Owning Your Point of View

Note from Sarah: This article was originally sent via my newsletter. Newsletter subscribers receive essay style pieces like this before anyone else. Click here to subscribe!

One of our clients asked me such a valuable question recently:

Can you have too strong of point of view in your blog?

Why Point of View is Important in Thought Leadership

My "official" answer was, "Well, you need to use good judgement with regard to the communication norms of your industry and culture." Which is pretty true. However, with that said, I truly believe that a strong, clear perspective will always carry you further than watering down your message to cast the widest net.

Why point of view matters:

• Eliminates brand disconnect. There's nothing more awkward than expecting one thing, and getting another. A clear point of view reduces the chance of this confusion.

• Makes a connection. Want people nodding along while they read your blog post? Want them to have an "aha" moment when they land on your sales page? Then lean into your unique perspective and voice.

• You're memorable. Point of view comes through in your writing, your visuals, your services, you name it. Wouldn't you rather people actually remember you than lose you in a sea of sameness?

• You become an authority and a thought leader. Have a problem with your industry? Say so. Live it! I hate how web designers fixate on fonts when clients' business outcomes are what matters. I can't stand how agencies spend money on pingpong tables, ritzy offices and deliverables that do exactly zilch to advance anything but their own egos. These are things I believe. (Seriously, want to talk to me about everything that's wrong with the design industry? Set aside a few hours.) In my very small circle of my world, this is something people reach out to talk to me about. I'm proud of that.

I could go on and on, because pinpointing your perspective is one of those small things that matters a lot and people don't spend enough time on.

Every business or organization needs to spend some time thinking about what their unique point of view is and how they can better develop that on the websites (and everywhere else—who wants to see another same old, same old Instagram feed?).

So, to answer that question, sure, don't be a jerk, don't be offensive or worse, but do lean into the things you believe about your work—I bet you're connecting with more people than you imagine.

To really thrive in our noisy online marketing world, remember you're not just galvanizing the right audience, you should polarize the wrong one.