There is no way that this is going to sound objective. In fact, it’s a damn-near self-promotional post. Well, actually, it’s more profession-promotional than self…

Anyway. Just letting you know that right off the top.

Last week I was on the phone with an old friend and sometime client, talking about some website and PR work he needed. We talked about goals and timelines. Then he brought up the idea of doing it himself.

I paused and kept my mouth closed. It wasn’t judgmental silence, because he could probably do it himself.

My silence was because I’ve heard that same statement thousands of times over the course of my career. And, to be honest, if somebody’s thinking that way there’s not much you can say to change their mind.

But I took a risk. I related to Ryan a recent conversation my wife and I were having about the renovation taking place at our house. I told her that I was planning to go up and help with some of the construction. After a pause, my wife said, “I think we’d all be better served if you went to your office and typed.”

She may have softened it more, but the point was taken. I’m going to stick at what I do best and let those guys do what they do best.

Fortunately for me, Ryan got it.

I don’t believe helping a company with any of their materials (or a PR or social media strategy/execution) is astrophysics. But, for what it’s worth (company name!) I do believe that making the language feel natural is challenging and that is what we as an agency do best.

We avoid escargot copy. (Using big words when something simpler would do.)

We avoid bips-bops-and-booms design. (Being overly flashy when a clean design is better.)

We avoid push-push-push campaigns. (Because being in the conversation is more important than being noticed just once.)

You hire a professional agency because they are practiced in that art. And that’s hard. That comes with experience. That comes with perspective.

On the other hand, I really want to go to the house and pound some nails.