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June 21, 2023
Around five years ago I was unhappy with how my business looked and felt. There was something quite wrong with it, but it took me a while to work out what exactly it was. And once I discovered what that was, it all felt very obvious. It was superficial. I hadn't built a business from the heart, I had built one to look and feel like everyone else's. So I went back to the drawing board and whilst working on myself, I discovered that I wanted to bring me into my brand - my story, my passions and my values. And I've never looked back.
I now teach others to do the same - to bring their story into their brand, to allow them to feel nourishing and appeal to their dream clients - and I wanted to share today why this is so important, with some ideas for you to start doing this too.
I want to start by expressing the amazing difference you will feel when bringing your story into your brand. It will feel so much lighter, brighter and you will not look back. When you bring your story into your brand, it allows for so much clarity in what you need to do. You will stop second guessing yourself as much. You will feel at peace with the decisions you make. And you will start bringing in those dream clients who just get you and are a joy to work with.
And this is all because you are bringing all that you are into what you do, allowing your passion to shine through to your work. In turn this will mean longevity for your business and a world of difference to how it was before.
A lot of people don't think they have a story, or that theirs isn't interesting enough. But this isn't about creating War & Peace, this is simply put - bringing you and what's got you to where you are today, into your brand. This is what allows you to stand out from your competitors and forms your niche, but more of that later.
The first thing I do with my clients is to brainstorm their passions, but to go into real detail with them. Don't just list what your passions and interests are, but what it is about them, why are they your passions and how do they make you feel. After this, I invite them to answer a series of 'WHY' questions. Your WHYs will allow you to start forming your story, combined with the above. These questions can involve you getting quite deep and relive some possible hurt. And it is important to realise that you do not need to tell anything to your audience that you are not comfortable sharing. Try having a think about your WHYs, like 'why do you do what you do', 'why are you good at what you do' and 'why are you where you are today'.
Some people - at this point - may think "why me". Why bring you into your brand when all people want is the service or the product. But in today's saturated society it is vital to stand out from your competitors and the only thing that can do that is you. People are nosy! Don't you just love hearing people's stories? Finding out what got someone to where they are today? Why they do what they do? What they love in life? Well there you go, bringing this all into your brand will allow you to relate to people. It will allow you to build a personal brand and it will allow for the all-important know, like and trust.
It may feel safer shying away from bringing you into your brand, but stepping outside of your comfort zone will allow for so much more growth and purpose. You will shine, as you are talking about something you know really, really well - yourself. And the right people for you will love that, they will warm to you and they will buy from you. People buy from people, after all.
As we grow, our stories grow and we can continue to tell them. The foundations will remain, which is why building a brand from them allows for longevity, but we can add to them and continue to tell them. Building our stories into our brand allows for less second guessing, as you know your story better than anyone does. Infuse your brand with it through your branding, your imagery, your content, your marketing, and of course your products and services.
And once you've started telling your story, the whole concept of storytelling should feel so much easier. Marketing your business is - simply put - storytelling. This is what will bring your brand down to a level that your audience can relate to, can be excited by and will be interested to continue getting to know.
I hope that answers some questions about why you should start telling your story in your brand and you can have a look at yours. Carve some time out for this, don't rush into it and if you're anything like me, you'll remember more and more as time goes by. I've loved allowing myself to shine in my brand, and in turn allowing my clients to shine in their brands. I want this for you too.
Thank you for reading and take care, Amy.
PS. If you want to find out how I can help you tell your story, take a look at my Creative Consultations and send me an email to find out more about working with me.
