How to Find Your Powerful Brand Story & Why You Need to Use It
Do you enjoy stories? I love them, in fact most people do (as if you hadn’t already clued onto that one)!
Fast paced action movies, gripping, edge-of-yer-seat fiction books, strangely familiar tv soap dramas (will Eastenders ever die?). Stories are a huge part of our lives - they flood us with emotions, bring up old memories and create lasting impressions on us that span decades.
I still remember the classic Hovis advert, the boy charging around the streets to get to the bakery in time for dinner. The story is what stuck with me; the journey the boy went through to get to that tasty bread (#breadlife).
It created a familial emotion in me; it made me remember the multiple times I myself had been sent to the corner shop for bread and milk, causing me to associate warmth, home and family with Hovis to this very day. Now I may be a tad of a sourdough snob these days, but if I’m craving a bacon sandwich, best believe it’s Hovis I’m buying.
Having an emotive story behind your brand gives it power. It gives it legs to stand on when engaging with your audience, a personality trait for them to relate to and empathise with. On top of all that, it gives you the power of conviction to fully serve your clients & customers because you understand your worth.
Your story gives you a unique value & perspective that no one but you can weaponise.
So what happens when you don’t know what your story is?
Do you struggle to find topics to engage with your audience about?
Do you struggle to even attract an audience?
Yep, the struggle is definitely real, and it’s definitely not one you’re struggling with alone.
So many businesses and entrepreneurs ‘half arse’ their content; sparsely populating their websites and social media with unhelpful, poorly formatted content.
Instead of creating lasting relationships with their customers, engaging and learning, they waste hours of their time creating mounds of content in the hopes it will catch someone’s eye online.
First off; the old ‘content quantity over content quality’ chestnut is just so wrong. You have first hand experience of this, just go check your email’s spam folder.
It’s a classic example of how badly handled & poorly structured content is treated, hand in hand with the 70 million plus of blogs published online every month that go completely ignored by the world.
With no story your brand is simply a service. And that may sound a bit silly, because afterall it is, but just like we make connections and build friendships with people in the world, brands need to replicate this process through their words, images and actions.
A human personality is what your audience is latching onto when they’re engaging with your business, and in order to be in the strongest position possible, it’s your personality & your story that needs to be holistically woven into the very fabric of your brand.
Are you already wondering how this could possibly work? How you could possibly attract a motivated and engaged audience?
Don’t be so hard on yourself! This is imposter syndrome, and is something you need to pack up in a box and throw out with all the other self-sabotaging, mean-spirited things floating around your brain space. You’re a Female Boss now, so own it!
You are in the top position of your business, you need to give yourself the encouragement, motivation and support that you would expect from a senior management figure. Better? Good.
When I first meet my clients, I make it a point of getting to know them outside of their businesses. Firstly because I find this builds a stronger relationship between us, but also because it gives both of us valuable insight into the mission and objective of your brand.
Once you understand how you came to be in the position you’re in, we can start building the business objectives and brand strategy that will put you in front of the right audience, and supercharge your engagement.
How?
Because when you fully understand how you came to be in the position you’re in, you immediately have a more in-depth perspective and firsthand experience of why people need your product or service, giving you an emotional & behavioural insight that will blow your competitors out of the water.
Your story is the key to unlocking the power within your brand, and is your very own roadmap to success. And when used with Emotional Intelligence, Holistic business strategy & Authentic branding, you create a powerful digital presence that informs, engages and attracts your ideal customers.
Everyone has a story. Get smart and use yours to succeed.
Need a hand figuring out your first chapter? Don’t worry about it, just send me an email and I’ll put you on the right path :)