Today I’m joined by Clair of A Social Nature with her 8 tips you NEED for nailing your story.

Telling your story is one of the best ways to build a relationship with your potential customers and clients. Whether it’s the “About Me” page on your website, a blog post, an article, or even a podcast, your story is key to your business.

We all know that we tend to buy from people and businesses we know, like, and trust.

If people can identify with your story, they will feel involved, invested, and hopefully will want to support your business.

Which story?

Telling your story could mean:

• Your journey – what brought you to starting your business. This could be about your career path, your interests, or your life experiences
• Your “why” – do you have a passion to help people, create something new or change the world? Why do you do what you do?
• Your values – What are the qualities that are central to your work? Why are they so important to you?

Here are my 8 tips to get you started.

1. Know your audience.

Picture your ideal customer or client. Why are they ideal? What brought them to you? What is it about your business that they love? This will help you to find the element of your story that your audience connects with.

2. Talk it over

A blank computer screen or notebook can cause your brain to empty immediately! If you don’t know where to start or what words to use, try this.

Ask someone to “interview” you. This could be a friend, your partner, or a work connection who you trust.

Take notes, or even better record it, using your phone, or Zoom.

If you don’t want to talk to a real person, try speaking your story out loud and recording it. This will really help when you start writing.

3. Don’t over-think it

You might have a clear idea about what you want to include in your story. But it’s a great idea to leave yourself some freedom and see where the conversation takes you – it might surprise you.

4. Get anecdotal

Sometimes, incidents from our lives can have a big impact on our values or our direction.  It could be an experience at school, in a previous job, or within your personal life.

Including anecdotes in your story can be a really powerful way to hook in your audience – you might even want to start your story with a real-life incident.

5. Use your own words

Faced with that blank sheet of paper, you might hear the voice of your school English teacher loud in your ear! But you’re not writing an essay here – think about the tone of voice you want to use. Listen back to your recording and use your own words. That way, your story will come across as authentic, natural and relatable.

6.Keep it short

People are busy and attention-spans are short, so keep your story focussed. It’s better to write 300 really compelling words, than 1000 words that ramble. If there’s too much to say, break it up into several shorter posts.

7. Inspire action

What do you want your audience to do after reading your story? Do you want them to follow you on social media, send you a message or book a call? Where can they read more about you and what you do? Make it really easy for potential customers to take action.

8. Be visible

This is your story, so your audience want to see you. Make sure you’re got some great branding photos of you to include in your piece. These could be headshots, or photos of you in your workspace, or even outside. Your pictures should contribute to your story so choose images that capture the “real you”.

I love helping my clients to tell their story in a way that is right for them and their business. If you would like me to help you tell your story, get in touch. clair@asocialnature.co.uk.

Thanks Clair for some really great tips…and as always if you’re looking for help being more Visible check out VISIBILITY SCHOOL.

PS ———> every month I send out hints and tips on VISIBILITY in my newsletter THE VISIBILITY EDIT