Dear Brit: 'How Do I Tell My Personal Story on Social Media and Connect It to My Product?' Differentiating your business online means sharing your own story.
By Brit Morin Edited by Jessica Thomas
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Brit Morin was 25 when she left Google to start Brit + Co, a lifestyle and education company aimed at helping women cultivate creative confidence. Now — 10 years, $50 million in funding and 1.2 billion pageviews later — Morin's passion is empowering more women to take the entrepreneurial leap. She's a managing partner at VC fund Offline Ventures, host of iHeartRadio podcast Teach Me Something New, creator of Selfmade, a 10-week start-your-own-business course for women founders, and most recently — Entrepreneur advice columnist. Find her here answering the most personal and pressing questions of women entrepreneurs.
Have a question for Brit? Email it to dearbrit@brit.co, and she could answer it in an upcoming column!
Do you have tips for best telling my personal story and journey on social media? And how do I connect it with my product?
Chances are the product you have created, the service you are selling or the company you are promoting exists in other places and in different forms available to your dream customers. So how do you differentiate your business online? With a whole lot more of YOU in your marketing.
Positioning yourself front and center in your online presence can be intimidating at first, but allowing your customers a genuine human connection is vital in this digital age. Through storytelling, you can humanize your brand and begin to foster a community of like minds to champion your work. Plus, compelling storytelling can increase not only your engagement rate but also your bottom line.
The most compelling brand stories evoke an emotional reaction in their readers. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for writing a brand story, because every business is unique. However, there are some guidelines that all brands should keep at the forefront: Be honest, find a personal angle and be prepared to keep it relevant as your business grows and changes.
Not sure where to start? Read on for five ways to position your story at the center of your online marketing strategy.
- Introduce yourself: As the visionary behind your business, it is crucial to infuse yourself and your ethos into the stories you choose to tell. Start by asking yourself these questions: Who are you? Where did you come from? Why are you doing this? Do you have a personal link to the problem you are trying to solve or are you envisioning a better version of the world? The answers will help you shape your origin story and serve as a roadmap as your company grows. As a mother and an entrepreneur, I typically dip into this personal side and infuse examples of juggling the day-to-day from this perspective. It humanizes my story and hopefully relates to my community.
- Gather testimonials: One of the most effective ways to build trust in your business is by having your clients share stories for you. You may have solved a simple problem for them, but the way it made them feel, how it changed their day-to-day and the interaction with you during the process are all powerful motivations for both your team and potential customers. Request feedback regularly from your customers, and share it consistently. It isn't just great for business; it is also a meaningful reminder for yourself of why you started the business in the first place!
- Share behind-the-scenes content: Give your customers an inside look at the lifespan of your product or process with behind-the-scenes content. From selecting materials at the source, to the intricacies of the design process and the many variables behind each business decision, there is a story at every step. Create 15-second video clips for social media, long-form interviews with your founder for your website and highlight the parts of your process that are unique to you.
- Champion your people: Just like any story, your brand story needs characters. Highlighting the people who bring your brand to life every day and having them share their relationship with your company is a powerful way to put storytelling front and center. Let employees take over your social accounts, ask them to share how the brand ethos is alive in their work, or let them expand on what brought them to the company and what inspires their work.
- Stop marketing and start sharing: Instead of asking how you can sell your products or services, ask yourself how you can share your work and give someone a taste of your brand's experience. When you stop viewing your marketing as a separate entity and instead view it as an extension of your business, you begin to build a reputation as a trusted resource. Share practical tips and techniques, give creative advice and share your stories of struggle and success.
As you navigate your way through the ever-changing world of social media and find your voice, don't forget people are cheering you on! If you don't have a personal mentor, you can find and connect with social experts in my Selfmade mentorship network that will help you harness your social voice when it all feels too daunting. You can also reach out to me by DM at @brit. I'd love to hear more about your story on social!
