The #1 Myth Entrepreneurs, Coaches, Consultants and Small Business Owners Believe Around Brand Storytelling in Business

The #1 Myth Entrepreneurs, Coaches, Consultants and Small Business Owners Believe Around Brand Storytelling in Business

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

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As a personal branding consultant and a marketing strategist, I focus a great deal on not only who you are as an entrepreneur and the brand experience that you're creating, but also how you are attracting quality leads. 

One of the methods, and my favorite method by far, that I have become very known for is all around brand storytelling. 

Incorporating the art of storytelling in your content, on your sales pages, in your email marketing, in your videos, every single thing that you do, as a way to build that connection and trust. 

But when it comes to brand storytelling there is one major myth floating around the internet and it’s hurting a lot of entrepreneurs, content creators, coaches, consultants and more.

It pains me so much when I see it, when it’s truly a simple fix. I watch as business owners write social media posts, write emails, promote their offers and their services and experience low conversions, despite the fact that storytelling is incredibly powerful. 

So, let’s set the record straight and dive into the #1 myth around brand storytelling in business.

Brand Storytelling Myth

It is important that you understand that there is a difference between just telling stories and building a business. 

At the end of the day, you're asking people to invest their money into a product or a service that you sell. 

We're not just telling stories to tell stories. 

I often call this the friend zone, right? You don't want to fall into the friend zone where someone's like, "Cool story, bro. That's amazing."

You want to position yourself as the guide or the authority. So understanding that there is a difference plays a role in correcting the myth or belief.

The truth is many people believe that brand storytelling is about them, their brand, but it's not. 

It's really about your audience. 

I know some of you are like, "But it's my story, Michelle. But this is what I'm telling and this is my journey." 

And I'm over here like, "Yes, amazing. I love that for you. I love this story for you. I am excited that you have this story. I am so excited that you want to share it with the world. Please freaking do that."

But every story that you share has got to connect with your audience or you're going to miss the mark. 

You're going to have people saying, "Wow, I love your story. That's amazing." 

Rather than taking action on your offer.

You’ll have people not following through and clicking through to the product or the service that you're promoting. 

And ultimately just being interested in what you have to say rather than seeing the value in investing in your products and your services.

How to Tell Better Brand Stories in Business

The myth that I see happening manifests itself in business owners writing their stories for themselves, but it’s not for you, it’s for your audience and it needs to be about them! 

So what do we do? 

How do we avoid buying into this myth and making this very, very big mistake? 

I've shared in some previous blogs that one of the first things that you need to do in your branding and marketing work is understand your ideal customer.

You've got to know who they are, because how can you know what stories to share with them if you don't actually understand who they are? 

Understanding who they are at their core and essentially their story makes you a better marketer.

You want to understand your ideal customer's journey. 
Where have they been? 
Where are they now and what are they struggling with? 
Where do they ultimately want to be and what needs to happen for them to get there? 

Then you position your product, your service, and your stories to help them and connect with them along the way.

Brand Storytelling Example

We all know about the importance of the ‘About Me’ page, right? It’s often the first thing entrepreneurs write for their website and spend hours and hours on.

And while, many educators will tell you that you shouldn’t talk about yourself in your ‘About Me’ page, I go against the grain and say, “Yes, you should talk about yourself!” But, as we’ve been mentioning it can’t be all about you.

The reality is that people are clicking on that page because they want to connect with you and they want to get to know you. 

So even on this miraculous page which is all about you and your journey, you want to make sure that you're highlighting those pieces that connect with your ideal customer.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES:

You want to highlight the things your ideal customer is looking for in a brand. This is a great opportunity to share your brand values. 

Highlight a part of your story that can connect with your ideal customer. Highlight parts of your story that connect with where your ideal customer is now and where they want to be.

You also have an opportunity to invite your audience in. Whether or not your stories mirror each other, you can draw up similarities by simply asking a question. For example, you can say, “Have you ever felt like this?”

And, then a golden opportunity near the end of the page is to turn it around back to them. 

You want to say things like, "And this is where I am today and I help blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, to create their amazing brand. How would it feel for you to go from struggling to understand your brand, to feeling confident in your brand and sharing it with the world? How would it feel for you to..." 

You're making it about them, not just about you!

WHY BRAND STORYTELLING IS IMPORTANT

Storytelling is important and sharing those very authentic stories about your life are key because they allow you to be a human being to your audience. 

They build trust and they build connection, but you'll miss the mark every single time if you just make it about you.

If you just come at it from the angle of let me share this cool thing that happened to me today rather than saying let me share this thing and how it ultimately is valuable to you, you’ll miss the connection. 

So aside from understanding your ideal customer and their story, you’ve got to find those connection pieces. 

You also want to make sure before every single story that you share, you understand and you identify the value that it provides your ideal customer. If you do that, I promise you will avoid this mishap that so many brands make.

Make a commitment right now when it comes to brand storytelling.

Say, “I am not going to just tell stories to tell stories. I'm going to tell stories to move my business along, to guide people through the branding process, to connect with them, and ultimately lead them to the sale because it's very, very important." 

And you’ll be golden.

Watch the full video below!

P.S. Have you tuned in to The Beautiful Climb podcast? I release new episodes every other Friday on topics around productivity, motherhood, habits, goals and going after the life of your dreams! Check out past episodes and be sure to subscribe at thebeautifulclimb.com

---

- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

How to Uncover the Brand Stories Your Ideal Clients Need to Hear

How to Uncover the Brand Stories Your Ideal Clients Need to Hear

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Today we’re going to talk about uncovering the stories that are going to be the perfect fit and exactly what your ideal customer needs to hear. 

Last week, I shared with you three categories to group your stories into to then work into your marketing strategy so you make sure that you're constantly sharing stories through your content creation.

And it occurred to me that you might need a little bit more of a deep dive on how you choose some of those stories. So I want to dive into that today and share with you some of the steps that I walk my clients through so that you can feel really good about the stories that you're sharing with your audience.

Today, we are going to talk about how to uncover those brand stories that your ideal customer needs to hear. Now, before I jump into my little process, we've got to talk about one very important piece of the storytelling process, it's actually not about you. 

I know, it can feel like, "It's my story, Michelle. I'm the one creating the content. This is my brand." 

But at the end of the day, you are running a business, and your business story needs to contribute to the revenue of your business, i.e. the people who hear and see your stories. We want to ultimately lead them to actually purchasing from you.

So your stories can't just be you sharing cool things that happened in your life and talking at your ideal customer. They need to be very, very specific for your ideal customer, as well as give value to them. 

That's why I like to say your stories aren't actually about you or for you, they are for your ideal customer. 

So you're going to notice that, as I'm sharing this process with you, that we've really got to know who your ideal customer is. Otherwise, brand storytelling and, honestly, marketing and content creation overall is going to fall flat.

If you find that you don't get a lot of engagement or you post about an offer and nobody seems to care about it, or you're not getting those consistent leads coming in, it's probably because you don't know your ideal customer enough.

STEP ONE: YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER

So that leads me to the very first step that I recommend all of my clients go through when trying to think of stories that are going to be perfect for their ideal customer, and that is you have to know your ideal customer.

I don't just mean knowing the demographics.
I don't just mean know if they're a mom or not a mom, or any of those things. 

Those are cool, they're definitely part of my ideal client process, but they're not the realness of it. They're not the meat of it. 

What we really need to understand first and foremost, at the bare minimum, is what your ideal customer is currently experiencing. Your business needs to solve a problem that your audience is experiencing, that’s how you create a brand and business people consistently buy from.

To have a problem solved is why we invest in things, and it doesn't matter what you sell, at the end of the day, whatever you sell needs to solve a problem.

So your ideal customer is currently experiencing something that is a problem for them. You need to understand what that is. We often refer to that as the struggle or the pain that our ideal customer is going through or experiencing. Knowing specifically what that is is going to help you connect with them on a deeper level. 

Then, at the bare minimum, you also need to understand what they want. 

When they solve this problem, what will happen for them? What will their life be like? What pleasure and desires will they experience? What are some of their goals? 

That's going to help you really communicate to your ideal customer not only the fact that your product, your service, your brand, will help them solve that problem and get closer to those desires, but you can also craft and share stories and messaging that connects with what they ultimately want. 

This is the bare minimum process, and if you're not crystal clear on what those are for your ideal customer, you have to start there. This is where all amazing copy and content and messaging lives.

And if you find that you're struggling with those pieces, it's pretty obvious that you have an ideal client problem, meaning you don't actually understand who they are. So make sure you take the time to identify those pieces. I truly cannot stress that enough. 

After you've followed this first step of getting to know your ideal customer at the bare minimum, you'll have some ideas for stories to share. There might be stories that you have from your own life that you can connect with the pain or the pleasure. That happens for a lot of my customers. 

Maybe you can use something that I like to call future casting, where you can paint a picture of what is possible for your ideal customer when they invest in your product or your service. 

So this is already going to give you a lot of ideas for stories that you can share as well as ways to create emotionally charged copy that makes your audience feel something because that's the key.

STEP TWO: GO DEEPER

Remember, you need to understand who your ideal customer is at the bare minimum: struggle and desire. 

Then great storytelling, great marketing, and great messaging go deeper than that. 

This is really about understanding what is standing in their way. 
What are those obstacles? 
If your audience knows where they're at and what they're struggling with, and they also are pretty clear on what they ultimately want, then why haven't they gotten it yet? 
What is standing in their way?

Being able to address those obstacles in your content and specifically your storytelling is really, really important. Then it's also key to understand the objections that your audience is facing. What are their mindset beliefs? 
What are the things that are happening in their day to day that they might object to actually investing in solving that problem?

These are those next layer pieces of ideal client work that are going to help you actually sell your product or your service. Now, I'm not going to lie, this step gets easier as you grow your business because you have more data, more clients, more customers, a bigger audience. 

You can survey them and ask them these questions and sometimes they'll just tell you, which is really nice. 

So you'll have a little bit more of that. If you're just starting out, this is going to take a little bit of work. You're going to have to take some time to really think, what are the internal stressors? What are those internal problems that my audience is facing? And how can I highlight those?

What I want you to think about is that the external things that they would say to you, they would like maybe say to an acquaintance, "Oh yeah, this is something that I'm experiencing and I would really love to have this." 

The internal is what they're writing in their journal and the thoughts that are going through their head.

This is the stuff that we tend to Google because we think no one can see our Google history so we Google this stuff. That's why one of my favorite tools is actually called Answer The Public. 

It's a free tool with a limited amount of searches every day, but I promise you it's plenty. You can use that to find forums and questions people are really asking in your industry as it relates to what your ideal customer is struggling with or what they ultimately want. 

That can tell you those very, very specific things that we would consider more internal, that people are sharing in these forums and discussions and Googling, that you can then use in your marketing. 

So this is a really great tool to use. 

I actually love using it in the ideal client and market research process. But I also love to check in with Answer The Public and my growing audience, all of the time to say, "What's really going on here?"

This is where you can start to present stories around the mindset shifts that need to happen, or different beliefs that they need to take on, or things that they need to let go of. 

For instance, I know that my ideal customer really struggles with time, and that's an external problem that they have and they will tell me, "I don't have enough time in the day." 

But the internal is that they're not using their time efficiently. And one of the things that I love to talk about is setting boundaries and having clear schedules and understanding your priorities. 

I can create stories around that, that connect with my audience and move them along the buying process so that the time management thing isn't an objection when I then present my offer, because I've already addressed that in my content. 

This is something that I can openly talk about and share my story and share the stories of my ideal customers as well.

This is that next layer, if we're really thinking about market research, going a step deeper and really focusing on those internal problems, those internal stressors that we can then carry through into our content.

STEP THREE: THINK OF YOUR STORIES

So those are the two first steps of the process really focused on your ideal customer. Once you have that piece of the puzzle then you can move into step three, which is identifying your stories. 

You are the brand so you are the one telling the stories, but at the end of the day, they have to be valuable for your audience. So once you have the information in front of you for step one and step two, then you can look at your own story and say, "This happened in my journey," or, "This is something that I experienced at the grocery store the other day." 

I'm telling you, there are stories everywhere. "This is something that I experienced. This is something that I'm seeing online." And then you can clearly say, "And this is why it's valuable to my audience."

In the beginning, you really only have your story. Maybe even before you have client testimonials. But I promise you, I was there too. I didn't have a bunch of testimonials on all my pages. I hadn't worked with anyone before. 

But I had my story and I had my own experience and I could share that as a way to build that know, like, trust factor with my audience and highlight those internal stressors and highlight those struggles and those desires, those obstacles and those objections so that my audience really knew that I understood who they are. 

That's what it's about, really communicating with your audience that you understand who they are, where they are, and what they ultimately want, and then presenting your offer as a way to help them solve that problem. So using your own stories is a great place to start. I still do it in my business five years later. 

I share a lot of client testimonials, a lot of client stories. But I always share my story as well because there are always new people finding me who don't know me, don't know the fact that I started my business with a one-month-old baby, and that entire journey. 

It's important that I share those stories to keep connecting with my audience and the different stages that they are going through in their life and their journey. 

So this three-step process, repeating this process over and over and over again, will really contribute to helping you create what I call a story bank, which is just a list of stories that you can share, and then making sure that every single story connects to the value. 

So if I'm thinking about sharing a story about that first month in business, before I even write that story, I better say, "And this is why it's valuable to my audience." 

Again, you're able to do that when you've done the ideal client research, which is why it's so freaking important.

CONCLUSION

So there you have it, it's a simple three-step process for you to come up with stories that your audience needs to hear. But I promise you, when you really focus on these core pieces, the struggle, the desire, the obstacle, and the objection, as well as that connection piece with who you are and your story, then you are moving your clients so effortlessly through the buying process.

You will find that people are just messaging you and saying, "All right, I need to buy from you. I absolutely need to work with you," so on and so forth. 

So I hope this was super valuable for you in helping you to really understand how to come up with stories that are going to be beneficial for your audience. Remember, it really comes down to the takeaway of your audience. Every story that you share has to connect to your audience in some way, whether that's education, inspiration, a mindset shift, so on and so forth. 

That truly is the key to creating stories in business.

If you haven’t already, make sure that you sign up for the Tell Better Stories Workshop. It's happening on March 3rd.

Go to brandmerry.com/stories to get signed up.

Watch the full video below!

P.S. Have you tuned in to The Beautiful Climb podcast? I release new episodes every other Friday on topics around productivity, motherhood, habits, goals and going after the life of your dreams! Check out past episodes and be sure to subscribe at thebeautifulclimb.com

---

- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

How to Tell Your Brand Story Through Your Brand Identity

*This post was updated in 2022

Storytelling is my superpower. 

It is my specialty and I put the concept of storytelling into everything that I reach. 

And while I’ve shared so many blogs and videos on brand storytelling, today we’re going to dive into the concept of Brand Identity.

One of the reasons that I truly love storytelling and the role that it plays in building a successful business is that so much of making the impact you desire to make, comes down to understanding who you are, your mission, and the purpose that you have behind your business. 

And then sharing that in a way that deeply resonates with your audience and builds that trust. Storytelling does that, which is truly amazing.

Today, we’ll dive into the importance of storytelling, as it related to brand identity, and three action steps to help you in taking action on this process to share more of your brand story through your brand identity.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BRAND STORYTELLING

Before I get into this we need to talk about the power of storytelling. 

Storytelling is truly one of the most powerful things that you can use in your business because of how it allows you to connect with your audience. And there's a lot of cool stuff that happens when we share story through our content.

As a content creator myself, who spends time making that high-value content, I want to make sure that my audience actually remembers that content. So when you incorporate story into your content you are actually increasing the likelihood that your audience will remember it. 

In fact, you're increasing it by 22 times.

If you're going to take that time to create those posts don't you want people to actually remember them? Of course, you do. 

So incorporating storytelling into your content, even if it's just a single sentence, allows you to do that. It makes your content more memorable which is very, very important when you're building that know, like, and trust factor with your audience.

I hear people say a lot, "Well, my story doesn't connect with my audience or I don't have a shared experience." Here's the thing, it's not really about that.

It's not 100% about you and your audience having the same story or the same journey. It's just about the art of telling the story. 

By telling stories and by your audience reading and listening and ultimately receiving those stories, there's a lot going on inside of their brains and inside of their hearts, that is building that connection with you and with your brand.

Neural coupling is one of the things that's happening where the story is ultimately triggering, firing their brain, and connecting through the piece of content. Just because you're sharing a story. 

It's activating the brain and keeping them engaged which leads to them actually remembering your content. In addition to that, dopamine is released, which makes them feel good. 

So they're feeling good when they're reading your content, seeing your stories, hearing your stories on a podcast, or however you're sharing your content. And that is powerful. 

Those are just two examples of what's happening in your audience's brain that is really contributing to the growth of your business. Because this is how they become fans. 

Storytelling is very, very important. It can be incorporated into every single level of your business and you’ve just got to do it. The science is there, we just need to learn the strategies to actually do it.

What is THE Brand Identity?

When you think of your brand identity, I want you to think of the collective elements of your brand that make up its personality.

Much like your personal identity, it's who you are. So, when you're creating a personal brand it can and should have parts of your personal identity represented throughout. Now it's not a carbon copy, but the pieces you determine to integrate into your brand are what give it its personality.

This looks like:
+ Your story
+ Your mission
+ Your values
+ Your voice 
+ Your emotional connectors 
+ Your "superpower" (or as the industry likes to call it, your positioning)

It is the combination of these things that build your brand identity.

And much like your personal identity, when you've clearly stated these elements, it makes it a lot easier to show up in the world.

You're more confident in how you'll dress, how you'll speak, what you'll surround yourself with, etc...

And, the same goes for your brand: your colors, fonts, brand photos, etc... all stem from your brand identity.

When you're creating a personal brand it makes it a lot easier because you're front and center, you're sharing yourself, you're sharing your stories. So, that personality just naturally happens which is why personal branding is so powerful.

If you want to learn a little bit more about emotional branding and all these different elements make sure you check out my blog.

When you think of Brand Identity, I want you to think about the personality behind your brand and the overall experience you’re creating for your audience.

Effectively Write Your Brand Story

Now that we know what your brand identity is, let's talk about how we use our story to share that brand identity and ultimately experience with the world

The first thing that you've got to do is figure out what your brand story is. So this will look different for different types of businesses. There are different ways and structures to actually create your brand story based on your personal story and based on your individual business. 

But really what I want you to focus on now is stripping away the, "How do I write this on my about me page?" And, "What does this look like on my bio, on my homepage?" Strip all that away and just focus solely on the story.

In fact, when you're writing this out I want you to think about actually telling this story to someone. 
Some of you might want to even record it and transcribe it. It might feel a little bit more natural to you. 

Ultimately, what you want to do is highlight and share the journey that has happened that led you to the creation of your brand.

Your brand is not a product, your brand is not a service specifically, it's the whole thing. 

It's that umbrella, it's the work that you're putting out into the world, it's your mission, it's who you ultimately want to impact all rolled into one. And you want to share the evolution of how that came to be. 

So I want you to strip away, “How is this structured?” and “How does this flow?” and really just allow yourself to tell the story. That's where all the goodness gets to go in. And then when we format, we can pull out the unnecessary pieces and clean it up a bit. 

But I want you to just deeply understand what has led you to this moment and think of really telling that story to your audience.

For example, when I talk about my brand story, one piece of that is this underlying feeling of not living a life based on other people's expectations or going against the status quo. 

And I know that that's important to my audience, that's important to you, that's something that you also believe in. I share that through my storytelling and I share that through my brand story to get that message across. 

You're probably already picking up on it, but your brand story is where that connection can really start for many of you. Because once we get to formatting it for an about me page, or we get to put it out there on social media, it might be one of the first things that people see and you have an opportunity to build that connection with them right out of the gate. 

Focus on taking your audience on this journey, write out your brand story and become really clear on what you ultimately want to share about your journey and what has led you to the brand that you are creating today.

Identify The Brand Emotions

Step two is to elevate the experience by focusing on the emotional connection.

And this is where we really take your story and spin it around to pull in your audience and build that trust. 

I call these brand emotions and I encourage you to identify five brand emotions for your brand as a whole. 

Don't get too obsessed with the number. It could be three, it could be six, it could be seven. Don't do 25 or something like that. I find five is the sweet spot.

But you really want to ask yourself, "How do I want my audience to feel?"

I mean, the reality is you've got eight seconds to make an impression. 

That's not a lot of time to read an entire message on a piece of content. It's not a lot of time to read a bunch of stuff on your homepage. 

You've got to make that first initial impression a good one and powerful, and that really comes down to that emotional connection. How do people feel when they land on your website, when they see a piece of your content?

In order to exude that, in order to allow people to feel that, you need to know what you want people to feel. 

Take the time to identify those brand emotions. 

I want to give you two examples, because I know sometimes you might be thinking, "What do I want people to feel, Michelle?"

I have a client who is in the mindset space, the spiritual mindset space specifically, and she supports women in moving through a very difficult period of their life. She does a lot of shadow work. Her clients are currently in a difficult time but they are moving towards the light. They want to understand how to get there, they want to feel supported through that process, and they want to do it in a way that feels good and not forced.

We know this about her audience and we also know from her brand story she's really good at it. So when we were thinking of her brand emotions we wanted to show the light. We wanted to show what was possible, the desire, and what her audience was wanting to move towards. 

Because her audience didn't want to neglect where they were and that was really, really important to communicate, we played with sharing that through messaging, through story, through brand colors, showing both the dark and the light. 

That's just one example but again it comes back to how do I want people to feel and ultimately what are they looking for? What are they searching for?

With my brand, I decided very early on, well actually after eight months of having a brand that was not me at all, I redid the whole thing and now it's great. But when I redid it, I got back to this core piece of storytelling and brand emotions and I asked myself, "How do I want people to feel?" 

And it kept coming up for me that I wanted people to feel safe and comfortable and that they could be their authentic selves. That there was this connection between the two of us, between my brand and between them and their story. That it almost felt like we were sitting cozied up by a fire on a fall day just having a really deep conversation and chat. 

I used that to motivate all of these different pieces that we're going to talk about in just a second.

Again, take the time to understand who you are and the journey that you've gone on to get to where you are, to have the brand, the mission, the values, the core beliefs and the impact that you want to make in your ideal customer's life. As well as understand how you want them to feel from the moment they come in contact with your brand, through all of those different pieces.

Now that brings us to, "Now how do we actually use this Michelle? How do we use this? This all sounds great, I love it, but how do we use it?" 

Let's talk about how we use that brand story and those brand emotions to enhance and communicate and have this wonderful experience also known as brand identity.

NOW, HOW DO YOU TELL THAT THROUGH YOUR IDENTITY?

Brand Identity Design: Incorporate your Brand Story into your visuals

One of the things that capture people's attention right away and has an opportunity to build that connection are the visual aspects. That's why a big part of branding is the colors, the fonts, the elements, and the photos that you choose to tell that story. 

So many people choose those randomly or just choose things they like and they're not actually telling the story of their brand or making their audience feel anything.

So when you're thinking about colors, fonts, elements, and brand photos think about how you want your audience to feel. 

This is that initial ding that gets people to say, "Yeah, I'll keep going, I'll keep reading, I'll stick around," or exit out and close out the screen.

So it's very important. It's like the subject line of an email. You really want to use this to pull your audience in.

If you are like, "Okay, great, love this Michelle, but what am I ultimately wanting to make them feel?" 

Maybe there's a little uncertainty around that. Here's a great starting point. Think about your audience's desires, their aspirations, and how they want to feel when you support them in solving the problem. 

Everyone's got a problem, that's why they're seeking out your brand in the first place. When that problem is solved, or even when you start the process of solving that problem, what are they working towards? 

That's a really great place to start when you think about your brand emotions. Then carry those through all the visuals that you create. Take time to learn about color psychology and the different meaning behind fonts and elements and all of that juicy stuff as well.

Create a clear brand message

The second thing that you can do in order to carry your brand story into your brand identity is to create a clear message. We've got the visual component that captures their attention, now we've got to keep them engaged. That is where your copy and your messaging come into play. 

You can use your values, your mission, your brand story, and your journey to communicate to your audience the purpose behind your brand.  

This is very, very important. In fact, in my program Brandmerry Academy, I have all of my clients write out their mission statement because that is the guiding light. 

That is why we do everything that we do, why we show up, and why we're ultimately wanting to create a brand that is of service and of impact to our ideal customer.

One of the best things that you can do is share that with your audience and build that connection right out of the gate. This goes miles when you are building that experience, sharing that personality, and elevating that brand identity. 

Because consumers want to know the values and the mission behind a brand. We saw this really accelerate in 2020 and we are going to see it continue to play a vital role in branding, consumer interactions, why people buy, and ultimately the success of businesses as we continue.

In fact, 77% of consumers say that they buy from brands that share the same values as they do. And 64% said that they would actually boycott a brand because of their values on political and social issues. 

It is important and many brands actually neglect sharing their values or even posting their mission or sharing their mission with their audience, so they never know. 

But it's one of the best things that you can do. If you want to build a revenue-generating business, you need to know this stuff and you need to clearly communicate it with your audience, it matters.

One of the ways that I love to do this is through the art of storytelling. Create stories and social content, incorporate them in your blogs, all over the place that show your values.

You don't just have to have a place on your website that says our company values. You totally can, that is absolutely fine. But in addition to that, I want you to also share that through your content and your storytelling. 

So if you're like, “What kind of stories can I start sharing?" 

Write out your brand values and then think of why that is a value for you. Why have you decided to incorporate that into your company? And share that through your content as a way to really build deep brand affinity with your audience; which is that connection between shared values of the brand and the consumer.

Brand Identity: Consistently create value and branded content

Number three is consistency, which is one of my favorite words and I think something every single business needs to be putting a lot of emphasis on. 

We talk about content creation a lot. It is a core piece of building an online business, of making sure that you're attracting your audience and showing up for them, nurturing them, and leading them through the buying process and ultimately to the sale. 

We talk about consistent content all the time but what about consistent messaging? That is very important because you can create a bunch of different content but if your audience doesn't clearly understand what you offer them, how it's going to support them and those brand values, that mission, your story, and build that trust. 

You're going to feel all over the place to your audience. And therefore there's going to be that break in trust and that's going to affect sales.

So when you are thinking about sharing your brand story as a way to amplify your brand identity, what you really want to focus on are those consistent messages. It comes back to what we talked about in the very beginning. Understanding your story, your values, and your mission and then consistently sharing that with your audience as well as creating this linear path on how you want your audience to feel with every single thing that you create. 

If they land on your website, they read a social media post, they watch a live video, they see you at an event, it all feels the same. It all feels like you, it all feels like your brand identity, that's very, very important. 

This is where the magic happens and this is really where you get to share these stories on your values to improve and create that brand affinity with your audience.

CONCLUSION

Don’t forget how crucial brand storytelling is to the success of your brand and business. To dive deeper into this topic, and learn my signature brand framework you can sign up for my free class at brandmerry.com/class.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

Don’t Make This Mistake With Your Brand Storytelling

We are wrapping up the four-part series on Storytelling over here on the Brandmerry Blog and my weekly show Mondays With Michelle.

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve covered:

+ Sharing Imperfections in your Personal Brand Storytelling
+ Why You Should be Repeating Your Brand Story and Messages Online
+ 5 Examples of Brand Storytelling to Incorporate in Your Marketing Strategy

And today, we’re wrapping it up with the #1 mistake you might be making in your brand storytelling and how to fix it!

Because by now you know how important storytelling is for business and if you don’t here’s a recap.

So here we are talking about the mistakes so you can avoid them.

If you prefer to watch or listen to this blog post, scroll down to access the full video.

Storytelling in Business

It’s important to understand that telling a story for business is different than just telling a story to your friend.

At the end of the day, when you are telling stories in business, and as a brand, you're doing so to make money. The goal is to sign clients or to sell a product, but at the end of the day, you want to incorporate storytelling to increase your revenue.

So, your stories need to be strategic and calculated to lead to the sale.

It doesn’t mean you lose out on authenticity, it just means you take the time to do the prep work to share a story that sells.

One of those pieces, which happens to be a mistake so many brands make, comes back to their audience.

BRAND STORYTELLING SECRET WEAPON

When you are telling stories in business they are for your ideal customer, they are for your audience...they are not for you!

You're not buying your own stuff, so the story is not for you. 

The ultimate goal is to attract your ideal customer and dream audience, build trust, build brand recognition, brand affinity and ultimately tell stories that sell. 

The beautiful thing is that you can use stories at every single level of the buying process. Whether someone isn't aware of their problem.
They're aware of their problem.
They're aware of a solution to their problem.
They're aware of products but haven’t made a decision, you can incorporate stories to move them along.

So no matter where your ideal customer is in the buying process stories are an excellent marketing strategy.

You might tell a story about your situation…
You might tell a story about your transformation…
You might tell a story about your values…
But if you're not tying that to your audience, it becomes a cool-story-bro situation.
It becomes a “that's nice” situation.

WHY YOU DON’T WANT TO MAKE THIS STORYTELLING MISTAKE

The cool-story-bro situation is not a situation you want to be in.

It results in a little heart and maybe a comment, but nothing more.

It doesn’t lead to sharing your content or saving it and coming back to it as a top resource.
It doesn’t lead to DM’s and authentic conversations.
It doesn’t lead to sales.

Because when we’re talking about engagement on social media, hearts and likes don’t tell us anything. It doesn’t necessarily translate into sales and revenue for your business.

The goal, as a business owner, is to inspire your audience to take action and that’s what you want your stories to do.

You want your audience to take action, to subscribe to your email list, to visit your website, read your blog, buy your product, or sign up for your high-level program.

We want our stories to motivate our audience to take action.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR BRAND STORYTELLING ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE

Entrepreneurs and business owners tend to write their stories about them and struggle to tie their message directly to their audience.

They don’t take into consideration if the story is relevant to their audience and if it’s valuable...this is where the mistake is made.

Anytime you’re writing a story, choosing a photo, writing a social media post, writing an email and more you must consider it from the perspective of your audience and the value it provides.

Donald Miller of StoryBrand introduced the concept of the Hero and the Guide as it pertains to marketing. 

The idea is that so many brands and businesses are positioning themselves as the Hero. You don't want to be the Hero, you want to be the Guide. Your audience is the Hero. 

The Guide is the person that helps them, that supports them, that inspires them to take action and then leads them on that journey to a solution to their problem. 

Your audience is the Hero, but so many business owners are writing stories about themselves and putting themselves in the role of the Hero, this is a mistake. 

Here’s an example I made on social media.

4 years...⠀
...4 headshots 😂⠀

When I look at these photos I see the same woman but not really.⠀

I see what really happened behind the scenes.⠀

The tears that were shed and all the emotions in 2016 while in a Target dressing room to find the right dress to hug my 8-month postpartum body and spirit.⠀

I didn't feel ready for that photoshoot, but I did it anyway.⠀

To the woman in overalls who made the bold decision to represent a different face of entrepreneurship and a brand. ⠀

A less polished and more "everyday", simple and authentic brand. I mean who wears overalls in a brand shoot...this girl 🖐️⠀

I've grown over these 4 years and what you see today is lightyears from the woman I was just 4 years ago.⠀

As some would say I'm owning it and IDGAF 😜⠀

It's just a photo, sure, but this is why I love what photos represent.⠀⠀

Growth.
Authenticity.
Moments in time to reflect on and say, "Look how far you've come!"⠀

I encourage you to do the same today. ⠀

See how far you've come and be proud of the growth ♥️⠀

Happy Sunday friends.⠀

- mk

In this post I’m sharing what happened behind the scenes, I’m sharing my story and I’m talking about how I didn’t feel confident to have my first photoshoot, but I did it anyway.

I talked about owning my voice, and stepping more into my role and showing a more everyday simple and authentic brand, something you don't typically see on the internet. 

I talked about how I've grown over the last four years, and I talk about the representation of this photo.

Now, I could have stopped there. That would have been a story. But it would have been a story about me, it wouldn't have been a story about anyone else.

It wouldn't have been a story with my ideal customer in mind. 

So instead, all I did was add a simple line to the end. I said, “I love what photos represent.

Growth.
Authenticity.
Moments in time to reflect on and say, "Look how far you've come!"⠀

I encourage you to do the same today. ⠀

See how far you've come and be proud of the growth.” And at that moment an entire story that was centered around my experience, turned around and provided value and action to my audience.

Every single word I wrote, in this story, had my ideal customer in mind.

I know my ideal customer doesn't always see themselves in the brands and big mega businesses that they see on the internet.

I know they're looking for something a little bit more real or raw. 

I know that my ideal customer is growing and has grown and wants to see this growth in the long term.

And all I had to do was say a simple sentence at the end to bring it back to them.

Do you see how I could have stopped and it would have been 100% about me, but then I was able to position myself as the guide to offer advice to my audience.

HOW DO YOU WRITE BRAND STORIES FOR YOUR AUDIENCE

How can you write a social media post and tie every single word back to your audience? 

Two words...MARKET RESEARCH.

Your ideal client research is non-negotiable, please stop skipping it.

The beautiful thing about ideal client research is that it doesn't stop. You don't do it one time. You're always learning. You're always listening. You're always having conversations. 

And yes, of course, the more clients that you have, the bigger your business gets, the easier it is because your audience is more accessible. For instance, I can message a bunch of my Academy students and be like, “Hey, guys, really quick question. What's coming up for you? What's a struggle that you have?”

Market research becomes a lot easier when you have the clientele. but there are so many ways that you can do it, in the beginning, using the internet.

You can use YouTube, Pinterest, personal conversations, reading comments on blogs, reading forums, posting in Facebook Groups, searching in Facebook Groups, there are a million ways that you can find out what you need to know about your ideal customer. 

And although we are talking about this specifically as it applies to storytelling, you probably picked up already that this applies to every aspect of your business.

You have nothing. If you have no one to buy from you.
You do not have a business, you have a product that doesn't sell because people aren't buying it, and so knowing your ideal client, knowing the language that they will use is so important as it plays a role in all of your marketing efforts. 

But when we're talking about storytelling, it will make or break it because it will either put you in in the friend zone (aka cool-story-bro situation) or the relationship zone.

The friend zone sounds like…
… “Oh, she's cool. She tells good stories. I like her, she's fun to follow.”

While the relationship zone (aka business zone) sounds like…
… “I connect with her. I want to buy from her. I want to do business with her and tell all my friends about it”

See the difference?

CHOOSING YOUR STORIES IN BUSINESS

Choosing the stories that you tell in business should be based on your audience.

It’s not just about turning it back to them with your words, including a quick little sentence at the end, it's not just about using language throughout the ties to your audience, it goes back even further with choosing the stories that will resonate most with your audience. 

The more that you understand your ideal customer, the more that you will be able to say, “Here's a bunch of stories that I have. Here's how it's valuable to my audience. Amazing. Now, when I write that post, these are the things that I want to tie in about my audience. And here's the call to action!”

It makes marketing and more specifically storytelling easy.

CONCLUSION

Everything in business comes back to your audience. 

It’s about growing your audience, nurturing your audience and converting your audience. Those are your three goals. As a business owner, if you do that you will be golden. 

And storytelling is an excellent way to do that. 

WATCH OR LISTEN TO THE CONTENT IN THIS POST BELOW.

---

- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

5 Examples of Brand Storytelling to Incorporate into Your Marketing Strategy

Before we dive in, I’m about to blast you with stats on storytelling.

Why?

Because I need you, as a female business owner and brand, to understand that storytelling should play a role in your marketing efforts.

If you want to make money that is.

Strong statement? Well, let’s dive into it.

Storytelling makes your content 22x more memorable, which means that by incorporating a single sentence of story into your Instagram or Facebook post your audience might actually remember it in the morning.

Storytelling helps your audience make a purchase decision. We decide to buy not because of facts or logistics, but because of an emotional connection. Nothing builds a connection with your audience faster than the art of storytelling.

Storytelling leads to brand affinity, which when a consumer believes a particular brand shares common values with them. You want this! This is what leads to customer loyalty.

Storytelling helps you stand out online! I know you want this, every brand owner does. The truth is it might feel crowded in your industry so why not utilize as many tools as possible to reach your target audience. Storytelling allows you to differentiate yourself in an authentic way.

Ok, you ready now?! Before I dive into micro stories, where to share your stories and specifically four stories you can share as part of your business I have a special invitation.

If you’re already sold and want to learn how to incorporate this into your brand strategy, sign up to watch my free masterclass at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.

Now, onto the teaching!

TYPES OF STORYTELLING: MICRO-STORIES IN BRANDING

Last week on the blog we talked about repetition in marketing. Basically, I shared that repetition is a must and something you don’t want to shy away from.

Repetition allows your audience to not only see your content but also resonate with it because we all know sometimes we need to hear something more than once! 

The trick with repeating stories online is that you want to modify, change the emphasis and retell the stories as needed based on your launches, timely events and updates. You can read last week’s post here.

Micro Stories are everyday stories you can share that engage your audience and relate to your audience, specifically where they are in their journey. 

Micro Stories are there to expand and complement your Brand/ Founder’s Story. We often see these stories on social media, in email marketing, on video and more.

The truth is you can incorporate storytelling into EVERYTHING you do as a business owner.

5 EXAMPLES OF BRAND STORYTELLING

So many entrepreneurs never think of sharing their story outside of their Brand/ Founder Story, but that’s only a small piece of the puzzle. 

You can’t share your brand story every single day on social media and every offer you create needs a little more attention than just how your business was started.

This is where different types of stories come into play.

The five stories to tell as part of your business are:

1. The Testimonial

2. The Transformation

3. The Behind-The-Scenes

4. The Value

5. The Disrupt

Let’s break each of these down.

1. THE TESTIMONIAL STORY

The stories you share in business don’t have to be your own, they can be stories from your client and community members. This is a great way to share social proof and do more than just post a 2-3 sentence testimonial on your website.

When asking for feedback or testimonials be sure to ask multiple questions about where your audience was, where they are now and what changed for them. Along with your testimonial statement, you’ll be able to use this information to tell stories on social media and in your email marketing that helps your audience make a purchase decision.

Bonus Tip: Videos are a great way to share stories. Have your client create a short video sharing their story and share it during your next launch or promotion.

2. THE TRANSFORMATION STORY

The transformation story can fall into The Testimonial story above, because who doesn’t love a great before and after. If you’re in fitness, health, wellness, products or even service-based you can use the transformation story constantly.

Here are some examples:
Fitness - Share a before and after photo of a client or yourself
Product (Skincare) - Share a before and after photo of someone using your product
Graphic Designer - Share the before and after of your client’s graphics

The possibilities are endless.

But, I’m going to encourage you to think a level deeper and share your own micro transformations. Think of the things happening daily that your audience can relate too.

Some places to start are moments of “failure,” mindset shifts, overcoming obstacle and stories of success. Seriously, I bet if you sat down with pen and paper right now you could come up with at least 20 posts.

3. THE BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORY

These are great stories to show what you do and your process in business, as well as build trust with your audience.

Human to Human or Relationship-Building Marketing is on the rise. People want to know the brand they are investing in. One of the ways to build this trust and go beyond just a product or service you sell is to invite your audience behind the curtain.

Yes, think Wizard of Oz here!

This is one of the reasons I love showing up on Instagram Stories. It’s a simple way to share my day to day, my role as a mother, my love of gardening, our travels and my business. 

My audience gets to see multiple sides of my personality, which also builds Brand Affinity, and as a result, the trust is accelerated.

If you sell a product consider sharing the behind the scenes of how you make the product.

If you’re a coach, show your client calls and trainings.

Show how you manage your day-to-day, the things you love and how you take on the other roles in your life.

These stories are powerful and some of the easiest to start with.

4. THE VALUE STORY

Last week on the blog we talked about identifying your core stories early on. These core stories include:

+ Your Founder/ Brand Story
+ Your Mission and how it came to be
+ Your Why or Purpose Story
+ Your Value Story

It is important that as a brand and business owner that you create these micro-stories that show your values in action, affirm your values and share why you have these values.

For example, one of my values is authenticity. That's just not a word that I like to use for marketing, I truly believe it to my core. I share that value in my stories because I want to attract people who share the same value.

This is where Brand Affinity becomes so powerful because brand affinity is that shared mission, those shared values. It goes much deeper than someone saying, “Oh, you're cool. Oh, I like your product or your service. Let me check it out.” 

It's much deeper than even trust, it’s a shared value.

Share these values to bring in the people that align with your values, the things that are important to you, and let the others drift away.

5. THE DISRUPT STORY

When it comes to the Disrupt Story, I’m slightly obsessed. I believe this story is an excellent way to share your values and your beliefs and separate you from others in your industry.

You know you have an industry standard or common thread of beliefs in your industry. You see them in every Facebook group and on websites that all start to look the same.

Think about your own business, your superpower, your teachings and pull out the pieces that go against the grain.

For instance, last year I did an entire email series called Behind The Brand. I called out beliefs inside the industry around branding. Some examples were:

+ How the industry defines success
+ The truth about templates and how they create inauthenticity and a copy and paste culture
+ Transparency and vulnerability as a business owner

I also talk about the power of a brand and why I believe that without a brand you don’t have a business, something that goes against other mentors and coaches who “skip” branding.

These types of stories have allowed me to talk about my business, but also call my audience to speak up. When I share the disrupt stories I always attract new community members, increase my engagement and sign clients.

People want transparency, authenticity and something different. This story does that!

Here’s an example of The Disrupt in action.

CONCLUSION

Storytelling is one of the coolest practices to not only enhance your brand but also get it started on the right foot.

It’s really about being grounded in your authenticity, understanding your voice, understanding your values, and sharing that to again, attract the right people and repel the wrong ones.

This is where all great marketing and messaging comes from.

You now have five examples of brand storytelling outside of your Core Founder Stories to get started with; count those and you have nine.

There is no reason you can’t get started sharing stories through your marketing right now!

If you’re ready to learn how to better incorporate storytelling into your brand as a whole, including your ideal customer, then you want to sign up for my free class where I’m sharing the Build a Better Brand Method.

Details can be found at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass

Watch the full training video on Examples of Brand Storytelling below.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

---

- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

---

MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.