DEFINING COPYWRITING BOUNDARIES IN SMALL BUSINESS
In the last blog, I shared my tips and techniques for creatively expressing your voice when copywriting for your small business.
In this blog I’m going to help you take a step back and think about how you define the boundaries between you and your brand.
Is your small business an extension of you, your personal values and who you are?
OR
Is your small business separate from you with its own values, personality and style?
OR
Is it something in between (hint: it's usually this)?
Like I mentioned in my last blog, if you're a solo or small business and you do most of the copywriting, it's (generally) better to consider your brand an extension of who you are rather than creating a whole distinct identity or persona.
Having said that, I still think it's useful to consider which parts of yourself strategically align with your brand.
And which parts you want to:
amplify
dial down
keep private
Here are some examples based on me and my small business.
There's no right or wrong here, this is simply where I've landed. ALSO, these aren't fixed ideas, they continue to evolve as my brand changes and grows and as I grow more comfortable showing up as my brand.
ALIGNED: I share my mental health struggles when it feels safe and I have the energy to do so. It's important to me as a person, and to my brand, that mental health is treated the same as physical health. I want potential clients to know that I understand and am flexible for all types of life stuff, and I want potential clients that wouldn't reciprocate that understanding and acceptance to choose a more suitable service provider.
AMPLIFIED: My brand voice is bolder, brasher and more boastful than I naturally would be. I ask for testimonials, brag about my skills and talents, share my successes and am very direct about asking people to buy from me. Here, I push those boundaries.
DIALLED-DOWN: My brand voice is less sarcastic, swear-y and evil AND makes fewer inappropriate jokes than I do in real life. It takes me a long time to get comfortable enough to show this side of myself in real life and it feels vulnerable for me to do so! So, for the Anna Rogan brand, the volume of this side of my personality is dialled right down. I set safe boundaries.
PRIVATE: I don't talk about my partner and I rarely talk about my kids (unless they're just too cute and I can't bloody help myself). Those parts of my life are separate from the public persona of the Anna Rogan brand. Strong boundaries here.
If reading all of this is making you feel a bit overwhelmed, take a deep breath.
You don't have to have all the answers.
It’s going to be okay, pupper
I invite you to PLAY and pay attention to what feels comfortable and what doesn't.
When things feel good, run with it!
When things don't feel good, ask yourself...
Does this feel uncomfortable because it...
is new and I hate being a sucky beginner? (I need practice)
breaches my privacy? (set boundaries)
makes me feel vulnerable and compromises my feelings of safety? (set boundaries)
feels too far away or different from me? (find your brand voice)
OR... does this strategically align with my brand even if it feels a little uncomfy for non-brand me?
Ultimately, YOU get to decide what aligns with your brand, what feels good to share and what you want to leave off the table. You define the boundaries.
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