How can storytelling help you build trust and credibility with your audience?

People want to follow people they know, like, and trust. The best way to achieve that is by consistently telling stories that help your audience get to know you while helping them either learn something in the process or feel something that moves them deeply. As you keep showing up for your audience, they will begin to know you and —if you bring integrity to what you share— trust you. This is how you build your personal brand from the ground up. It's not only about optimizing your posts and getting the timing right. It's about telling stories that move people and make them feel less alone in our overwhelming world.

Our personal experiences create deeper connections with others. This gives relevance to our actions, especially in daunting situations. There is an art to storytelling, and it's knowing how to weave a lesson into your share without someone feeling like they are being taught. That's part of the delivery. Part of the draw that brings people to you. It's up to you to be encouraged by your purpose and vision to tap into your vulnerability, so your authenticity can shine through.

We are exposed to so many different people on a daily basis and we see so many different comms. So to be able to stand out you need to have a story and why which helps you stand out and helps people connect with you. Having a story means people know why they should engage with you and why you are the right person to work with or speak to.

Storytelling goes beyond showcasing personality. The best stories are those that demonstrate a universal truth that relates to your message and to your goals. By leveraging stories to convey a point we allow our listeners to find their own truth, discover the moral, message or lesson that we want to convey, and to frame it in their own words. This is also the beauty of using metaphor and analogy in speaking. Evocative language paints pictures in the mind. Presence is the feeling, the essence of you that's left behind after you have left the room. The beauty of storytelling is that instead of words (which are easily replicated and soon forgotten), a story leaves behind a visual image, an emotion and a visceral response that lingers.

Like Jezz Bezos said, "Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room" Personal branding may be an approach to branding. However, storytelling is a strong method that has existed since the transformation of monkeys into humans. You need to tell stories to make a child eat or sleep to a brand to reach its target audience. Only a story can bring life to a brand or be a personal brand. People remember you not by the product or service. People remember you which makes them make a sub-conscious emotional decision through your stories.

I've learned that your personal brand is just that, personal. It doesn't have to include a business goal. Instead, focus on what you bring to the world. Embracing your unique traits (those Misfit Ingredients?), including the ones you usually consider as flaws, can inspire you to achieve great things and be true to yourself. From the mishaps to the joys that you've experienced along your journey, these all come together to define your personal brand. This definition is what gives your audience a peek into your world. A peek into who you are.

I want readers to see my clients' content and think: THIS IS ME! That's why I encourage clients to share stories about how they solved their customers' problems. The basic storyline is: The client was upset because of the following: We provided this solution: Which gave them this transformation: The goal of these stories is that other customers with similar struggles relate to the feelings of despair and the desire for the same transformation. It's essential to take the readers on the customer's journey.

We are humans, we are born with the art of storytelling. When you lied to your mom about who ate the chocolates When you made an excuse to the teacher about why you turned in the homework late It was all storytelling. A lie too, yes. But, you are now mature you know how when, and where to use that skill. So, use it!

There's valuable advice in this paragraph from a high level strategy standpoint, but it overlooks two very key parts of the success puzzle: CONSISTENCY & PATIENCE You can do everything outlined in this paragraph, but if you're not showing up at LEAST a few times/week with fresh content and spending a decent amount of time engaging with other people's content, I hate to tell you but all the strategic preparation in the world isn't going to do it for you. This is why I coach people to think less strategically about their brands and just start posting about their passions on a regular basis. If you're following your fascination and posting about what naturally interests you, it'll feel a lot more natural.

A fictional character makes a real human connect emotionally. That's the power of storytelling. Storytelling is the foundation of a personal brand. I put myself in the shoes of my target audience. If I'm a consumer, what are the triggers that make me purchase my product? It could be functional attributes, features, benefits, or emotional benefits of a brand. I've to create a story that should cover my core values and my vision. But just creating a story is not enough. I'll add visual elements to my story which will make it memorable. A compelling personal brand story is created when I understand my audience, and their voice.

Blend passion, personality, and purpose and tie it into how your unique mix is the perfect solution to someone’s problem. This means you need to know yourself, the industry you’re aiming for, and your audience well. But first, be comfortable with owning who you are and what you bring to the table.

I fully agree with this advice, especially the part about consistently using a conversational & confident tone. It's also wise to identify a few different types of content themes & formats you enjoy creating because then it will feel like something other than feel like work. For example, I like to talk about: - Linkedin - Brand Marketing - Futuristic Technology - Working Parents - Web3 / Blockchain / Cryptocurrency I prefer to create: - Written posts with images - Polls I arrived at the above through years of following my fascination and thousands of posts, but it didn't feel like work because I was posting what I was passionate about. Try this, and you'll be well on your way, provided you stay consistent and patient!

I love this quote: "Knowing who you are is the greatest power of all" Firstly, determine your goal, and vision, find your audience, and niche down your expertise. Perception and reality play a major role in telling your personal brand story. We need to overcome the perception of people they have about us. It's always important to tell about your backstory. If you don't know where you come from, then you don't know where you are and you don't know where you're going. When you convey the values through your stories, decisions become easy.

"But Liam, I don't even know where to start" "But Liam, who cares what I have to say?" "But Liam, what if people don't like my story?" NO BUTS! JUST DO. The whole idea that perfect strangers can't find stories written by other perfect strangers worth reading is illogical, self-induced anxiety. Think about your favorite authors or instagram/TikTok/Twitter accounts. Are they all NYTimes bestselling authors or are most of them just regular people who found a creative way to tell stories? I'm willing to bet it's the latter for most of us. ???So what's stopping you? ???Don't worry, just do you. ???Others will come too.

Until I found my own voice, understood why I was sharing my journey, I could not grasp how to make myself part of the story. I had to unlearn what I was taught during my Doctoral journey that said I had to remove myself from the conversation and simply observe. I became great at creating content that educated my audience, but it felt robotic because I removed myself from the story. When I embraced my Misfit Energy?, the game changed for me. When I used my voice & included personal stories in my lessons, I noticed my audience responded differently. This showed me the power of sharing my own experiences.

My clients find this to be difficult at the beginning but we need to remind ourselves, we naturally tell stories in our everyday life. That's what makes them so powerful! If you write emails or blog, you may find it easier to create the stories there! Me too! But we need to start telling them in our videos and definitely when we speak to people. In my first entrepreneurial experience, I ended up going back to get a JOB because I needed more clients and no matter what I told myself, I couldn't get myself to sell and I think that's one reason I love inbound marketing so I don't have to! Do you see how I created a story so people can relate to me? If they ever failed (I had to get a JOB), if they ever hated selling, they can relate to me!

1. Gather your experiences in a diary 2. Write a journal about what happened in your day 3. Sit with your family and ask about certain events or plans 4. Let your friend complete "You won't believe what happened today" crap You can get stories out of humans. All of us have it. All of us even want to be heard. You need a story they need a listening person. The problem and the solution hang out together.

Metrics are great and necessary. However, I like to look beyond the numbers and surface reactions. To measure the impact of sharing your stories, check if people contact you and mention specific details of your story and how those moments affected them. What memories did your story recover for them? To me not only did they hear you, they listened, and your story compelled them to share with you the impact you had on their life. You encouraged and moved someone enough that they took time to contact you and let you know. Not some generic "awesome" but a heartfelt perspective and response. This is not often shared publicly; many of these acknowledgements happen behind the scenes in a more intimate setting.

The best part of storytelling in personal branding is that it makes information memorable. Facts and data alone may not be memorable or impactful, but storytelling makes information stick. You make your message more memorable and relatable by weaving relevant facts, statistics, or insights into a compelling narrative. This helps your audience retain critical information and associate it with your personal brand.

Overall, here is what you'll want to consider. Authenticity: Stay true to yourself and your values, letting your unique qualities shine. Consistency: Maintain a cohesive brand across platforms, with consistent visuals and messaging. Target Audience: Understand their needs and tailor your brand to resonate with them. Visual Identity: Develop a recognizable visual style with a logo, color scheme, and design. Online Presence: Build a strong online presence through social media, blogs, and engagement. Value Proposition: Clearly define what sets you apart and communicate the benefits. Networking: Connect and collaborate with industry peers to expand your reach and influence.