Don’t let it stay a secret…
Your stories help you to stand out from your competitors. They’re unique to your business. They help people get to know you and make an emotional connection with your brand. The case for telling your stories is clear yet you’d be surprised by how many people I meet who think their business has nothing interesting to say.
So I thought I would share a few suggestions on where your best-kept business stories might be hiding.
The top 7 sources of stories hiding in your business
1. Your start up story
Setting up in business is rarely plain sailing whether you’ve been in the same line of work for years or if you took a leap of faith into a totally different industry. Maybe you made a mid-life career change from a traditional profession to follow a dream you had always hankered after. Maybe you stunned your friends and family by setting up a business straight from school (or maybe even before you left).
2. Your transformation
We all operate in a fast-moving world in which many businesses have had to reinvent themselves to respond to changing market conditions. Maybe you have radically transformed a 100-year old family business with cutting-edge technology or switched from a high-street presence to an online business.
3. How you source your products
People care about how you source your ingredients, materials or finished goods. They want to know that you buy from ethical sources and that you treat people fairly. Tell the story of how you do this and the positive impact it has on the businesses and communities that you deal with.
4. The behind-the-scenes story
People love to see behind the scenes in your business whether it’s the intricate process you use to hand-decorate cakes, how you plan, write and publish a magazine or what a typical day involves for an accountant (yes really!). It helps them feel more connected with your product and service and has the added benefit that they really appreciate the time and effort that goes into what you do.
People love to see behind the scenes in your business. Click To Tweet5. Your people
“People buy people”. It may sound like a cliché but it’s true! People make a business. That’s even more true if you are running a service-based business, as the service is inseparable from the people that deliver it. Have the courage to share the stories of your leaders and other key people in your business.
“People buy people”. It may sound like a cliché but it’s true! Click To Tweet6. How you help your customers
This might seem an obvious one as it’s what your business is all about. We are all doing great things for our customers everyday and sometimes we don’t give it a single thought. We’re modest and we focus on the next thing – helping the next customer – so we forget to shout about the difference we’ve made. Sharing the story of how your business has made a difference to an existing customer is a great way to connect with new customers as it helps them visualise what you could do for them.
7. Your vision for your business – your future story
Stories don’t have to recount something that’s happened in the past. They are a powerful way of setting out your vision for how you see your business in the future. They can inspire your employees and customers alike and make sure that they are fully behind the business as you evolve.
Whatever stories you uncover, you’ll be surprised by how you will capture people’s interest and just how many tales you have to tell in your communications with customers and colleagues.
So what’s the best-kept story in your business? I’d love to know – share it in the comments below.
Image credit London Scout, via Unsplash