Sharing Imperfections in your Personal Brand Storytelling

VisibilityBranding

Jul 9

Written By brandmerry

Sharing Imperfections in your Personal Brand Storytelling

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

A few weeks ago I shared a post on The Art of Storytelling in Business, you can check it out here.

And that post gave a lot of information on what makes a great story and why storytelling is essential when building an online brand and business. But, there is another part of the brand storytelling process that, if not addressed, will stand in the way of you actually sharing your story.

It’s centered around three of the most uncomfortable words available...vulnerability, transparency and imperfections.

I know, right? Uncomfortable!

But, the truth is this is the point of brand storytelling and why it freaking works so well.

If you have a fear of sharing too much in your storytelling…
Don’t want to seem as if you are imperfect or don’t have it all together…
Or struggle to identify if a story should be shared…

Then this post is going to be just what you need.

If you prefer to watch/listen to the post, you can check out Episode 22 of my weekly show Mondays With Michelle by scrolling down.

86 percent of consumers say that authenticity is a key factor when deciding what brands they like and support.

Vulnerability in Marketing and Branding

Brené Brown describes vulnerability as, “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure." It's that uncomfortable feeling we get when we step out of our comfort zone.

So of course sharing our story, in the beginning, especially, is going to be uncomfortable and feel vulnerable if you’re not used to it.

But we sometimes mix this uncomfortable feeling of vulnerability with the idea of oversharing. Vulnerability is not oversharing in and of itself. As Brené states in her Netflix special, “Vulnerability is not disclosure.”

Vulnerability is not about sharing everything, that’s just bad branding, but even just sharing those small stories in the beginning can feel uncomfortable and vulnerable.

When I first started I was so scared to talk about the birth of son Cal, or the fear of leaving my 9 to 5 or opening up about my failed-attempts at meditation. But, as I shared those stories and vulnerabilities with intent I found my audience was more engaged and my emails received more responses because I was being relatable.

A brand that shares a story and is in tune with their ideal customers’ emotional state builds empathy and if you tell your stories correctly can also build authority. These elements are essential when building an online brand.

So, now that we know vulnerability is NOT sharing everything online or posting for validation, we can talk about transparency.

Transparency in Brand Storytelling

When it comes to transparency in business it’s important, as your business grows, that you share information on diversity and inclusion, revenue growth and hiring practices, and this is often what we think of when we talk about transparency in business.

So why is transparency important?

66 percent of consumers think transparency is one of the most attractive qualities in a brand.

But, transparency can go even further as it applies to your storytelling. Transparency in storytelling, much like vulnerability, does not mean sharing your journal online or posting every detail of your life and business, it does, however, mean being truthful and authentic.

One of the most important aspects of storytelling is that the stories you share while marketing your business are true and authentic. It’s important that the stories you tell aren’t falsified to position you as an expert - that’s just bad business and I promise will blow up in your face!

This is why having clear brand values and a mission statement is so important when establishing your brand. As you move through coming up with stories to share, keep these three questions in your back pocket.

Are you being truthful?

Are you sticking by your values and mission?

Is what you’re sharing authentic?

Remember, the biggest false belief people have about storytelling, and the reason so many people fail to get started, is they don’t want to share everything...you don’t have to.

How to Share Imperfections and ‘The Messy Middle’ in Storytelling

So now that we understand vulnerability and transparency as it applies to storytelling, let’s talk about imperfections or ‘The Messy Middle.’

How do you share stories and when do you share stories that feel raw?

I’ve got a couple of rules here that you will want to steal, so grab that notepad.

RULE #1: IS IT SACRED?

It’s important to make sure the stories you share feel aligned, so you need to ask yourself, “Does it feel good to share this story or a small part of this story?”

As I mentioned in the blog a few weeks ago, storytelling is not about a period in time, but a moment in time. If the period as a whole doesn’t feel good, can you strip it back and share a moment.

Example: When I was sharing about the birth of my son in the beginning I was still in the postpartum experience and it felt raw, but I knew it was an important part of my story as it related to my brand. So I chose the parts that felt good to share, including why I started my business and what it was like to build the business with a baby. As time went on and my brand evolved I would share more and more.

So ask yourself if what you’re wanting to share actually feels good and if it feels better to strip it back, then do that!

RULE #2: DON’T SHARE IT WHILE YOU’RE IN IT

Remember, you’re building a business not just talking to your friends on the internet, so the stories you choose need to be strategic.

As a business owner it’s important that no matter how vulnerable or transparent you are, you still need to be the guide for your ideal customer. If you’re going through something at that moment and are wondering how to share it, it’s going to be hard to be the guide or show the value.

You’ll notice in my business I don’t talk about life as it’s happening, in fact, I rarely post in real-time even while traveling. I wait till I’ve experienced something and then I weave it into my content by telling a story.

An example is in 2019 when we started traveling I had a hard time navigating this new schedule and lifestyle. That was hard and I was in it so I didn’t talk about the hard stuff openly on social media. As time went on and I got my grounding I could talk more about it and share the lessons I learned as a way to provide value to my audience.

So, remember if you’re in it don’t share it. Take the time to go through it and look back on the lessons you learned so it provides value to your audience.

RULE #3: IT MUST PROVIDE VALUE

Arguably the most important part of the storytelling process is your audience. Although the stories might be yours they aren’t for you. When you’re sharing stories as part of your brand and business you want to make sure they are of value to your audience.

When you think of these stories, run them through my 2-part question test…

“What value does this story provide my audience?”

“How does this story build trust with my audience?”

If you can’t answer these questions with clarity, no matter how authentic, transparent or vulnerable they might be then it’s not the right time to share them. Put them away in your story bank and come back to them later.

CONCLUSION

Flaws and quirks make your brand more human and human to human marketing is the best strategy you can have in 2020 and beyond. It’s why video is working so well, why brands have podcasts and why storytelling is having a MOMENT!

Don’t allow your perception of flaws to keep you from showing up for your audience, especially if they are things your audience can highly relate to and find value in.

If you are wondering…
...how to tell stories online
...what makes a great social story
...how to choose your stories
...how to identify and share your brand story
...and more than I want to invite you to my upcoming workshop happening on July 30.

The Tell Better Stories Workshop is a 2-hour led LIVE workshop where I will teach you how to become a better storyteller online. Learn more at brandmerry.com/stories.