“I have never thought of writing as hard work, but I have worked hard to find a voice” -Randy Pausch
Replace “writing” with any discipline, trade, or profession. In recruiting, it’s the same concept. To effectively build a brand, you must establish a voice. A voice that is really you. People don’t and won’t connect with a robot. No matter how skilled or expert one is in anything, without a voice it’s like an interaction with a robot or a dictionary. Exciting stuff huh? Who wants to read through shelves of endless law books or encyclopedias? Yes, they’re chock full of the information that matters, that make up the subject matter, and without it it, there is no matter; but without a platform that engages people with a human voice, no association with anything relevant, no real engagement. The most successful people in business today have a very well defined, identifiable voice or persona. There’s an automatic association to that person’s brand. The first step to establishing a brand is finding your voice. Look to any of the thought leaders in an industry and you will find post after post on how they got so many followers. Not only are they presenting good content, they’re doing it in a way that ties the reader to their brand. And it’s not an easy thing, to develop your voice. Who are you and what do you want to portray to your customers and potential customers? Establishing and cultivating this voice is at the core of your brand. And don’t forget to use it through all your social channels. Consistency is key. Blogging is one of the most effective ways to deliver and practice your voice. Don’t forget to do it and do it often. A lot of us will have the tendency to write more formally, and without thinking, emit the natural tone and flare that we call have- the cadence, our own unique voice. It’s who we are when we’re speaking naturally with a friend, in person or on the phone. Why we lose this character when we write is beyond me, but think about it consciously when you write. It will come more naturally after some time. Find yourself again! It’s kind of cool to see the words glow again after you’ve put yourself back into it. Like anything, practice makes perfect (or closer to perfect). So why is it important for recruiters to blog? What is the point? What do I get out of it, and what will my customers and prospects get out of it? I think it comes down to trust. As with any social media content that you put out there. And it goes back to the broader question of “Why Social Recruiting?” Why even jump on the Social Bandwagon? Because you will establish a brand. The more you blog, the more actionable advice and content you are offering to your peers, customers, and more generally, your industry. People will be able to judge whether or not you know your shit, and sharing in today’s social world, is a part of community. You want to give, and your rank goes up with people who have viewed your brand as consistently giving good, informative, actionable content that works. If a customer can see that you are trustworthy, even before engaging you in a conversation about doing business, that’s a step in the right direction. There’s a million and half recruiters out there. Consider Joe Hiring-Manager-Of A-Comany-That-Needs-To-Fill-A-VP-Of-Sales-Position (wow that’s a long-winded name huh?). He hasn’t ever used a recruiter to hire before and is referred to Recruiter A, and Recruiter B. He will be more inclined to trust Recruiter A if Recruiter A has a blog that offers good advice and content vs Recruiter B who doesn’t have a blog at all. The more someone knows about another, the more inclined he/ she will be to trust said person. It really does come down to basic human tendencies. With such a vastness of information at our fingertips, and the accessibility of it all, the average person today, is used to and even expects fast, convenient and transparent information. The more information someone has about something, the more they can trust themselves to make the right decision. The more transparent and open to share we are as a brand, the better off we will be. No one wants to hire a recruiter they know nothing about. The age of anonymity is long dead. That’s why we here at A Sales Guy Recruiting, value blogging, and each of us contributes weekly, to offer insight to our readers. Each contributor has his/her own personal voice and background, and it makes it much more interesting; but overall we all represent the badass-ness of ASG. Like I said, it’s through all social channels that you engage your audience; so be conscious and aware that your voice shines. Multi-media and video content is great way to catch people’s attention with your personal touch. Check out this recruiting video: Would you want to work here? 
Now for some hype. 
There’s a reason why Keenan has been named Top 50 Sales & Marketing Influencers by Top Sales World (3 years in a row at that). Social is a big part of that. Keenan’s been blogging since February 2009, and it’s appropriately titled “First Post”. Take a read. From the get-go Keenan establishes a very unique and identifiable voice: direct, funny, informal, honest, to the point, to name a few. And he’s built a very large audience since. He could not have been as engaging without a clear voice and that’s where it starts. The kernel of social selling, social recruiting, social ______ (fill in the blank). In order to connect with anyone and engage, you have to have an identifiable voice, unique to you. Take it or leave it, use social to advance your practice, or just throw away a tool that will help your business. The simple part is accepting it, the hard part is putting it to practice. Which one will you choose?