We all have stories to tell. Whether it’s about the time we moved across the country, or that crazy thing that happened on vacation last year. It’s funny how, when you’re telling a story, people can’t help but be drawn in. That same magnetic pull exists when sharing your story as part of a business strategy. Telling your story allows you to make an emotional connection with your audience and gives them insight into who you are as a person and a business—it’s like magic!
- Make Yourself Human. People want to connect with other people, not businesses or products. Sharing personal stories makes you seem less like an entity and more like an individual they can trust. Stories create an emotional bond that makes it easier for people to connect with you, which is necessary to develop a relationship with them.
- Share Your Experiences. No matter what industry you’re in, chances are high that you have experienced something unique—and if not unique, then at least interesting enough to share with others! Share your experiences—the good, the bad and the ugly—in order to give potential customers an inside look at what it’s like working with you and how you handle situations (especially tricky ones!). This allows people to get to know who you are behind the scenes and see if they can relate or empathize with those experiences—which will help them decide whether or not they want to work with or buy from you.
- Create Trust. The more transparently honest you are about yourself and your business strategies/goals, the more likely it is that people will trust in what you have to offer. When they feel they can trust in who they are working with, their anxiety level lowers significantly which increases their likelihood of buying from or working with you. Sharing personal stories helps put all those worries aside because it shows that there is someone real behind the product/service; someone who has emotions just like them; someone who understands their struggles/joys/needs; someone who cares about giving them good quality service.
- Formulate Your Brand Narrative. When sharing personal stories online as part of your branding narrative be sure that each story is well-crafted and thought out before posting it for all eyes on social media platforms or on your website blog page. Personal stories should be written so that each one follows through on its own path while still remaining true to your brand identity (telling a cohesive story). The goal is for potential customers/clients to learn something new about who YOU are every time they read one of your stories!
The bottom line is this: telling personal stories isn’t necessarily easy but it’s worth it for many reasons! People love connecting emotionally with other humans rather than businesses or products; sharing experiences helps form relationships between brands & customers; being open & honest creates trust & loyalty; formulating a brand narrative helps set up expectations & builds credibility among potential clients/customers. All these benefits combined make storytelling via personal stories one of the most effective tools available for growing any kind of business today! So why wait? Start telling YOUR story today!