7 Ways to Tell Your Story

Tell your story. This is the best way to get your message out. People WANT to hear your story – not your sales pitch. So what tools are at your disposal for getting your story out? You actually have all sorts of options available to you, and we’ll hit the high points here.

7 Tools to Help You Tell Your Story

Blog.

1. That’s right, I said it. Let your blog tell your story. You don’t have to tell it all at once. It’s okay to tell it a bit at a time. Your blog is a window into who you are and what you do. If you have a website, you can blog directly on your website. No website? There are plenty of FREE options out there. You can get a free WordPress site, or you can use Medium or Blogger. Add articles to your LinkedIn page. This is a great way for you to build authority and be seen as an expert in your field. Do you wonder what to write about? I do all the time! Here are a couple idea starters for you:

• Answer a question your customers have
• ASK your customers what they’d like to hear about
• Show them what happens behind the scenes
• Tell them how you got started
• Talk about your passion – what is your WHY?
• Write a how to about something in your business

Pictures Tell Your Story.

1. Pictures paint 1000 words, right? Images of you working, product images, project images. These are all great tools to tell your story. Make sure to use plenty of images in your blog. Also, post images on your social media. Do you have an Instagram account? It’s all about images! Let your pictures tell your story.

Video.

1. Video isn’t just King in the marketing world, it’s the whole royal family. Just about everything is video these days. Do you have a YouTube channel? Put it to good use and tell your story! Video is your chance to personally connect with your audience. Be authentic. Let your personality shine. Take the opportunity to talk to your customers as if they are your friends. Share anecdotes, give them a glimpse of your life as an entrepreneur, let them into your world. Video isn’t limited to YouTube either. There are so many options! Here are just a few of them – if you have other favs, leave them in the comments!

• Facebook Live
• Periscope
• Live video on Twitter
• Add video to your blog (don’t want to write – do a video blog instead!)
• Add video to LinkedIn
• Vimeo
• Snapchat

#Hashtags Tell Your Story.

1. Yes, hashtags can help you tell your story. Not sure what hashtags are all about? Check out my blog on hashtags here. The short story on hashtags is – hashtags serve a few purposes. They call attention to something, they create categories, and they sort topics. Find a hashtag that makes sense for your business and use it when you post. One of my networking peeps uses #BeBetter. Whenever she is telling her story, she uses this hashtag. Her followers can click on it to gather all the posts that relate to #BeBetter. It directly relates to her story which is all about her personal journey to live a healthier lifestyle. Find a hashtag that makes sense for you. In time, your followers will catch on and be able to sort your content using your hashtag! Use your hashtag consistently and you’ll see results.

Groups.

1. Facebook and LinkedIn groups are an excellent resource for small businesses. You can link a group to your business page and begin building your tribe. Facebook groups are an excellent place for you to engage with your followers. Take time to really pay attention to your members, have conversations with them, offer them challenges, and keep their attention. Tell your story through your group activities. Answer questions from your members.

Be Social.

1. Now that you’ve got all this content, what do you do with it? How are you going to get the word out? Social Media is the name of the game. Use your social media to deliver your blog posts, videos, pictures, hashtags and any other content you’ve developed. Take time to communicate with your followers. Answer and respond to questions and comments on your posts. Use your social media as a forum to ask THEM questions. Find out where their pain points are and what you can do to help them. Social media is your friend and can be your greatest ally if you use it to be social – not to spam your friends with sell sell sell posts. For those of you who haven’t ventured past Facebook yet, here’s a list of social media platforms that you might want to check out:

• LinkedIn
• Google+
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Snapchat
• Periscope
• YouTube
• Pinterest

Networking.

1. Networking is a vital part of marketing your business these days. In most networking groups, you’ll have an opportunity to stand up and deliver a 30 or 60 second commercial about you and your business. Take some time to really work on your commercial. You don’t want it to be salesy – you want it to convey your story. You want to catch the attention of your peers and earn the opportunity to meet with them one-on-one. This is the perfect opportunity to not only tell your story, but to learn theirs as well. Take time to really connect and build a relationship. When you share your story, you give them a little glimpse into who you are and that will help you forge a connection quicker.

Now that you have these great tools to help you tell your story, you might still be a bit hesitant about implementing a plan. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and like you don’t have time to deal with all of it, give me a call. I’ll be happy to have a conversation with you and see how I can help. Remember to #keepitsimple and #tellyourstory!