What is Brand Storytelling? And Why Your Business Needs It.
The best way to grow your business is by finding ways to emotionally connect with and grow your audience. And the best way to connect with your audience is by sharing your story!
That’s because it’s the easiest way to help people
- feel good about themselves,
- get something they desire,
- satisfy a need,
- reach a goal,
- or make their lives easier.
If you’re thinking, “But what about [insert any other idea you have for marketing your business]?” I have good news!
Brand storytelling works with any other marketing strategy you decide to integrate into your business! It’s the easiest way to make your people feel seen, heard, and understood. And the easiest way to stand out in any industry — especially when you share the parts of your story your audience can relate to most.
Whether you’re hoping to
- grow a loyal audience of dream clients,
- build authority in your niche,
- become an expert in your industry,
- get invited to speak (or be interviewed),
- or increase sales (and boost your income).
Your story can help you do it!
Brand storytelling is the act of using a cohesive narrative (or story) to connect people to you and your brand. That story is your brand story.
A good brand story…
- Describes what led to the creation of your business,
- Guides how you run your business as a whole,
- Defines your values and goals for your audience,
- Helps you stand out in your audience’s minds,
- Creates an emotional response in the people it’s meant for (aka your target audience).
But it’s important to remember your brand story, even if it’s your personal story, isn’t actually about you!
Instead, the purpose of your brand story is to get your ideal customer or client closer to something they want, need, or desire in their life — something you can help them with.
It also makes it easier to answer the question “What’s in it for me? What am I getting out of this interaction?” every single time someone comes in contact with your business.
Because whether we like to admit it or not, we’re all thinking it. (I bet you thought it when you started reading this!)
A good brand story tells people…
Who you are (You & your brand)
It lets people know you and your brand exists by sharing your personal and professional experiences that led to you creating your business.
Who you serve (Your audience)
It lets people know you can help them by sharing how you came to understand their unique needs.
What you believe in (Your values)
It lets people know how you carry yourself in business and in life by sharing your current (and past) views and mindset.
Why you do what you do (Your mission)
It lets people know why solving the problem you solve is so important to you by sharing what you came to understand about yourself because of your experiences.
How you do it differently (Your niche)
It lets people know there’s another path that fills the gaps others in your industry miss by sharing how you found a new way to look at an old or often ignored problem.
Together, these 5 pieces help you build a relationship with each member of your audience by making them feel seen, heard, and understood.
The amount of time it takes to build this relationship depends on what you sell and how big the financial or time commitment will be for them.
Could you build a relationship without sharing your story? It’s possible.
But if there’s anything I’ve learned working as an advertising creative for the past 10 years, it’s that by sharing your story instead of constantly telling people about your products or services…
- You’re reminding people you’re not just another faceless corporation that only cares about making money.
- You’re showing them you’re a person with your own needs, feelings, and goals that guide how you run your business.
- You’re sharing your personality, values, and experiences while opening the door for them to share theirs,
- And you’re giving them an idea of how you’ll treat them when they become one of your clients!
When most people think about brand storytelling, I find they think about tv commercials or social media posts. But the truth is once you start sharing your story, you’ll find endless opportunities to share it.
Brand Storytelling Tip
Before you share your story, start asking yourself:
- How does my story connect me to my business?
- How does my story connect me to my audience?
- What does my audience get out of my business offers?
- What does my audience get out of my story?
Don’t worry about trying to find the perfect words. The point is to start thinking about the parts of your story that are relevant to your business and relatable to your audience!
Ready to share your story?
Ready to learn how to use the power of your story to grow your audience no matter where you share it?
Download my free guide so you can learn:
- 7 practical approaches to sharing your story,
- Why each technique is so powerful (& why it works),
- How to use them effectively for your needs,
- And my 4-step method for sharing your story.
