Multiple Blogs, Multiple Voices

Over the past year, as the explosion of the blogging culture occurred, I fully embraced web writing and integrated it into every area of my life as a web professional.

I’m now running three blogs, and I have found that each new blog launch brings a bit of an unexpected challenge.  That challenge is the new writing style, or persona I must develop on each site.

My three blogs each fill a specific role in my life, and each have a different target audience.  I’m writing from three different areas of my “expertise” and I try to put forth different parts of my personality through my three websites.

The blog for my business

With my newly re-launched CasJam Media site, I expanded it to include a blog.  I market my web design services to small business owners, so I use this blog to speak directly to that target audience.

The characteristics that might describe the target readers of the CasJam blog are (for now I say “target” readers.  The traffic numbers don’t justify calling them “actual” readers):

• Entrepreneurs or small business owners.
• Not technologically / web savvy.
• Appreciates great design, but unfamiliar with the design process.
• Interested in tapping their business into the web, but unsure how to do it.
• In the market for web design services, and evaluating the expertise I provide.

As I was putting together the first blog post on the CasJam blog, I immediately found it challenging to find my “voice” in the context of this target audience.  I need to strike a balance between various aspects of my online persona.  On the one hand, I’m trying to provide real online marketing advice, which can sometimes be technical in nature.  But I’m also speaking directly to prospects and existing clients, which requires me to keep things concise, helpful, and offer a positive representation of myself and my business.

The blog for my peers

That would be this one.  I consider my briancasel.com blog to be geared towards folks who are like me:

• Web and tech savvy.
• Working in or have an interest in the web design industry.
• Fellow freelancers or small business owners.
• Interested in marketing and sharing ideas with fellow web workers.
• Understands and appreciates the role of design on the web.

While I’m still adjusting to writing with a more personal approach here, I find it to be a much more laid back and natural task.  It’s a place to talk shop with those who work in my industry.  It’s a place to share the never-ending learning experience that is freelancing and designing for the web.  This personal blog fills that space nicely.  Now, if I could only find some readers!

Keeping the music alive

Serve The Song is the longest running of my three active blogs.  As a long time musician and songwriter, this has been a great way for me to stay in touch with that side of my life.  I have a lot of knowledge and ideas to share in the areas of writing music, recording and producing (that audio recording degree has to be good for something!), and I found blogging to be the perfect medium to do that.

While I may inject some personal opinions in some of the posts, the content is not personal in nature, and it’s not meant to promote any of my own music.  It’s more of a resource for fellow songwriters and home-recordists.  I provide tips, tutorials, ideas on online music promotion, and related topics.

It’s been great to connect with creatives across the spectrum of the music world through the Serve The Song blog.  In recent months it has developed into more of a community blog as most of the posts come from guest writers.  It’s truly awesome to incorporate so many unique voices all in one place and I hope this trend continues.

Your thoughts?

Thanks for reading through the longest post yet on this blog : )  I promise to go back to the short and sweet method on future installments.

Do you keep multiple blogs?  How have you transitioned between them?  How do you find your own “voice” through blogging?