Why is a copywriter telling people to stop caring about how they sound? Here's why: because when you think your business should sound one way, and you put all of your resources into "sounding" like something other than yourself, you lose an opportunity to tell your unique brand story with authenticity.

C.S. Lewis once said, "[N]o man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." This piece of advice applies to creating almost any kind of content, especially copy for young, small businesses still searching for their true voice. In short, when you try too hard, people can tell.

If you're a new company, or an old company just setting up your presence on the web, and you're writing the copy yourself, don't bother with making your language "pretty" at first. Tell your story in the simplest of terms, and after you've completed an entire draft, go back and do some "wordsmithing" if possible--edit for style and clarity and see what you come up with. This exercise will be helpful even if ultimately you decide you need a professional copywriter to take the reins. By giving the copywriter the story of your company from your perspective, you'll give him or her insight into your business. A copywriter will take your story and run with it, finding new and eloquent ways of highlighting the "big ideas."

I'm not saying that you shouldn't take risks with your copy--in fact, I'm a strong advocate for finding new ways of communicating with your customers. But it's important to know when your copy is at odds with your overall strategy. For example, sometimes people become preoccupied with sounding "clever," or "tech-savvy," but if you're a luxury home builder, sounding anything but professional and trustworthy on your website might hurt your business, even if you're appealing to a young, trendier market.

If you're just starting out trying to tell your company's story through a new website or on a social networks such as Facebook or Twitter, think of what C.S. Lewis said, and just tell it like it is. Maybe it requires a few tweaks by a talented copywriter to bring it all together in the end, but the bottom line is that you should always be yourself.