How to Better Market to Your Customers: Learn to Write Your Authentic Voice!

Better Marketing Through Authentic Communication

Plant for Profits Column, Leslie F. Halleck

Figuring out how to authentically market your business to your existing and potential customers and clients is often one of the biggest entrepreneurial challenges. Most people building businesses in the horticulture industry don’t typically have any formal business or marketing training. Planty people also aren’t always the most at ease when it comes to the many forms of public-facing communication required to do effective marketing. I can’t count the number of students or clients I’ve had that are “just not comfortable writing or being on camera”. That’s a tough combination when you have to go out and promote yourself and your business.

So, where exactly do you start if you’re trying to get a better grip on your company's marketing communications? I usually tell folks it all comes down to finding your own authentic inner voice.

Sure, my degrees are in plant science and horticulture and that’s the industry space in which I’ve spent my entire professional career. BUT, if I really break down exactly what I do for a living, it’s communications. Writing, to be more specific as far as volume goes. Be it industry columns, articles in consumer magazines, blogs, books, research papers, horticultural reports proposals, website copy, advertisements, business and marketing plans, …you name it, I’ve probably written it.

With writing as the foundation of what I do, I must credit the overall success I’ve had in my career and business to my 9th and 10th grade English teacher, Mrs. Byrd. I was lucky enough, as an Army Brat, to have her two years in a row at both the Jr. High and High School in Ramstein, Germany. Mrs. Byrd made us write. Relentlessly. If she hadn’t, I’m not sure I would have ever learned how to comfortably write my voice.

Now, I have no other real formal writing training other than some continuing education creative writing courses in the last couple of years. I never took any writing courses in college beyond the basic requirements and I’m no grammar expert. I make lots of typos (thanks speed typing and ADHD!) What I can do well is put my own voice down on paper. If you know me, have taken a course with me, or have been a consulting client, you probably don’t have any trouble recognizing “my voice” when you read one of my columns or other publications. What’s me is me, and what you read is what you get. The voice that’s always rambling on in my head is exactly the same voice that ends up on paper.

Horticulture is a science-based industry. It requires a lot of teaching in regard to how we grow successful customers and clients. Teaching requires the ability to clearly and authentically communicate the information your customers need in order to happily keep doing business with you. That means you’re going to need to get comfy with communications and telling your story.

If you're not sure how to get comfortable writing your voice, I'd recommend doing some journaling. Just brain dump! Write whatever comes to mind. The more you get comfortable writing out the dialogue that's in your head, the more comfortable you'll get with that style of writing overall. You can then translate that approach to your marketing endeavors.

In case you're nervous about journaling, know that I NEVER journaled until the just last couple of years. I was tasked with so much academic writing early on in my education and career that I was able to develop the skill out of necessity. However, the journaling I have done recently has helped me get even more comfortable with my voice and less fearful of putting the truth down on paper.

Remember, your job is to inspire confidence. Authentic confidence in you and what you offer. Ultimately, your brand is just your reputation. If you aren’t being authentically you, and using your voice, when talking to your customers, they’ll figure it out pretty quickly.