One area that I think we miss sometimes is the importance of our story in our business. I recently met up with a colleague who I knew had an interesting story about how she got into her industry. My colleague was hesitant about talking about her story, she was concerned that it was not interesting. The truth is that it was soooo interesting and gives context and framework around who she is in business. The challenge was that it was my colleague that was sick of the story or hearing about it, but most people haven’t heard it before. This occurs in marketing a lot, business change up marketing messages because they get sick of them, not the customer.
So back to your business story and its importance. What am I actually talking about? what elements 
do you need? How do you weave it into your marketing? Most social enterprises/charities are good at this. Think Geraldine Cox and her Sunshine Orphanage. They are usually born from a personal story, a horrific experience, or moment of awareness that was the epiphany that kickstarted an idea or a life purpose.
Here are my top tips on shaping your story
- Frame your story into a marketing message using this formula – (a) The way that it was – outlining the issue /triggers/ problems that you identified or experienced and then (b) How you decided to solve them (c) the decisions/products/services/ideas you then came up with
- Share your truth. Don’t invent a story, be authentic and share what really happened for you. This may stretch you or make you feel uncomfortable, but you will find people connect with what is real, when they can empathise and see themselves in that situation.
- Im still stunned by the amount of about us pages that have limited information. include your photos, introduce your teams. If its a family business, share the family and individual stories. If you have a team, share their stories. ESPN had their most successful marketing campaign when then stopped focussing on the players and started sharing the stories and passions of the ESPN broadcasters.
- Work with a good copywriter. It can be hard to put your story into words. Work with someone who can finesse it for you, make it succinct and flowing.
- How much to share? I understand that some stories can be very personal, or there could be traumatic element that doesn’t feel right to share. You must be guided by what feels right to you. I would encourage you to remember that people can empathise and connect with you when they can see themselves or relate to your story.
I hope this helps you a little with your story
Until next week
Bug Hugs
Andy x
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