In February, I had the opportunity to speak at the Professional Photographers of America Massachusetts Evolve 2022 Conference. It was truly a full-circle moment on so many levels. While many people know me as a business strategist & branding expert today, there were a few years early in my entrepreneur journey where I truly wondered whether I’d ever even be able to grow a successful business—much less be recognized as an expert or asked to speak at an important event like this.

When I first started building a photography business, I truly believed that my clients would choose to work with my brand because of the pretty photos that I was making for my wedding couples. I was extremely focused on taking creative, beautiful photos—but I was missing a lot of what it really means to build a brand and a business.

I would post pretty photos on social media and on my website. They’d get likes or comments, but it wasn’t really doing much to develop my brand or attract my dream clients.

Somewhere along the line though, I started to think more about the moments behind the images. I started sharing stories about the couples, their wedding day, and the experience.

The day I started using storytelling in my marketing was the day everything began to change. Here are five reasons to use story to grow your business.

Why Should You Use Stories In Your Marketing?

1) Stories Build Trust

Storytelling helps build trust in brand marketing, which is important because you build trust when your audience understands that you get them. They’ll relate to you and your brand, making it easy for them to feel comfortable doing business with you. That’s a great place to start if you want to grow your business over time. Through storytelling,  they will trust that you understand their pains and desires (better health, more freedom, more money, better relationships, greater impact etc.)

2) Storytelling is a Great Way to Connect with Your Audience

Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication, and there is a reason it is so powerful when we use it in our messaging.  When we share stories, our clients can see themselves in the stories that we tell.  Marketing is all about connecting with people on an emotional level, so leveraging that power by telling stories can make a big difference in your business’s brand strategy.

3) Storytelling Helps You Stand Out From Competition

Each business has a unique brand strategy, and telling your story is the best way to create an engaging brand that resonates with your audience. Stories help you connect to customers on a deeper level than just messaging about the thing that you sell, making them memorable and relatable to your customer’s lives. Share stories of your clients as much as possible: Show how they struggled with their current problem, how they tried to solve it, and how you were able to help.

4) Stories Are Memorable

Stories are memorable. This means that stories stick with people, not just when they first hear it, but also later on. If you want to build your brand and help people understand your business, storytelling is one of the best ways to do so. Remember that marketing isn’t just ads and emails; it’s anything a small business does to get its brand in front of customers – which means storytelling can be a part of all aspects of your marketing strategy.

5) Stories Create a Sense of Community 

Your brand strategy is so much more than choosing a beautiful logo, pretty fonts, and colors. A solid brand strategy will include a sense of community. How do you create that sense of community? By telling stories. Telling stories builds trust and shows empathy with your audience. Stories can create a sense of community and share your understanding of the obstacles that may be preventing them from getting what they want.  Stories help us relate to each other, and in turn, they help us connect, motivate and inspire each other as well.

Through story, you can build trust, and empathy, and inspire your audience to go after the life they truly desire and deserve. You can show them that you understand what they’re experiencing and you’re the person to help them transform from where they are, to where they want to be.

If you can connect with your clients through story, they will choose you.  They will say yes to working with your brand.

As a certified BMS Coach, I use the StoryBrand Framework with my coaching clients. I help my clients create their unique BrandScript to tell a brand story that positions them as the guide in their ideal client’s journey. 

Spending time clarifying your message (AKA developing your brand’s story) makes every other aspect of growing your business that much simpler. A clear message helps you communicate about the problem you solve and how your brand can help.

That’s why I offer my Brand Messaging Playbook—together we will work 1:1  to help you clarify your brand story, create your Brand Messaging Playbook & implement it effectively in your marketing, so you can easily create strong, consistent messaging for your social media content, videos, blog posts, podcasts, sales copy, website, and more!

Inside your Brand Messaging Playbook, you’ll have:

• BrandScript to help you craft your core brand message for your business
• Brand Narrative, to help you share your brand messaging
• One-Liner, so you can easily & efficiently communicate what you do
• 5 Lead Generator Ideas, so you can attract more of your dream clients
• 5 Social Media Posts, so you can start sharing your message with the world

You’ll also get:

• Four(4) 1:1 Coaching Sessions
• Your done-for-you Brand Messaging Playbook
• And more!

Ready to start sharing your brand messaging & marketing your business with ease? Schedule a Consultation to get started so you can start dialing in your brand messaging today!