Sometimes The Marketing Strategy as an Entrepreneur is to Share Your Story
I was recently featured in two amazing places online. One was a podcast called How to Deal When the Shit Gets Real and the other is an online magazine called Bold Journey. Incidentally, both categorized me as resilient. When I shared my story with them, that’s the label they felt I fit.
It was a bit surreal for me because I feel like the last few years of my life have been mostly about survival. When your life is happening three inches from your face, it’s hard to zoom out and gain perspective.
As a copywriter and marketing professional, I work with clients to help them focus on who they are talking to with their marketing and what transformation those people can expect from the service or product they’re purchasing. A lot of spiritual entrepreneurs and conscious businesses want to focus on the audience and their needs, which is great. Don’t get me wrong.
But the thing that sometimes gets missed is that personal touch.
✨That magic spark. ✨
The thing that becomes a beacon for your audience, showing them that you’re an aligned brand for them.
The spark is your story.
How ironic that I learned this myself this week through these two opportunities. I realized how little I’ve shared my own story as part of the plan for my business. How are my people going to find me if I’m not sharing my experience, my special magic with them?
Why is storytelling such an important part of marketing strategy?
Human beings respond to stories. We always have! In fact, before the written word was invented, there was an oral tradition. So much of the way we see ourselves is shaped through story. This is true on scales large and small.
On a personal level, the way your family sees you can shape how you see yourself. I was called a “diva” as a child. For a long time, that made me think that I demanded too much and should make myself smaller. The way I viewed myself was shaped by the story that was being told about me.
On a grander scale, the way history is written and re-told can shape how a group of people sees themselves. In America, some people in the Southern states still call the Civil War the “War of Northern Aggression.” Do you see how just changing the name of the war when the story is told shifts the perspective drastically?
I realize as I write this that those are two pretty negative examples, which was not my intention.
As spiritual entrepreneurs, we are looking to shift these negative storytelling tactics to ones of empowerment, inspiration, and resolve. Words have incredible power.
Here’s another example. Years ago men and women in relationships would call themselves boyfriend and girlfriend, or husband and wife. (They still do but go with me here.) Now, there is a rising frequency of couples calling each other partners. “Partner” has a completely different connotation that shows the two on more equal terms. The words we use create the stories we tell ourselves and shift our behavior, as well.
How does this relate to marketing strategy?
You can see from these examples that it’s vitally important to be mindful of the stories we tell and how we tell them. Sharing our wisdom and perspective with integrity can be life-changing for the people we serve.
Storytelling in our copywriting can make the difference between reaching the person who needs our help or not, building an audience of engaged listeners or not, and making a sale or not.
How do I create relatable marketing for my business that keeps my audience engaged?
Ask yourself who you are talking to and how they like to be spoken to. It sounds really simple — and it can be — but there are so many complex layers to human communication that you want to consider your audience carefully when crafting your message.
This part of things is the practical side and it might require some market research if you don’t feel like your marketing plan is capturing attention effectively.
Try answering these three questions before creating copy:
What does my audience care about the most?
Is there anything that could be a turn-off for them?
What do they want and what do they need and am I speaking to both?
Keep in mind that being relatable isn’t the same thing as people-pleasing. Your audience doesn’t have to like everything you say. But they do have to relate to it.
Dropping the most valuable gems of wisdom on earth won’t matter if your audience doesn’t understand what you’re saying or doesn’t resonate with how you’re saying it.
The most common thing I see is marketing that focuses too much on the what and not enough on the why. Let me explain.
I’ll use the example of a tarot reader. This small business might create a post on social media talking about the new birthday readings they’re offering.
Here’s a caption they could write if they were focusing on the what:
Come get your birthday tarot reading! We’ll be delving into the cards with this special 3-card spread. Learn about your past, present, and future with a reader who is full of insight. Book your appointment here!
Here’s the improved version that focuses on the why:
Your birthday is the perfect time for a tarot reading! We’ll delve into the cards for insight into how your past is affecting your present and you’ll gain guidance on how to shift into a brighter future. My readings have helped over 100 clients transform their lives and break free of old patterns. Treat yourself to this magic today!
The second version feels more personal and it tells me what I can expect to get out of the reading. The first one tells me what I would be getting but no ✨spark ✨ relates the practical details to me. Keep this in mind when crafting your own copywriting.
Don’t be afraid to share the parts of your personal story that speak to your audience and draw them in. It’s easy to hesitate because we think that the personal should be as separate from business as possible. But I promise that the world is hungry for that human touch, that human spark right now.
Try infusing your social media posts, newsletters, and marketing materials with your story and see what results you get.
Then, please share them with me in a comment below. 😊
Rooting for you always!