How to Use Storytelling in Your Content
Just the other day, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, The Simple and Smart SEO Show, where Crystal and Brittany share lots of informative things about being found on Google. But this episode in particular (I wish I had save the episode to share with you), their guest shared something that stuck with me. They were discussing telling stories to sell your product or service and how that resonates with potential clients more than anything. The example they told was how our dad or favorite uncle tells the same story over and over again as we are growing up and we become so engrossed in their stories that we can tell them ourselves as if we are there. They become so good at storytelling that even though we’ve heard it a million times, we want to hear it again.
When we are marketing to our people, we’ve got to reel them in with a good story. Now, you may be thinking, I don’t know how to tell a story. I’m not made for that. But you’ve got a story in you. Because you have YOUR story. Your why will bring in the people that you want to attract. It’s really that simple.
When I owned my art studio, the main question I got was, “Did you go to school for art?” My answer was always, “No. I was an elementary teacher, and this started as an adoption fundraiser.” That opened up so many stories and conversations along the way, and looking back now, I WISH I had used that more in my marketing. Not as a way to toot our own horns in the fact that we adopted, but because adoptive families have a bond. We homeschooled our kids through most if not all of their elementary and middle school years. I was able to use our family experience to teach homeschoolers, and those were my biggest customers. Some still are today!
I am leaning into the fact that the Lord has placed me where He wants me when He wants me there. I’m telling my story and hoping that it resonates with someone who is in the same shoes as I was, looking for someone who gets it.
So when you get ready to market your business on social media, don’t feel like you have to come up with an elaborate plan. Lean into your story. Tell about your why for doing what you do. Give people a look behind the curtain to show them that you are a person, not a big corporation that doesn’t have a personality, and watch as the people you attract begin to fall in love with your story and your brand.
Now that you’ve gotten them on the know, like, and trust bandwagon, it’s time to share with them what you offer. This can be how you use your product or service, what problems it solves, and how they can achieve results when they use it. Because they already feel like you guys are besties, it won’t come off as salesy, but will instead feel like telling your girlfriend about the newest product you used and she needs it too.
Action Steps:
Write down your why. Not just a few words. Really think about what got you started. Writing it down will help you see different areas you can share, therefore creating different types of content from it.
