“People buy from people they know, like, and trust.” -Bob Burg
Content is a huge part of how anyone comes to know anything about you or your business. So, what do you want people to know? That you’re number one in your industry? That you’ve been in business longer than any of your competitors? Numbers and statistics are important, but the story behind them is far more interesting.
Why do you do what you do? What is the reason your team works at your company? How do customers choose you? Each of those answers will be far more interesting than numbers and statistics. A great way to answer those questions and share with the world is through storytelling. How you apply that to your business is through your content.
Three Stories A Business Can Tell
Founding Story
We’re in the business of telling stories. Every business has a founding story. Knowing that story and telling it well will help your audience get to know you. Here’s an example of video content showcasing a founding story.
Keep this video more evergreen by using the founding year instead of the number of years in business. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Around The Corner Productions. To avoid the need for annual updates, I would say “We started in 2006” rather than “we’ve been in business for 20 years.” The content of the email the video will be sent in could have more specifics about the 20 year anniversary so that milestone is still clearly communicated and celebrated.
Eric and Janet Sparrow describe how their business went from a date night to a full time business.
Team Story
Your team believes in your business. If they didn’t, they probably wouldn’t be on your team. Your team members on the frontline working directly with customers likely have great interpersonal skills that landed them in their role. Get them talking on camera. Imagine them sharing THEIR story as it impacts who they are, how they serve the customer, and why they do what they do. Here’s an example from our team at ATCP. Introducing customers to your team gives your audience a chance to get to know and like your team.
After you have a few of these, you can repurpose some of the content to expand upon and enhance your founding story. Another good use case for this content is in recruiting efforts.
Here’s how we show of our employees from ATCP’s staff!
Customer Story
Your founding story is important. Your team’s stories are important. The third story to share with your audience is the success story you help write for each of your customers. They are the reason you are in business. If your audience can see themself in the successful customers you serve, they will be more likely to put their trust in your ability to help them. Here’s an example of a customer story.
Make this about them. It’s tempting to make your product or service the star of the story, but it’s a supporting role. Your customer is the hero of this story and therefore should be the focus.
Customers are at the core of a business and a marketing campaign. Here’s how you can tell their story.
How Can This Content Help Your Brand?
This will strengthen your brand and your relationship with your audience. Whether it’s a blog post, email newsletter, or video, sharing these stories will give your audience more opportunities to know, like, and trust you. Now, how do you uncover these stories? Ask questions. Think of the people on your team who embody the mission of the business and dig into that. Talk with your frontline team about customer interactions that stand out in their time on your team.
ATCP has been doing this since 2006, so we’ve gotten quite good at interviewing people to better tell their stories. Here’s a post with some of our best tips for getting good interviews for video. If you would rather leave this to the professionals, reach out, we may be the creative collaborators you’ve been looking for to bring your stories to life.