The Art of Storytelling in Business to Build Trust and Make Sales

Life of FreedomPersonal DevelopmentVisibilityBranding

Apr 23

Written By brandmerry

The Art of Storytelling in Business to Build Trust and Make Sales

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Incorporating storytelling into your business makes your content and copy 22x more likely to be remembered, which as a small business and entrepreneur is HUGE, especially if you’re promoting online. Read the blog to learn more about using storytelli…

Every single day I am messaged or approached by someone who is concerned with their Brand Story.

And while understanding and framing your Brand Story in the best way IS important, it's not the only story you should be sharing online...

…and, dare I say, it's not even the one that's going to build the most trust or lead to the most sales.

It's the everyday stories you share on video, via email and on social media that make the biggest connection with your audience.

These stories make your content 22x more likely to be remembered and I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot of time and energy crafting content for my audience so I’d like for it to be remembered!

However, so many entrepreneurs struggle to figure out what stories to share, understand the core pieces of a great story and how to effectively write for social media.

And that’s because…

It doesn’t come naturally to many of us, myself included in the beginning.
So many people make storytelling so freaking complex when it doesn’t have to be.

But, I've spent the last 4 years studying, testing and getting results from sharing stories on social media.

In fact, everything I write in my business is centered around story and I’ve built a multi 6-figure business by sharing stories online #nojoke

So, let's just say I know a thing or two around this whole storytelling on social media thing.

What’s important to understand is:

The importance of story in branding and how to use it to break free from the algorithm and social media chains currently keeping your brand from its full potential.
What makes a GREAT story online and why it’s not really about you!
How to start integrating storytelling into your content to build a deeper connection and trust with your audience.

And lucky for you, this blog is going to cover just that.

I’ve also got a video training below if video is more your thing!

MY JOURNEY WITH STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS

A little backstory on me. I started my business with just an idea, seriously I wanted to help women design their website and brand. I spent months building that business until I wasn’t seeing results.

So I did an exercise, I looked at my story and my past to try and determine what I could build a business around that lit me up and made an impact. I had determined that not only was I not making money because my messaging and marketing was off, but because I didn’t actually want to do the things I was trying to sell.

I went deep into my story, performed my niching down exercise I shared last week and came out with the idea that I wanted to help women experience more time, financial and location freedom, but how?

I decided that I could do that by helping them build profitable brands, so I started showing up and sharing more of my own journey, my own experiences and sharing so much more of my story.

My community began to grow and I almost instantly started signing clients. I kept going and tapped more and more into my story to scale my business to multiple 6-figures.

Yes, my brand is the center of how I’ve created a successful business, but even further down it’s been the power of story.

Every single day I’m incorporating storytelling into everything I do and now I’m going to share with you how to do it too!

WHY STORYTELLING IS SO IMPORTANT AS AN ONLINE BUSINESS AND BRAND

I like to use the Ice Cream Sundae analogy when talking about your brand and storytelling.

Imagine for a second that your brand and story are the ice cream. The ice cream alone is delicious and something you can enjoy just as it is or you can enhance it to make it even better.

Now, let’s imagine the marketing, funnels, ads, social media platforms, etc are chocolate syrup, nuts and whipped cream. Mix those together and have them stand alone; it’s kind of just a mushy, nutty sweetness. Definitely not as good as it is with ice cream.

The point is your brand and story can stand alone and make you money. The marketing strategies can not. You need to have the entire package for those to even work.

You need the whole package.

WHY STORYTELLING WORKS IN ONLINE MARKETING

When you add storytelling to your messaging and content it is 22x more likely to be remembered

Not to mention it helps in the decision-making process. A report from Harvard University found that 90% of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously and based on emotional connection. Emotional connection comes from trust and storytelling.

So you’re also more likely to convert your clients into a sale by using storytelling.

AND not to mention the average time someone spends on a website is 8-15 seconds. Yet, this is where all the information about your business is. So, how do you keep them captivated for longer? Storytelling and strong personal messaging.

That’s because storytelling makes your brand:

Captivating - pulls in your ideal customer
Memorable - at the front of their mind, even as they scroll
Trustworthy - builds an emotional connection to you and your brand

WHAT MAKES A STORY GREAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA (or anywhere)

The key to great storytelling isn’t you.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but great storytelling is about your audience.

This is a hard switch because when we first start tapping into our story for our business it often looks like our Brand Story and About Me Page.

And those pieces are important, but so many entrepreneurs stop there.
They might be the only two ways a business owner incorporates story.

But, if someone decides to go further they tend to carry this framework over into our marketing is only going to hurt us.

And, that’s because what makes a great story memorable and captivating is that the person (your audience) can see themselves or relate to your story.

The key takeaway from all of this should be that great storytelling isn’t not about you, it’s about your audience.

THE 3 PHASES OF STORYTELLING IN BUSINESS

Phase 1: The Beginning

This is your niche, brand story and the overall direction for your business.

Remember, when I said I couldn’t determine what I wanted to do, until I tapped into my story? This is how we use storytelling in the beginning. We dive deep into our own personal journey to determine a great deal of our brand foundation.

Phase 2: Showing Up

This is when you start sharing your own experiences and story, as it relates to your niche and audience (more audience focus here) to showcase your expertise.

You’re building your momentum online and starting to incorporate story into your content (it no longer just lives on your website).

Phase 3: Messaging and Marketing

This is my favorite stage and the one you’ll hang out in for the majority of your business.

At this stage you’re getting to know your audience more and more and artfully framing stories around their need and desire.

Phase 1 and Phase 2 should last no more than 30 days, it’s the business creation/foundation stage and something I walk you through in my program You! Branded youbrandedcourse.com, then you move into studying your audience and writing stories for them.

This is where sales really start to amp up.

3 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN SHARING STORY ONLINE

1. Know you and your stories

You need to feel good about the stories you are sharing online. Not every single story needs to be shared, even if it’s great for your audience. If you don’t feel good about sharing it you won’t want to share.

2. It’s not about you

Stop guessing when it comes to what types of stories your audience will appreciate and resonate with. Do the work, and by work I mean Market Research.

3. Incorporate Emotionally Charged language

Part of storytelling is incorporating emotion, that’s why it works so well after all. You can do this by tapping into the pain and pleasure of your ideal customer in your copy.

HOW TO FIND YOUR STORIES TO SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND BEYOND

The first thing I want you to remember is a story for your business is not a period in time, it’s a moment in time.

What does this mean?

It means that when you’re choosing stories to share online to build trust and make sales, you’ll have much more luck and feel less overwhelmed when you’re focusing on a very specific moment.

For instance, I wouldn’t share a story on the birth of my son, I would share a story on how the birth of my son forced me to embrace vulnerability.

This is specific!

The second thing to keep in mind is that storytelling can, but doesn’t always have to be the entire piece of content. In fact, sometimes you will want to use a small sliver of story just to connect, but then go into teaching or selling your product or service.

Even a single line can be a great story.

EXAMPLE #1:
When I was sitting in a hotel conference room and heard the presenter share that story made content 22x more memorable, I knew I was on to something. I had spent 4 years sharing story to build a successful 6-figure business and knew I needed to teach other women to do the same.

Story part: A moment when I heard something, the stat I heard, how long I’d been in business, the success of my business and my ideal client and mission.

EXAMPLE #2:
Do you struggle to feel confident on social media?Does it feel as if the algorithm is always out to get you?You take so much time to create content, only to schedule it and watch it fall flat?

Today I want to share…

Story part: Highly relatable pain points my audience has expressed, painting a picture of what they are going through.

So not only should stories be very specific moments in time, but they can also be very short and used to enhance the content you’re creating.

Watch the video below for 6 types of stories to get you started.

CONCLUSION

If you’re running an online business you need to make storytelling your top priority.Not only is it going to enhance the return on the content you’re creating, but it’s also going to help you increase sales and build your personal brand.

If you’re interested in building a personal brand, deeply rooted in storytelling then I’ve got a free gift for you.

Grab the Personal Roadmap below.

Branding and Business Coach | Michelle Knight of Brandmerry

P.S. I know I didn’t talk about your Brand Story above, but it’s still a fun way to start. Read this blog on How to Identify Your Brand Story.

P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.