xEveryone has a story to tell. But are you articulating that story in the right way? Is it really communicating what your brand or business stands for, and is it the right message? — Let’s dive into why storytelling is one of the most effective communication strategies for brands.
So tell me about yourself?
‘insert job title here’
No, I meant tell me about yourself, not what you do…
Why do we do this? When people ask to find out more about us, we tell them so much about what we do or how busy we are, but often don’t hear what they’re actually asking. This would be my favourite question to ask when hiring people. To me, it speaks volumes about a persons ability to really listen, but also their self-awareness. Not that the above, is totally judge-worthy, but it’s certainly interesting.
I’ve found the same thing with a lot of businesses and brands I’ve worked with. They will often know what they do, but not truly know their story.
Everyone has a story to tell. But are you articulating that story in the right way? Is it really communicating what your brand or business stands for, and is it the right message? — Let’s dive into why storytelling is one of the most effective communication strategies for brands.
So tell me about yourself?
‘insert job title here’
No, I meant tell me about yourself, not what you do…
Why do we do this? When people ask to find out more about us, we tell them so much about what we do or how busy we are, but often don’t hear what they’re actually asking. This would be my favourite question to ask when hiring people. To me, it speaks volumes about a persons ability to really listen, but also their self-awareness. Not that the above, is totally judge-worthy, but it’s certainly interesting.
I’ve found the same thing with a lot of businesses and brands I’ve worked with. They will often know what they do, but not truly know their story.
Storytelling is definitely not uncharted territory, it’s not new at all, but its effectiveness in brand and advertising communications is undeniable.
A story is merely a device we use to provide context to life, work, relationships and social norms. We use stories to shape cultures and societies but most often, we use them to create emotional connection and engagement between X and Y.
Everything has a story and even though it’s an age-old skill, very few seem to be able to use storytelling as a device to follow through into a transaction because we’re so caught up in WHAT we’re doing rather than WHY we’re doing it.
Really, when we ask someone, “tell me about yourself” we’re asking “why are you, you?” and I bet that if we spoke these words instead, it would leave people a little stunned, shocked even, by the vulnerability it leaves them in.
Telling our story may leave us in an uncomfortable and vulnerable state if we’re not ready for it, as a brand, we must constantly ask ourselves and be ready to be vulnerable and authentic to achieve sales and growth.
Dig deep into your brand values, strip everything back to your core reason for existence and ask yourself:
- Why are we, we?
- What makes us different?
- What’s our identity?
- What’s our story?
- What’s our purpose for being?
Our Purpose and reason for being here at Maker Street, is to help the world’s most ambitious leaders realise their true purpose and have more meaningful conversations with their audience.
Maybe you kind of know your story, but have been so caught up in the ‘daily grind’ and haven’t given it the chance to really hone in on what your story is, or you’ve tried to give it life but haven’t yet found the best way to articulate it through your existing visual and messaging systems.
