the topic for today – PERFECTIONISM.
CEOs and other top executives have lived their lives by “being right” most of the time. After all, they didn’t get to where they are by throwing darts at the board and hoping for the best. No, they are very calculating, knowledgeable, analytical, sales focused individuals that made calculated decisions on what to do next. They just didn’t grow up in that role by being random and haphazard or sloppy in their work. In fact, most strive for perfection or the ability to get as close to this as possible to eliminate potential risks that might come along. Sound familiar??
To add more fuel to the fire, whenever they were in the public eye or among their employees and customers, they want to also say and do the “right” things so as to put the company’s best foot forward. They choose their words carefully so as not to be misunderstood and do their homework so they know their facts. Does any of this sound like a blogger? Probably not – thus the dilemma.
My advice is to STOP TRYING TO PERFECT YOUR POSTS! The audience wants to hear the “real you” and get it in “real time” instead of when you have scrubbed it 20 times before posting. You are all savvy enough not to disclose trade secrets or other such information so stop worrying about it. Think about your customers and employees. Do they really care if every sentence is grammatically correct? NO! They want to hear from you, as you speak, as you choose to share. That is where the real value is – the passion, the timing, and the insight only you can bring to the post. So get by being perfect – write, post, and write again and post again – and again and again. This is what your audience REALLY cares about.
This is some of the best advice out there. I know many would be bloggers who have a great voice, but they are “working on” their blog posts but cannot seem to finish them because they are not “good enough” yet.
Follow Blaine’ advice – Be authentic. Show your passion. Get it done and get it out even if it’s not perfect.
PS – It will never be perfect anyway.