4 Ways to Use Storytelling in your Business
Storytelling can be one of the most powerful tools for engagement in your community.
They tap into our emotions and curiosity as humans, which is why they’re so much more effective at building connections than any other kind of content.
Case in point: The first time I can recall crying during a movie was The Land Before Time. 🦕 I sat in our partially finished basement with my sister, watching it on our old box TV and trying to reconcile the fact that Little Foot’s mother died. How would he be able to carry on? How was he going to find “the great valley” now? 😭
I’ve since bawled my eyes out over LOTS of movies (and commercials…and books…and speeches.) When I think about all these stories that have made marks on my perception of the world, it really all comes back to just that — story. My ability to connect with it, be moved by it, relate to it, or somehow see myself in it.
The same principles apply to our businesses. Brand stories can evoke emotions and spark deep resonance with our soulmate clients when they connect to a value, problem or dream they hold.
Here are 4 kinds of story to get you started:
Your Origin Story
This is the story of how your business got started and why. It’s also one of, if not the, most compelling stories you can tell as a business owner.
This is a brand story you’re going to use over and over again in your business. It can be retold on the About page of your website or used in a blurb on your Homepage. It might be woven into future podcast introductions or pitches you make. You can pull pieces of your story into your social content.
To distill this down really simply, an origin story usually shapes up to these 4 parts:
Set the stage:
Moment of impact
Aha moment
Resolution
Check out this related blog post for a more a step-by-step walk-through on how to craft a compelling origin story.
2. Microstories
I encourage you to look for ways to integrate small mini-stories into your content on a regular basis. These are everyday situations and scenarios you can use to connect with someone in the moment. There’s usually a timeliness factor to these, where you’re sharing a story as close to real time as possible.
3. Client stories
As you begin working with clients, you’re going to get insights and input on their personal transformation. That individual client’s transformation through their work with you is in and of itself a story. It’s their story, told in a way that hopefully showcases the potential results and outcome others can expect when working with you.
4. Product/offer stories
As you build out your products and services, you’ll have a story to tell about why you saw the need for that particular program, digital course or service. It’s just like your origin story but on a smaller scale – what is the moment of conflict and the aha moment that there was a need for this thing you now offer in your business?
Where to start
No matter what your business is, there are opportunities for storytelling. It doesn’t need to be a tear-jerker, and it doesn’t require professional comedian-level humor, either.
The more important thing is to simply start. Just give it a try. Because the more you do it, the better you will naturally become at it.
An easy place to start? The microstory.
Want an example of one in action? Re-read the beginning of this blog post! ;)
Happy storytelling, friends.
