Revisit Your Story

An Ah-ha moment. I love when those happen.

I was sharing the story of our agency and how my passion was opening the business with my oldest son, Eli and mentoring him. I was sharing the details of what that means for our clients. As I was speaking about it (obviously with enthusiasm) the listener said, "Well now, that needs to be on your website. People love working with people who are passionate."

It's interesting to me how I teach this in every initial client strategy session - but while we have an "about us" page on our website - it doesn't really tell "the story" of us.

A big part of marketing and staying relevant is your story. And telling it in new and exciting ways. In fact, isn't it true that our stories change each year? Last year at this time, we didn't have a production side of the business - through a partner in LA. Eli made that happen. That's a big evolution in our story.

What I have discovered is that companies - small and large - want to spend a lot of time on positioning and messaging (and they should); with the idea that they are checking a task off their task list.

I say it's more like:

WRITING THE FIRST CHAPTER.

And with more and more companies having to pivot to remain relevant - this task is becoming more heavily weighted on the necessity scale. I was intrigued by an article I read on Mashable that shared, "some of what can be identified as pivoting may just be the natural evolution of the company." I think it's when it's the natural evolution that we forget to tell the story - everywhere it's needed. And it's certainly harder for small businesses with limited budgets and staff.

So, how do you remember to update and use your story appropriately each year?

The answer is one of the best things to happen to a business - your simple electronic calendar - email or otherwise. Create an "update our story" meeting right now for the end of this year and set it as recurring for the next several years. You'll get the reminder you need.

And for this year - start by asking yourself (and your key team) these questions:

1) What are the three most significant things that happened or changed in our business this year, and do we want the public to know?

2) Has anything been deleted, added or updated in our progress or service offerings?

3) What is unique about us or about our team?

4) What is unique about how people buy from us?

5) What is unique about our customer experience?

6) Are we passionate about anything - that we want to share? Do we give-back in anyway? Are we engaged in the community?

Once you have those answers, go read your "about us" page. Chances are there will be some updates needed. This often triggers ideas for social media campaigns, contests, and other meaningful marketing ideas.

While this may seem like a simple task, we all know that our stories change. That's life. And your story is important. In fact, we think it's a #FineThing.

To talk marketing strategy, engage with us, or be a guest on #FineThings, email me at [email protected].