How it benefits your customers and your business

 

Everybody loves a story. 

Stories are why we stay up past our bedtimes reading. They’re why when Netflix asks if we’re still watching, the answer is “duh!” They’re why we love to spill the tea. They’re why infomercials have us ordering home haircutting contraptions that don’t work (please don’t ask how I know this).

Since the days of yore when our forebears sat around the campfire roasting mastodon on the very spears that slew it, we’ve been telling stories. Our brains are literally wired for story. 

But even more than that, stories are how we interpret reality. Our whole life is a story that our brain stitches together from moments in the chaos of events. 

In short, for humans, it’s all about the story.

And when we hear stories, we want to not only root for the protagonist, but we also want to see ourselves in them. We want to be the hero of our own story — and of everyone else’s.

And so does your audience. 

Why not give the people what they want? Through the stories you tell, you can convey your brand’s values and mission while at the same time offering content that people enjoy and find value in. 

Everyone wins!

This approach draws readers to you. And not just because you’re search engine optimized, but because the stories you’re telling are educational, entertaining, but more than anything, they add value to people’s lives.

There’s a ton of great free content out there already. But if you want to draw people to your brand, establish yourself as a thought leader, and be a reliable source of value to your customers, you have to be exceptional. 

Set yourself apart by making content that’s not only unique, but also tells a story and adds value to people’s lives.

Are you ready to start?

Here are a few things you can do right now to get away from the content mill mentality and start telling the stories that people want to hear.

 

A Journey and a Story

Whether you’re using words, images or video, taking readers on a journey hits them on a deeper level. Even when a story is fictional, it can feel real. (I think we all cried when Snape died in The Deathly Hallows). 

Your readers want to know your story. They want to know the people behind the business. They want to understand your business’s origins, your mission, your values. 

By telling your story, you can help your public to connect with you in a deeper, emotional way.

And then they can answer the real question: How do I fit into the story?

Because at the end of the day, that’s what everyone wants to know. Where do I fit in? Does this jive with what’s important to me? How does this benefit me?

When you plan your podcast episodes or start to craft the blog and social media posts that accompany them, you have to think like an investigator. Ask yourself, what do people want to know about my subject? What questions do they have? What’s relevant to their lives? What will resonate with them?

Questions like these will guide you not only in generating content that people actually seek out, but also in knowing what stories people need to hear, and what journeys you can guide them on.

Once you know what people seek, then you can figure out what you have to say that’s meaningful and unique to you and how that relates to your brand values. 

Your brand’s values should be a continuous thread through all your content, reminding your readers of not only what you’re all about, but also how that ethos is a shared ethos, and how both your journeys run along the same trail. 

Your story is what makes you unique. By reinforcing it at every turn, through the podcasts you produce, blogs, emails, e-books, social media posts, website copy, etc., you make it clear exactly what that story is. 

 

Crowdsource your Audience

What’s the best way to know what stories people want to hear, what podcast episodes would interest them, what questions they want to have answered, what community they’d like to be part of?

Ask them. 

If you’re doing things right, your business’s social footprint isn’t only pointing one way. Ideally, you’ve used your content and presence to create a community of people who want to not only consume your content, but also engage with your brand.

Even if you haven’t yet, you can start now!

Interact with people on social media. Hold polls. Ask for input. Your audience isn’t just your audience. They can also be the best source for your content. 

If everyone wants to be the hero of their own (and everyone else’s) story, why not let them? Offer up topics for your next podcast season and see what people think. They’ll be happy to give you their opinions, and even appreciate being included in the decision. 

Or even better, give an open line for topic suggestions. You might be surprised at what your public supplies. 

Look, it’s not the 90s anymore. Your audience doesn’t have to write a letter and send it in to give you their feedback. Social media makes it easy for your audience to have a voice — and for you to source them for their needs and wants. 

People will share things that reinforce the world and their identities as they want them to be. Create content that helps them to reinforce that as well. The more you listen, and respond with content, the greater likelihood there is that they’ll continue to share. 

When you ask people for their input, it makes them feel valued — as every story’s hero should. 

 

Give them Gold (not pyrite)

Click bait works for one thing. Getting people to click.

We’ve all fallen for it. You find yourself clicking on an enticing headline that promises to “Flatten your Belly with this Simple Hack.” Inside the article you find 13 pop-up ads and tired suggestions like “give up bread,” (as if!).

You’ve been duped again.

But that’s not what you want. You want to build the kind of content that people come back to again and again. You want to be a trusted resource in your subject. You want to have the kind of website that people share with their friends and colleagues. Hey, you might even want to be seen as an authority. 

You accomplish this by creating content gold. Original, useful stories with your audience at the center. As people see the value in what you create, and the benefit it has to their lives as they want them to be, people will come to trust you. Your audience will grow. 

In this day and age, that’s what it takes. You want to be a trusted hub of information, giving solutions to people’s problems that no one else is. 

You have to know yourself and your values. And you also have to know your ideal customer, your “target audience” at the risk of sounding crude. 

So, take the time and do your research. Get to know the people you’re trying to serve (and attract). Provide answers, ideas, and information that improves their lives. 

If you skip this step, all you can offer is pyrite. Sure, it’s pretty to look at, but it doesn’t offer real value. 

And you’re the one who ends up looking like a fool. 

 

Be Authentic

Tell the best, most interesting parts of your story. But always make sure it’s your story. 

Being authentic is crucial. Your audience can sniff out phoniness like a bloodhound can sniff out a burglar on the lam. And as soon as they catch that scent, their trust in you is broken.

Whatever your company’s values are, own them. In doing so, you will attract the type of customer you’re trying to attract. Let them come to see you as a kindred in their journey. A Yoda to their Luke Skywalker. A Dumbledore to their Harry. 

When you have established trust, and your audience knows your company is who it says it is, people know they can rely on you. Not just in your content and the value it provides, but also in the quality and reliability of your products and services. 

As Polonius said in Hamlet, “To thine own self be true.” We’d like to add that if you do, people will also be true to you.

 

The Upshot

Your story is about who you are, of course, and what you can offer your audience. But the bottom line is, you’re not the hero of this story — each and every member of your audience is. 

Help them on their journey by giving them a role in yours. 

 

If you’re ready to start telling your own story so people will want to liste, it’s time to think about podcasting. Reach out to us at [email protected]. We are a turnkey podcast production company in Austin, serving the Hill Country, the state of Texas, and the nation at large. Let us help you tell your story.