Three Stories Your Business Needs to Tell
When it comes to talking about our business, a lot of times we focus on the low hanging fruit: a new product you have coming in, an event you are hosting, maybe a story here and there about a customer experience. All of those stories are valid, but I want to talk about the stories that need to be woven through the copy on your website, your blog, and all of your marketing materials.
There are three stories that your audience really needs to hear. And when we're talking about audience, it's really important to remember that our audience has a life outside of the Internet bubble.
Even though you may feel like you're being redundant, or like everybody already knows your story, I promise you: you're writing isn't getting seen by as many people as you think. The algorithm might have changed that week, they weren’t online when you posted a story about your new product launch, fill in the blank, but there's a good chance at least some of your audience will miss your content.
This isn’t to scare you away from building beautiful content and sharing your story. It just means you need to post it again and again.
So what are the three stories that every business NEEDS to tell? Let’s begin.
Business Story #1: What is your Why?
Why do you do what you do?
There are so many things that you could do in the world. Why are you choosing to do this one thing? Why are you choosing to run this company? It can be on your about page, but you can turn it into a blog post as well or a highlight reel on Instagram stories.
Your why is the ethos to the entire thing you're trying to build.
It should be displayed in multiple places all over your website and through your marketing channels. You will feel like you tell it all the time. Keep telling it. Those new people you just connected with? They just heard it for the first time.
People buy from people they like and it's critical that you establish who you really are. And again, going back to the authenticity that we talked about before in our last post. We really want to make sure that who you are and why you're here is apparent to your audience.
Business Story #2: Your Solution (AKA Your Sales Pitch)
The next story every business needs to write about often is your sales pitch with your CORE offer (read: the thing that makes you the most money. Usually, the top of your funnel). Sure, you may do ten things, but you need to focus on ONE thing or your message is all over the place.
Your sales pitch is essential to:
Helping your website convert potential leads to a dream clients
Closing Deals
Helping people understand what you do in the first place-QUICKLY
The most missed opportunity in sales pitches I see is a lack of identifying the BIGGEST and most PAINFUL client problems and lack of urgency. What is the transformation they want the most? So, here’s where you start…
Think of a problem that overlaps between you and your audience, and use that to personally identify with them.
Speak to the exact experience they're having right now.
Show them how you get from point A to point B…plus what happens when they succeed
AND what happens if they don’t take action.
Is there something in there that you can pull from to really illustrate that not only are you the expert who can get them their dream outcome, but you have been there you have been in their exact shoes? Can you show how you can not only empathize, but build them a clear and easy path forward towards their dream outcome?
This connection very powerful when it comes to sales and persuasion.
Make sure that your pitch gets the attention it needs in your marketing and that you aren’t using all your posts for informational only/educational posts with a weak CTA at the end asking for a phone call. Make it clear how you can help.
Business Story #3: Why YOU?
We've talked about before how people buy for different reasons.
But on top of that, there are two primary types of buyers in this world. And these two types of buyers are going to dictate how you present yourself in your copy.
For example, if you are a social worker a potential client will most definitely need to know about your credentials and specializations, where you graduated from and any residency information in order to make the best educated decision about their health care. On the other hand, if you are an event planner, you will want your audience to get to know you personally and connect emotionally with how you operate to make sure you have attention to detail that’s needed for a smooth event.
Here is a breakdown of the information you may want to present in your copy depending on the buyer you are working with to show that you are the person they need.
Those who are analytical buyers will need to know:
What are your credentials/certifications?
How long have you been in business?
Show me client testimonials or referrals.
Do you have any data to support client success?
Those who are emotional buyers want to know:
How do you make me feel?
Do I trust you?
Do you solve a problem I have?
Tell me about why you love doing what you do.
On our website, we make sure to weave both of those buyers into our copy.
Some of our clients need proof that we are the experts, while others really relate to the ALC brand personality. I learned that a little blurb of text in the about section isn’t going to be enough for our potential clients to book that first discovery call. I needed to provide data, testimonials, weave my personality AND let the potential clients know why we are the experts needed to reach that dream outcome.
Stories are Critical to your Marketing Strategy
The stories you weave throughout your website copy, social media, blogs, emails, etc are critical to your brand, and they can't be forgotten. I can't tell you the amount of websites that I've been to that are too formulaic and just flat out boring.
They lack personality and brand and voice. There was no special sauce, and certainly nothing that differentiated them from their competition.
Remember: the biggest competitive advantage you have over ANY competitor is that you are you and they aren't.
Those three stories are what sets you apart from anyone else. Make sure that your content gives those stories the space and screen time they deserve!
