Develop The Art Of Storytelling In Business To Help Build Brand Awareness
Trish Davies looks at the art of storytelling in business to help build brand awareness and attract the right audience for your business.
As I have already established there are three main pillars that your business should sit upon to succeed. For the last couple of posts, I have concentrated on the first pillar which is Authenticity. I have broken this pillar down into three sub-pillars and that will be the case for the subsequent two pillars.
Today I am going to focus on the art of storytelling in business to bring together the pillar of Authenticity once and for all. Now you may be thinking what the relevance of stories are when it come to business. I am going to show you how the customer perspective affects whether you are the right fit for the solutions that they are looking for.
People Love Stories
Although the human race is widely diverse in beliefs and culture there is something that we all have in common. We all love a good story and they affect every aspect of how we live our lives.
The best example is a book whether it is fictional or based on fact. The contents of those covers are all stories so that is why we buy them. That is the foundation for Amazon because back in the day Geoff Bezos sat in his spare bedroom with a dream. His dream was to build the biggest book shop and the rest is history, but it is his and Amazon’s story.
A book is part of your early childhood and created imagination and excitement of where the story was going to take you. Sometimes I bet you couldn’t get to sleep because of the bedtime stories your parents read to you. With the mind racing it creates anticipation and the excitement of wanting to know more and how the story will end.
Although books are still very popular, they are seen as old school when you look at the digital age we live in. The device you have in your hand can access literally thousands of platforms for you to consume the stories you do.
The news media giants are massive story books in their own right, both good and bad. In the past you needed large broad sheets or tabloids but now you can get everything with just a click.
You will have your viewing preferences for both platform and the content you consume. How many times have you binged and watched a whole box set in one go? You get hooked on the story that is developing and you just want more and more.
A Story Is A Catalogue Of Events
Stories are just a catalogue of events that take place one after the other. It then results in a climax or conclusion. Each event relates to the previous one and creates a sense of momentum like the snowball effect. What starts very small just gets bigger and bigger.
As the story gathers momentum the individual gets the edge of the seat feeling. That is why movie trailers are so powerful because you see snippets of what is unfolding. You may watch the trailer just once, or a few times but then you must go and watch the full version. The trailer is a story within a story.
When it comes to you as a person and a business owner your life is a story. A catalogue of events that has put you in the place you find yourself now. This is what you need to develop to attract your audience and have them on the edge of their seat wanting more. From you! So how can you achieve this?
The Art Of Storytelling In Business
In many respects the business landscaped has changed over the last few decades. Transactions took place on the basis that your product and service may have been different. It is now hard to come up with a product that is different because the levels of competition are so high. Many industries have become saturated with similar products so now differentiating yourself is vital.
Your story is what differentiates you because obviously it is unique. No one else has done what you have and had the experiences that you have. So, you must tell the world and give them a reason to be attracted to you and not your competitor.
As a business owner you must have an authentic and credible back story which highlights where you have come from. The challenges and hurdles that you have had to overcome along with the successes you have achieved. Along with that you must also be totally transparent and reveal any failures you have endured. This adds to the level of authenticity you can show because people will see you as a real person.
Here is a simple structure to any story that you tell to attract the right audience for your business.
- Intro (presells you and your business)
- Event (link to your business)
- Event (link to your business)
- Event (Repeat as many times as you need)
- Climax (Where you find yourself now)
As you can see it doesn’t need to be complicated. Simplicity often has more impact and achieves the purpose you have.
How People Live Their Lives
Everyday life throws up many scenarios that then creates a story. For example, you may be at work chatting to your colleague while waiting to get your morning coffee. They may ask you what you did at the weekend because they are interested in you as a person. You then tell them in way that is like the structure I have set out above. You lead them into why you did what you did which causes a series of events that eventually concludes. They keep with you because you are building that sense of intrigue and they want to know the outcome. This is a story.
Another example is you are at a function and you meet people by chance. People you have never met before. In many circumstances the first question a person will ask is what you do for a living. You tell them what you do and what led you to doing it. What your purpose was and what you wanted to achieve. Again, this is another story.
Every time someone tells a story it creates intrigue as I have already mentioned but it leads to understanding. That person then knows what the outcome is which creates a sense of satisfaction which is an emotional response.
In business the ultimate reaction you need from a potential lead or customer is that emotional response.
Why You Need Stories For Your Business
You need stories because this is what attracts people to your business. Usually these people are experiencing a problem that they need a solution for. You as a business owner have the solution but you need to put things in place for the transaction to occur.
Your story is the key for that event to happen and here is why. When you can create an authentic story behind your business it casts out many little hooks for individuals to bite on. As we have already established a story is a catalogue of events and these events can be the hook that people need. Not all hooks are equal though and that is why you need lots of them. What will appeal to one person may not appeal to another, but they have the same effect.
What each hook does is establishes something that a person can relate to and then a relationship is formed. It gives your business a human element which causes a chain reaction called the know, like and trust factor.
People will relate to your history and the values you hold. They will understand how and why you started your business and what your purpose was for starting it. Once you have all this in place you will have a business that will grow every day.
Therefore, storytelling is the final piece for the authenticity pillar for your business.
Hopefully now you understand why the art of storytelling in business is so important. It is something that I cover extensively within my Build Your AU Mastermind. I will help you create your story and you can learn more about this by clicking here
Trish Davies International
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