I listened to an audiobook on branding this week, and the author said something that stuck with me.
He said that products are based on need. As-in: people need something, you have it and do the best at selling it. So, they buy it.
A brand, on the other hand, is all about making people WANT things.
It’s not that you can sell something people don’t need at all, regardless of branding. Or that selling based on need is bad.
My teachers in Fashion Marketing school even told us that this is what a good business MUST do. And many businesses who do that, are very successful (at least for a time).
But, “want” is a little more potent because it is rooted in desire, delight, and even joy – The emotions that hit us deeply and are really hard to ignore because they’re so visceral.
So when we tell our stories as freelancers, coaches, and creators, we should be thinking about this idea of WANT as well.
But how do you do that?
Everyone talks about storytelling, but no one tells you how to do – right?!
I used to think that I was dumb because I didn’t get it. Or maybe that people didn’t want to share the real secret.
But now I know that figuring it out is just hard. And, once you do, it’s hard to explain.
- Partly because everyone’s path for figuring it out is a bit different.
- And partly because we can get lost so many times along the way. Meaning: even we aren’t 100% sure how it all came together.
What I DO know is this: it’s life experience and personality mixed in with a little intuition, a little logic, and a little bit of adventure, failure, and success!
So even though I can’t tell you exactly what to do. I CAN tell you the most important parts of my journey and what I encountered along the way.
Then hopefully, it will make the journey a little easier for you!
In order to make this a bit easier for you to digest, I have decided to break it up into a few posts, though. So if you are working through your brand story, stick around and make sure to come back for the next couple of posts.
And make sure you check out the last few posts because they share some valuable information that will help you understand all of this a little bit.
Step 1: The Basics
Once I decided to accept who I am, I went on a journey to figure out who that was!
So if you’re still trying to find out what plant you are and where you should live, these are the five things that I did and is easy enough for you to do too. Start with:
- What drives you.
- Why it drives you.
- Why this is valuable and important to others.
- Who needs what you have to offer and will connect to your story.
- What can you do to make it really special for them.
In Part 2 of “Do You Know How To Tell Your Brand Story?” I’m going to share an example of one of my clients > An organizational coach.
You’ll see steps 1-5 in action. And it should really help you, because it illustrates the process so well!
This is the process I go back to every time I feel like I’ve gone off track. It’s also where I start with all of my clients.
What Now?
Well, the first step is to take Step 1 above. But the secret is to accept that it may be a bit of a journey.
And even if you do arrive at the promise-land, there’s a good chance you’ll want to explore and head off another adventure yet again. This is just how creative-thinkers are but even we will have an anchor for our stories.
You can also take personality tests to help point you in the right direction. Any of them will provide value. But only if you are prepared to think deeply about the results.
You can also talk to me about my Power Persona Builder. In it, I take you through 17 questions to help you figure out how to apply YOU to your brand.
