While there are many brands that are inherently sexy wherein it’s easy to market the products and services being sold, most businesses don’t have the privilege of having sexy or riveting products to make marketing a cinch. But it doesn’t matter how snooze-worthy your products and services may be — regardless if you’re selling bathroom tiles or garden rakes – as the key to successful marketing lies in your ability to tell a great story about your business and the things you’re selling. A truly awesome story is one people will remember when they’re in the process of shopping for the types of things you’re selling.
If the first paragraph caused you to let out a great big “Ugh” because you don’t think you have what it takes to tell a compelling, interesting story, think again. You DO have the storytelling ability whether your believe it or not. For example, think back to the early days when you were pitching your business idea to anyone who would listen. It’s very likely that in your excitement, you told people some great stories about both why you were going into business and about the various features of your products that made them so great to bring to the marketplace.
Invoke Emotion to Prompt People to Buy
Even if you have the most boring business on earth that sells very mundane products, you can persuade people to buy what you’re selling if you’re able to tell a good story that invokes emotion. Nobody is immune to the power of a good story and people make decisions based on the emotions they attach to their options. This is why it’s very effective to create content about your products that cause people to feel emotion. How do you do this? By showing consumers that there’s a human element behind your brand by crafting stories people will find hard to forget.
Share Experiences You’ve Had to Humanize Your Brand
One of the best ways to show the human side of your business is to share experiences you’ve had. For instance, if you have a great story about how you become inspired to sell the products you offer, share that story on your website, blog and social media channels. Explain how passionate and excited you were (and are) to be able to offer your products that solve problems people have. For instance, if you sell garden rakes with ergonomic handles, tell the story of how you came about deciding to sell your rakes. Maybe you’re an avid gardener who had to give up your hobby due to a back problem that made raking painful. Tell people how terribly difficult it was to give up the hobby you loved. Talk about how you developed your products and why you decided to bring them to the marketplace. Try to incorporate real customer reviews into your stories to show that you’re not the only one who thinks your products are something special, useful and unique.
Talk About Your Mistakes
A shared experience is even more compelling when you include mistakes you’ve made along the way. Talking about the missteps you’ve taken as you grew your business is an effective way to humanize your brand wherein consumers will be able to relate to you. When you share the blunders you made while putting your business together and getting it off the ground, people will feel like you’re one of them instead of just a business trying to market to them.
