Who moved my cheese?

And why it’s time to rethink your marketing.

Ever feel like you're doing all the things in your marketing, but nothing's happening?

It's like everyone else has found the secret stash of clients, and you're stuck wondering "Where's mine?"

This reminds me of Spencer Johnson’s Who Moved My Cheese? If you've not read it, it goes like this....

The cheese (aka success, clients, happiness - whatever you're chasing) has been moved. And you've got a choice - stay where you are and hope it comes back (it won't), or go and look for it.

When the cheese moves.

The thing is, marketing changes constantly. What worked last year might not work this year - and maybe your posts aren't getting seen, or your emails aren't landing, or you're shouting into the void here on LinkedIn and other platforms.

It's so annoying.

And hugely frustrating.

But what if I said the cheese hasn't disappeared - it's just somewhere else?

Time to sniff out a new strategy.

There's a line in the book that says "Smell the cheese often so you know when it's getting old." And in marketing, this means keeping an eye on what's working and what's not. Hanging on to tired strategies that worked last year won't bring in clients - you've got to be brave enough to switch things up - and often, they're not even big switches, just tweaks.

And that's where storytelling comes in.

Stories are like a shortcut to connection.

They're the thing that makes people stop scrolling, lean in a little, and think "Oh, that sounds like me." Forget the hard sell - share moments of one of your bigger stories that resonate with the very person you'd love to work with.

And if this sounds a little daunting, why not start with things like:

• Why did you start your business?
• What's that one thing that excites you and gets you out of bed in the morning?
• When did you realise that this was the business you wanted to create?

Stories make your marketing human - and my approach with clients goes much deeper than those 3 story starters above.

They're a good starting point, but it's also the place where most business owners dip their toe in - and once they've dipped, that's where the storytelling stops.

My belief is - go deeper.

Find the stories that resonate, unpack the emotions, and then join the dots. It's a bit like peeling the layers of an onion back - but without the tears.

Anyway, back to stories that make our marketing human.

• They show our audience why we're the one for them.
• They show our audience why they should care.
• And they show that we have the solution to their problem - making us their next obvious move.

The faster you move, the sooner you'll get there.

Another great one-liner from the book is "The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new cheese."

Think of it like this.

If your marketing isn't working right now, it's no good sitting there hoping things will magically change.

They won't.

Try something new. A different approach. Start small.

Share a story in your next LinkedIn post and see how people respond.

As I'm writing this now, we've got half term coming up next week - so give school holidays a miss when you share a story because LinkedIn will be very quiet. Choose term time and you'll get a truer picture of how your story went down with your audience.

[Tag me when you do this - let me take a look too]

It can be both overwhelming and disheartening when your marketing isn't hitting the mark - I get it - but there's always more cheese if you're willing to move.

Let me know how you get on when you post that story here.

Anne x

Anne is a personal branding photographer and storytelling mentor, helping photographers and small business owners use the power of storytelling - through both imagery and marketing - to attract their dream clients and make more sales.

Whether it's through photography, courses or masterclasses, Anne shows business owners how to create marketing that feels natural, engaging, and, more importantly, effective.

Because when you tell the right stories, the right people listen.

To get in touch with Anne, drop her a message here on LinkedIn, or if you're curious about her storytelling program, then head over to her profile, scroll down to Features and click on The Conversion Story for more info.

Let's tell better stories.