We’ve all had that “first day of school” feeling at work. You put on the slightly-too-stiff shirt, use your “professional” voice on the phone, and try your best to act like a person who definitely doesn’t spend their Sunday nights watching reruns of The Office.
For a long time, that was the standard. Professionalism was a mask we wore to prove we were serious. But at Vitality South, we’ve been talking a lot lately about how exhausting that mask is—and how it actually gets in the way of doing good work.
The real challenge isn’t choosing between being a “pro” and being “yourself.” It’s figuring out how to be both at the same time.
The Problem with the “Corporate Robot”
When we try to sound perfectly professional, we usually end up sounding like a manual for a microwave. It’s safe, sure. But it’s also forgettable.
In our world—marketing and creative work—forgettable is the enemy. If our brand voice sounds like a generic template, why would anyone trust us to help them find their unique voice? Authenticity is just a fancy word for being human. And humans have quirks, they make jokes (sometimes bad ones), and they have opinions.
Redefining the “P-Word”
To us, professionalism isn’t about being formal or stiff. We’re learning that it’s actually much simpler than that. To be professional means:
- Doing what you said you were going to do.
- Respecting people’s time and their goals.
- Owning your mistakes instead of hiding them.
You can do all of those things while wearing a graphic tee and using “y’all” in an email. In fact, it’s often easier to build trust when you aren’t hiding behind a layer of corporate jargon.
A Small Challenge for Your Marketing
We don’t have it all figured out—we’re still practicing this every day. But if you feel like your business’s voice has become a little too “robotic,” here is a simple exercise we use to keep ourselves grounded.
The “Coffee Shop” Audit:
Take the last three things you posted on social media or sent in a newsletter. Read them out loud. Now, imagine you are sitting across from a long-time client at a local coffee shop.
The Question: Would you actually say those words to their face?
The Fix: If it sounds too stiff or “salesy” for a real conversation, try rewriting it exactly how you’d say it to them. Use your own slang. Mention a hobby. Be a human first.
We’re Still Learning Too
The truth is, we don’t always get this balance right. Some days we might sound a little too “business-y,” and other days we might be a little too casual.
But we’d rather lean toward being real. At the end of the day, we aren’t just an agency working for “accounts.” We’re a group of people here in the South trying to help other people grow their businesses. That’s a lot easier to do when we just talk to each other like neighbors.
– Ashley