Recent comments made by Barack Obama suggested that he hadn’t ever used Twitter. I think that this shocked the millions of people that follow his Twitter account, specifically those that followed his updates during his election. His posts seemed very authentic and perhaps he dictated them to an assistant.

We are all strapped for time. For many businesses, the thought of adding another task to their already full schedule is frightening. So the thought of posting interesting, compelling, original, worthwhile content on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc. could practically suffocate a person, that along with the unfamiliar technology.

Consider this, who is the best voice for the company?

• Option 1: the company president, CEO or founder, possibly the marketing director or customer service director.
• Option 2: an intern or low-cost outsourced person with a script.

Option 2 is convenient, a short-cut, a “let’s try this to see if it is actually worth our time” tactic. So the intern will post safe/boring content that is totally harmless and risk-free.

But the intern lacks the genuine passion for the business that is actually compelling. In other words, option 2 practically guarantees mediocrity.

The Internet has given us the opportunity to create real conversations with prospects, customers, vendors, friends, and even competitors. How will they feel when they realize that they aren’t talking to the person they thought they were? Trust breaks down.

This is the reason that I do not ghost post for my clients. Rather, I teach them how to post themselves, to get over the small hurdles, to learn how to listen an engage in real conversations, build real relationships.