Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:02 — 23.5MB)

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS

The art of story telling for content and sales.

Something I say often is that content is everywhere and everything can be content.

I also think marketing is everywhere and it behooves us as entrepreneurs to always be observing it.

Most of us spend a lot of time consuming – be it via direct marketing or social media. Take a step back and observe, don’t just consume. Be aware and take note.

When you actually stick around to watch a full video, WHY? What sucked you in? What kept you paying attention? Why didn’t you lose interest?

I guarantee a big part of content that keeps you engaged has to do with story telling. Whether it’s 10 seconds or 90 seconds.

Whether it’s text in a swipe graphic, Twitter or Instagram story. Maybe words aren’t even involved. Maybe it’s dance or a moving landscape.

Story telling evokes feelings and feelings keep us around.

I REPEAT – STORY TELLING EVOKES FEELINGS, AND FEELINGS KEEP US AROUND.

Now is when you commit to approaching content and sales through the lens of story telling this quarter – this year.

You’ll see and feel it after this episode I hope, wherever you take in media.

I have my business clients often write out and identify 2-3 brand stories. Events that led to why they coach the way they do. The stories that ultimately shaped their philosophy. The why behind their brand.

If you’ve never done that, it might be a fun and helpful activity. These stories can and should be very grounding for your messaging and therefore your content and sales.

They’re a huge part of communicating and connecting with your audience. 

The most important piece of story telling from a business standpoint is that people can either see themselves in the story, or that you draw it back to a collective human experience – relatability OR, inspiration.

Remember the lens we’re seeing this through – business sales and content.

Watching Free Solo is mesmerizing AF and it might inspire you, but it’s not selling you. Though I suppose it massively helped build his brand and bring awareness to him and all he’s accomplished.

Point is, stay focused – we want to dance with story telling on the day to day. In bite size pieces of content and then in sales.

A good story – whether protested through video or text or photo evokes emotion, like we said but it also paints a picture for us. We can see the story playing out – directly or indirectly.

Think about how you can do that with your content. Not every piece, but where it fits. 

Story telling doesn’t have to be any specific feeling. It just has to evoke a feeling. Or a series of feelings. I just don’t want you to put yourself in a box. The best thing you can do with storytelling as be authentic as possible. As with anything in business and building a personal brand. 

In your content:

I encourage you to number one be playful and keep an open mind.

Remember that storytelling is just a more specific piece of connecting with your audience. It should not be forced. That’s why I say I want you to see your contact through the lens of potential for storytelling, or how you can improve your ability to tell stories.

Think of how this can show up in any piece of content that you produce. Whether that is podcasts, Instagram swipe graphics, the caption of a post, or short and long form video.

Always draw the story back to either a shared experience with the audience, or inspiration with action steps that they can take to better themselves. Especially if we are talking about health and fitness. And bettering themselves is not necessarily doing more, it can be having grace for themselves, or looking for joy.

What does storytelling look like with different pieces of content, you might be wondering.

Note that I said the caption. If storytelling is throwing you off, think about painting pictures for your audience. How can you make them feel like they are somewhere, or how can you help them see a certain situation play out? That is in essence, a vital piece of storytelling.

I don’t even know what my last nine Instagram posts were at this point, but go look at them with the goal of seeing storytelling. Do the same with your own. Do the same with some of your favorite people that you follow.

Bring it full circle.

What I mean by that is if you tell a story, or share some thing from your life, bring it full circle with some kind of takeaway or moral of the story. It feels complete when we do this, and more often than not it’s beneficial for your audience.

You might be surprised how much more engagement you get when you begin to create content through the lens of storytelling.

In sales:

This is where I really want you to dive into those brand of stories that you are going to write out. 

I don’t want you to play around with identifying some of the story is that your ideal client tells themselves or has experienced.

Once you do that, then we marry the two and write out the story, paint the picture, of where they could be after working with you or once they are inside your program or offer.

I swear this is going to give you so much more confidence in your sales process. Storytelling is in large part the emotional piece of sales. I said paint the picture because I know that the idea of telling an actual story can seem limiting for people. And it’s hard for them to see outside of that box or what that can look like with their brand messaging.

Ensure you are looking at your own brand of stories, and then also the negatives of your ideal clients passed, their present, and their future.

If you don’t know who your ideal client is, then get my free ideal client avatar creator. You can go to anniemiller.co/ICA to get that.

This is a shorter episode, but I really just want to encourage you to look for storytelling in the content that you enjoy, taking in, and the content that keeps your attention. More often than not. It is some kind of storytelling. Each sentence or video clip is taking you into the next part of the story.

Not every piece of contact is going to be like this, so don’t try to make it that way. But where it fits, give it some intentional practice.

And as far as sales go, definitely observe why you buy things, and the stories that you are being told by brands. Both personal brands and large brands. There’s almost always a story involved. And it’s the story that they want you to believe if you buy the product.

Have at it. Have fun. Add this skill to your messaging and see what happens 

Leave the FitsPRO Podcast a review

If you find value here, on The FitsPRO Podcast, then pretty please head over to iTunes, subscribe, rate and review the show. It means the world to me when you spread my message to more humans.

Want more podcasts? Click here to skim the archives.

P.S. Save this value packed episode for later over on Pinterest!

---

ALL THE LINKS YOU NEED:

Free On Demand Workshop: 3 Steps To Build a Profitable Online Health and Fitness Business

Free Resources

Supplements: Legion Athletics Code ANNIE for 20% off

Skincare: Fré Skincare Code FDBA for at least 15% off

Bags: Vooray Code ANNIE for 20% off

Shop Annie Miller Concepts Apparel HERE!