July 2019 – Kirsty France Writes

Getting stuck in your own head

Are you stuck in a rut? If you’ve been marketing your business in the same way for a while, you could be. That’s not necessarily a bad thing if you’re still getting a steady flow of customers. Unfortunately, it could trip you up in the long run. Retail has changed completely in the last ten years, with more and more people shopping online. The companies that have survived are the ones that built or adapted their business to suit. If you follow the same marketing formula all the time without getting a different perspective, you’ll get bored and so will your audience.

I freely admit that I’m terrible for getting bogged down with my own thoughts. In fact, it often means that I go round in circles! We all need to look around to see what‘s happening out there once in a while.

Talking to your customers

If you’re fed up with the sound of your own voice, you probably need to listen to someone else’s. Talking to your customers is a great way to track changes in your target market. Of course, it has its limitations. As Henry Ford said, if he’d asked his customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse. But asking your customers what challenges they’re facing and how they want to shop can give you valuable insights into how their lives are changing over time. Maybe they’ve stopped watching videos and started listening to podcasts because they’re more convenient. Perhaps there’s a challenge they’re facing that you have a solution for – you just need to shift your focus and talk about it more.

This doesn’t just apply to your customers, of course. Talking to other business owners about what’s happening with them can help you discover what subjects people are interested in. You just have to keep your ears open.

How you can get a fresh perspective on your content

If your conversations with your customers and networking colleagues lead you to a new type of content creation, or if you discover that the tone of voice you use isn’t winning you fans any more, you’ll need to change your approach.

We’re still in the holiday season as I write this. A change of scenery can be ideal for getting you out of your own head. Sometimes issues with your content arise because you’ve drifted too far from your original message. The values that people connected with have been lost over time. If your holiday allows you some quiet time, use it to remind yourself who you want to serve and how you can do that. Talk to your family (or yourself if you feel like it) and listen to the phrases that you use. Those are the ones you need to include.

If you’d like a chat to find out how I can write for you or help you plan, you can book a call here.

Alternatively, sign up for my mailing list here, and I’ll send you a free copy of my eBook ’50 blog topic ideas for your business’ as a thank you.

I know, you’ve heard people like me bang on endlessly about using storytelling in your marketing. It’s a great way to get personality into your content and set yourself apart from the crowd. The thing is, how do you do it? It won’t surprise you to hear that it’s not just a case of telling everyone your life story. It’s all about balance. Your customers will love the fact that you’re relatable, but they mainly want to hear about how your business can benefit them. Here’s how you can start using storytelling in your marketing.

Dig deep

You already know the good news about storytelling. Here’s the bad(ish) news. You need to put some work in. As with anything that’s worth doing, using storytelling in your marketing requires a bit of groundwork. If you don’t believe in what you’re saying, your customers will spot it. Your message comes across as half-hearted, and no one will buy into it. That’s the last thing you want.

This means that your first step is to work out exactly what your story is. There are loads of things that go into this. If you’ve ever thought about your ‘why’, you’re halfway there. Think about why you chose to start this type of business, or to become self-employed at all. What are your values? How does your lifestyle and history relate to your business? Dig down to the core of what motivates you and write it all down.

What do your customers care about?

Once you’ve got a clear picture of what you’re about, start looking at it from a customer-focused angle. People do business with you because you offer something that they need. As consumers, we’ll often choose a big brand because we’re confident they’ll deliver most of the time. We know what they’re offering and have clear expectations. As a small business, you need to build all of that into your marketing. Your customers only really care about your story because it gives you substance. If you share their values or understand their lives, you’re much less likely to let them down.

What does this mean for storytelling? It means that you need to look at what your values are and decide which of them your customers will care about. If you offer products or services for children, parents might trust you more if you’re a parent yourself or have a childcare background. Look at your story and work out which bits are going to be important to your audience.

The storytelling drip feed

Every so often, I’ll write something that isn’t really related to my business. It doesn’t help you to work out how to write your blog or improve your website; it just tells a story. They usually end up having some kind of business relevance because it’s often a story that tells you how I got to where I am or what an experience has taught me.

If you want to do something similar, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t. You can use storytelling any way you want, and if you’re talking about something that helps your audience relate to you better, that’s great. However, it’s not the only way. You can still drip-feed your story into your blog or business-related social media posts. For example, you could post a time management tip on Facebook and sign off with a joke about being late for the school run. Or write a blog with tips to get something done more quickly (because the only long-winded thing about your day should be getting the kids into their shoes).

If you’d like a chat to find out how I can help you plan or write stories for your marketing, you can book a call here.