The #1 way to create an unforgettable brand is to tell stories.
Storytelling will do so many amazing things for your business!
- Transform your content from bland to brand-worthy.
- Go from being the boring fact-lister to the audience attractor.
- Quit being the outsider desperately trying to find their way into your ideal customers’ party – and become the one who’s hosting the party, inviting your ideal customers to join you.
- Go from stale regurgitation of what everyone else is spouting, to delivering content that truly resonates with your ideal customers.
Should I go on?
I think I will. 🙂
Why stories?
Incorporating storytelling into your selling efforts might seem daunting.
I hear ya – my eyes roll anytime I read about one more thing that I “should really be doing” in my marketing.
But just like anything else in your business – this is 100% worth the little bit of extra time it takes to implement!
And it doesn’t have to be HARD. Just takes a little preparation up front.
Get Personal
You know, anytime I create a post that involves a personal story – it gets exponentially better engagement than the posts where I just spout off facts.
Don’t get me wrong – people also love the action-item posts, the tips and tricks posts, and the posts that help them learn something.
But think about it.
When YOU are scrolling through on social media, you are looking to feel a sense of connection to the faces you see popping up on your feed.
You’re drawn to content that causes an emotional response in you.
If you see a pretty girl smiling at the camera with a “Hustle hard every day!” in the caption – you’re going to scroll right on by.
But if you see a pretty girl smiling at the camera with a caption that tells the story of how she came to be her own boss, followed by work-from home tips… you’re invested.
- She draws you in with her struggle to climb the corporate ladder, only to realize the limitations of being confined to an office where you only get 2 weeks of paid vacation a year, where you can’t control layoffs, you get a 3% raise each year if you’re lucky, and your time is no longer your own.
- She keeps you captivated with her story of how she made the decision to leave the corporate office to chase her dream around the world, and started her own business.
- By telling her story, and inviting you into the narrative, she built trust, credibility and rapport so you are more likely to remember her name, and her 5 work-from home tips she posts the next day.
This is the power of storytelling.
Your brand is an experience that you create every day with the stories you tell.
Of course, there are times when you need to serve up facts. Because people need facts. And facts are powerful.
But if you can serve up a double-whammy of fact + story – BOOM. You have instant magic gold content.
Stories are the most effective way to deliver information to your customers. If you are truly looking to add value to your audience’s lives, you want them to remember what you have to say!
And telling a story is much more effective than simply delivering facts.
Why is storytelling more effective?
- Telling stories creates connection. When you provide stories that embody a human challenge, you offer relatable situations your customers can identify with.
- People naturally remember information better when it is told through storytelling. If you think back to when you were in school – I’ll bet your favorite teachers were the ones who told stories. I’ll bet you might still remember some of the stories they told, too! But when you think about the most boring and ineffective teachers… they just spoon-fed you the facts. And became forgettable while doing so.
Don’t let your brand be forgettable.
How to be a storyteller in your business
Telling stories is the fastest way to create strong, meaningful connections with your audience and potential customers.
When you’re telling stories on your social media posts, on your emails, on your website, in your ads… It shouldn’t feel salesy.
It should feel compelling.
It should give a glimpse inside your life or your business.
When creating this brand narrative, your goal should be to create an experience that resonates with your ideal customers.
Now, you don’t have to share your most vulnerable, intimately personal stories if you don’t want to.
I recommend defining the following stories that make up your Brand Narrative, so you can pull from those stories when you’re creating your posts, or writing your emails.
- Origin Story (how your brand came to be, how you came to be where you are today)
- Transformation Story (the customer journey from their “before” to their “after” when using your product)
- Solutions Story (the customer benefits of your products/services).
- Your Brand Story (this is a combination of all three stories above, put together. Almost like a highlight reel of your business, a cohesive elevator pitch that incorporates all three stories.)
Once you’ve identified these stories, you have to make sure that any personal anecdote you’re throwing out there is relevant to the audience you’re attracting.
In order to tell relevant stories, you must:
- Understand your audience and their challenges
- What problems does your product/service solve
- Understand what solution your product/service provides
- Put the story through these filters: Is this revealing something about my business? Is this revealing something about me? Is it going to be boring to my customers?
Create Stories and Attract Your Dream Clients
Once you’re armed with your Brand Narrative Stories, and you’re prepared to tell relevant stories that will add value to your ideal clients’ experience – you’ll start transforming your content from bland to brand-worthy!
You’ll create a brand experience that people want in on, and you’ll start attracting the right people who are seeking out the information you have!
If you like this blog, check out some more of my brand-building content on my YouTube Channel. 🙂
