Twelve kinds of story you can tell to grow your business or personal brand
“When I see people telling stories on social media, it just feels like bragging to me. It’s such a turn off.”
If, like my client, you’re struggling to see how to use storytelling as part of your copywriting or your content strategy, you may be wondering if brand storytelling is for you. Notwithstanding the puff stories that fill our social media feeds, it’s possible to tell stories that will grow your reputation and impact without tooting your own horn. In fact, these stories can be creative, memorable and surprising.
Brand storytelling examples for business owners
Brand storytelling was being hailed as a marketing panacea a few years back, but the hype seems to have died down a bit now. However, what hasn’t died down is the eternal power of stories to move our emotions - so while the marketing bandwagon may have moved on, brand storytelling is still very much worth your time and attention.
Here are twelve kinds of story you can tell that will give potential clients a sense of who you are, what you do, your values and motivation and what makes you different - and all without bragging.
A personal story (this doesn’t have to directly relate to your business, it’s more about illustrating who you are, what’s important to you, what your strengths are - you’ll use the moral or takeaway of the story to link back to your own brand). This story doesn’t have to include life-changing events, it can be more of an anecdote - what makes it work is the chance to write something funny, memorable, relatable or timely - and then making sure that you join the dots back to your own work and the real point you want to make.
The origin story of how you came to start your business (what inspired you and/or still motivates you today? How are you uniquely positioned to help?). One way of doing this that can be relatable is to talk about how what you loved doing as a child is expressed through your work now. I tell this type of story on my About Page, under the heading ‘My Story’.
A client success story (a case study, where you get to show off how you do things differently and the results you can get for your clients). As long as the focus is on what worked for your client, this shouldn’t come off as an empty bragging exercise. I have a section on my website for client stories.
The story of how you’ve drawn inspiration from mentors or life events (this doesn’t have to relate directly to your business, it demonstrates what motivates you).
A story that shows your values or integrity in action (you’d be surprised how many people, when faced with 2 similar offers, will choose the one that aligns with their values). Turning points are inherently dramatic and make great stories.
A story that shows how you’ve overcome a crisis (gives people a sense of who you really are, what’s important to you & what it might be like to work with you). I tell a story like this on my About Page, under the heading ‘My Inspiration’).
A day-in-the-life or behind-the-scenes story (this allows you to get granular and talk about the small details that differentiate you from others in the same field). These stories tend to work well on social media, or in your newsletter.
A story that demonstrates your expertise - the research you do, the books you read, the qualifications or skills or experience you have. Share recommendations and the results of your research. Again, this is great content for your newsletter or for social media.
The how-to story which gives tips and tricks. This is probably the most-used type of story for most people writing content for social media, blogs and newsletters - and it does well for SEO purposes, but it’s usually less engaging and memorable than most of the other options here.
The invitation story - for a launch, an event, a new offering, your newsletter… Again, invitations are ubiquitous on social media, but they’re not often structured as stories, or presented in the context of a mix of other story-types that make us care.
The pocket of joy story - share something funny, happy, quirky or surprising. Brighten your readers’ day - and circle back to a takeaway that relates to your own brand. This is a great way to cheer up someone’s social media feed - and will mean that they have a positive association with you in their minds.
The little black book story - share something that a valued colleague or client is doing, that might be of interest to your own clients. This kind of story demonstrates the strength and depth of your connections and network. People are sometimes hesitant to share others’ work, but not only does a rising tide lift all boats, it’s also highly likely that the person you’re shining a spotlight on will be keen to share your story with their audience, so it’s a win:win. There’s even peer-reviewed research to show that ‘dual promotion’ (sharing credit with others, or promoting your own work alongside other people’s work) will consistently create more favourable impressions than self-promotion alone.
Where should I be using these stories?
It would be quicker to list where you shouldn’t be using them. You can use these stories on your About Page, in social media posts, in your newsletter or nurture sequence, in talks, workshops or interviews - they’re such rich ways of helping potential clients get to know you. Any time you feel inclined to launch into a straightforward piece of ‘how to’ content marketing, think about whether you could at least frame it with a little story or anecdote.
Are there other kinds of stories I can tell?
Yes! These types of story are just a starting point when it comes to considering all the kinds of stories you could tell to build your own brand. Once you start thinking in terms of ‘what kinds of story can I tell?’, you should find that you have an almost unlimited well of content ideas, since you can illustrate the same basic point through the lenses of different story types.
This versatility is really helpful, since it allows you to keep repeating your brand message while also keeping it fresh, both for you and for the people in your audience.
Stories are so powerful - they’re how we understand the world and connect with other people. Which of these stories would you like to tell?
If you’d like help identifying and honing the stories at the heart of your business, have a look at Unlock Your Message, my story-powered programme of 1:1 support for business owners.