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The power of story is being recognized as an effective marketing tool and lucrative success secret. Experts and businesses are finding that as they tell their markets about who they are, why they offer their products and what they have accomplished, they are generating more leads and able to grow their businesses.
No matter what kind of business you have, you can use storytelling to help you generate more leads. Use these steps to identify your unique story and then share it with your audience.
Step 1: Make a Brief Business Sketch
Some businesses have easily identifiable stories, while others have stories that are buried a little deeper. Before you even decide what your story is, make a brief business sketch. The sketch should outline how your business was started, what inspired it, who makes your business what it is and what you do for your customers. This can be written in a few paragraphs or it can be a simple list of thoughts and ideas. As you put this together, focus on the details of your business. You may not realize it, but the small things that have made your business what it is contribute to your story.
Step 2: Find your Story
Now, start looking for your story. Keep in mind that every business has one. No matter how mundane or uninspiring you may feel the background of your business is, there is a story there. Every story has a beginning, middle and end. Use this outline and fill in the blanks that illustrate how your business was founded, how you came across the perfect solution with your product or why your organization is a unique solution. In some cases, you may not have an end to your story since you are still living it, so your ending may consist of the fact that you are where you are today because of your background. Use your business sketch to identify a common theme, a narrative thread or a back-story that is unique to you. It’s important that you choose a story that is genuine, unique and different, so you can show people why you are different than your competitors.
Step 3: Add a Human Element and Message
Adding a human element to your story will make it more interesting and more likely that it will help generate leads. Include information about people, relatable struggles and inspiring scenarios that make your business more than an organization and help it come to life. While you should stay true to your story, you should also consider what message a story will send. You likely have a few stories or a story you can tell in a few different ways. Choose elements that will help you build a positive reputation, establish trust with your customers and really highlight what you do.
Step 4: Decide how to Narrate your Story
Once you have established your story, decide how to narrate it. In most cases, you won’t tell your story from beginning to end, although you may choose to do this on your website’s “about” section. More likely, you will use blog posts, videos, articles, email marketing messages, social media, photos and other tools to collectively tell your story. The idea is to use your story to generate content so that as your audience is exposed to your business, people will start to understand your story. Each piece can also spur people to visit your website, where they can learn your story in full.
Step 5: Share it, Share it, Share it!
As you start to tell your story through your content, you need to share it! Telling your story through marketing channels like your blog, social media and email marketing will help you spread the word about who your business is and what you do. Sharing your story will also help you bring the benefits of a trusting relationship, loyal customers, a positive reputation, a background as an industry leader and a more engaged audience. All of these benefits will help you generate more leads and grow your business.
Sharing your story starts with identifying it and then infusing your business plan, goals and marketing strategy with it to tell your market who you are. I help business leaders, home-based business owners and network marketers lead their businesses to success, and can help you too. Contact me for more details.
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