Storytelling is essential when it comes to building your personal brand – after all, there’s no better way to connect with your audience, and people love a good story they can follow from beginning to end.
However, storytelling isn’t quite as simple as opening your phone and taking videos of what you’re doing with your day.
Instead, there are 5 things you need to do to ensure you’re reaching the right people with the right message, and that’s what I’m sharing today.
In this episode, you’ll learn the dos and don’ts for successful storytelling as it applies to your brand and walk away with a process designed to help you become more effective and create authentic connections with your ideal clients – a surefire way to increase sales!
Step 1: Reinvent to Reignite
Expecting different results without making a change is the definition of insanity, right?
As a result, it’s imperative to take the time to review your brand and identify: what’s going well, and (maybe even more importantly) what’s NOT working – then make a plan to improve going forward.
REMEMBER: Nothing lasts forever, so it’s normal for things that were once successful to fail to create the same impact.
As a brand owner, your job is to:
- Pivot when necessary
- Be open to continual reinvention
- Never stop growing
Otherwise, chances are you’re going to lose your audience’s attention to someone else who IS keeping their brand fresh.
Step 2: Balance Authentic Authority with Adding Value
It’s important to find a happy medium between sharing peeks into your personal life and journey as a business owner with creating high-value content that spurs your audience into action.
Because although your followers might like seeing what your life looks like, that’s probably not enough to inspire them to work with you…
Most people need to have a good idea of the value you’ll provide if they invest in your services.
Are you wondering how to find this elusive balance?
Tell your whole story.
Share the tips, the tricks, and the hacks, but don’t forget to share the mindset and perspective shifts and aha moments that helped you find success.
Once your audience sees that you’ve struggled and overcome – and you can teach them to do the same – NOW you’ve got their attention.
Step 3: Identify Your Ideal Client
As you’re working to make positive changes and enhancements to your brand, you have to ask yourself WHO exactly you’re trying to attract so you can speak directly to them.
Consider answering questions such as:
- What are your ideal clients afraid of?
- What transformation(s) might they be looking for?
- What do your ideal clients ultimately want to achieve?
Once you have those answers, you can begin refining your brand and your social media presence to reflect that YOU are the person who can help them.
The better you know your ideal clients, the more accurate you can be with your messaging, and the more likely you are to grow your business.
Step 4: Curate a Vibe That Aligns with Your Message
The things you may take for granted now are the very things that your audience might be wishing they could have in their lives.
No, I’m not suggesting you brag or boast. I’m suggesting you inspire and motivate.
By sharing your life and your success, you’re showing people what is possible for them.
So, when you’re hopping on IG Stories, keep this in mind:
Your surroundings and the way you present them are creating a vibe – something intangible that has the power to resonate with your ideal clients and give them the green light to go all-in on themselves and their dreams.
Step 5: Be Intentional to Avoid Oversharing
Crafting an engaging, thoughtful narrative that your audience wants to follow does not mean sharing every moment of every day.
If you’re going on a trip, for example, and you want to share it in a storytelling format, you can:
- Video your packing process and/or departure.
- Get a variety of clips while on your trip when you feel inspired.
- Record a video on your way home and/or once you’ve arrived home.
Instead of posting in real-time, you can save the clips and weave them together later. Now you have a clear story that chronicles something you want to share while also omitting anything you wish to keep private.
You can follow the same template in other scenarios you're documenting, potentially infusing value (lessons you learned through the experience, takeaways you'd like to share, etc) when appropriate.
Recap
I hope these 5 steps will help you use storytelling to inspire your audience and take your brand to the next level!
I’ve included a quick recap of all the steps right here, so you can screenshot this article and bring these steps along the next time you need assistance telling your story.
Step 1: Reinvent to Reignite
Step 2: Balance Authentic Authority with Adding Value
Step 3: Identify Your Ideal Client
Step 4: Curate a Vibe That Aligns with Your Message
Step 5: Be Intentional to Avoid Oversharing
Watch this episode on YouTube, or listen via iTunes, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and search for episode 107 of The FastForwardAmy Show.
PS. Watch my FREE Content Brainstorm Training video if you’re looking for help to create content that aligns with your own authentic authority brand. I’ll show you how I use a mind map exercise to develop my content, and you’ll be able to easily plan and prepare your content in advance while providing your audience with the value they’re seeking – no more posting on the fly and crossing your fingers!🤞
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