Storytelling

The Magic of Having Clarity

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Life can get so busy, with a million distractions every day.  These constant distractions can easily lead to a lack of clarity in our life, business and even relationships.

Each time I engage with a new client, my primary objective, despite their business or industry, solopreneur, author, minister or executive, is to help them find brand clarity.

What is Brand Clarity?

Brand clarity is the core values, feeling and purpose of your brand, whether it is your personal brand, business or organization. Once you are aware of your brand, your values, your purpose, your why… it is critical to make sure this is communicated throughout your brand consistently.

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Why is Clarity Needed?

Confidence. I am convinced, that true clarity equals confidence.  And when you have confidence, you also have courage.  Just imagine where your business or career would be if you had ultimate confidence in yourself, your business and your brand.  The things you would do, the people . you would approach and where you would network.  How big would you dream?  What would you go for?  The words you would say to yourself.  It would be the ultimate courage, right?

Storytelling.  Brand clarity is also needed to to tell your story to your clients and customers. Storytelling is the foundation of branding. Have you ever heard someone tell a story and get lost in the details, miss the punchline or critical points to the story.  You tune out, right?  The story becomes less interesting and the storyteller loses credibility.  You should know your story, connect your dots and tell it in a concise and interesting way.

Personality. You also need brand clarity because people buy from people. A buyer wants to fall in love with YOU.  Your brand needs a personality and style.  This comes out in your logo, your colors and even your content.  But when you are not sure of who you are and your core values, then you may communicate several different messages and voices.  You will talk too much, to too many people, in too many different ways.  This creates confusion.  When there is no clarity – people either do not buy or take longer to buy.  Let the personality and style of your brand shine.

Time & Money.  When you are clear in your branding (or any aspect of your life), you can easily make decisions. You know what to say “no” to and who to align with, which events to attend, where to invest your time and money.

Clarity is priceless. Take the time to find clarity with your brand, business, career, relationships and even your money. When you are clear, things change.

If you are struggling to find clarity,  consider a session with me.  Sometimes we are too close to our brand to see it clearly.  Feel free to contact me for a session.

 

Building a Brand or a Movement?

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Creating a movement or a brand-Starting a business is hard work. The hours can be grueling, along with the emotional and mental stamina needed to stay focused and innovative.  One thing that helps with turbulence and challenges of starting a business or organization is to understand if your business or organization exists for more than just paying bills.  It’s always exciting when you are brand is also a movement.  When the company or organization is more than about a product or service, but you are wanting to create change.
Brand vs. Movement
So what is different about creating a movement?  Movements are built on the things that make us human, which is ultimately that we want to be a part of something greater. Connecting to something to believe in and follow.  Movements are about creating a change.  This doesn’t mean that brands won’t do that.  However, the goal of a brand is about telling the story of your business, organization or product and allowing people to experience and follow that brand.  Movement is about transformation, where brands are often looking to dominate and compete in the marketplace. The goal of a movement is to change lives. Both are needed and critical, however the strategy and tactics needed with each are different.
Which are you doing?
If you are interested in creating CHANGE, if you have a message, if you want to go deeper, bigger and bolder, it’s important to see yourself as creating a movement. Movements build momentum and loyalty.  Movements offer hope…
 
Are you creating a brand or a movement?
Below are some key elements to creating a movement:
  •  Inspire.  You can’t get away from it.  If you want to create a movement, you have to inspire people to love something or hate something.  You have to tell the story in such a compelling way that you tug on the emotions of your audience.
  • Experience.  Stories are great; they keep us engaged and help us to think.  However, experiences make us FEEL something.  When creating a movement, you have to create an experience for your audience.  The experience you offer will depend on your industry and the vision for your company.  But don’t ignore it.
  • Live it. Whatever you are asking people to do, you have to be already doing it.  It needs to be ingrained in you and what you believe and do .
  • Create a call to action. What do you want your followers to DO?  Do you just want them to share the information? Donate? Follow? Attend?  Buy?  Whatever it is, tell them what you need for them to do and engage them to be part of the project. You have to show people how to follow.
  • Build a Tribe.  In order to build a tribe, you need to build trust.  Trust allows you to ask people to do some amazing things.  When creating a movement (or building a brand), you need trust.
Again, some brands are both.  They are about telling your company story, creating a following and proposing change.  Whichever you are doing, know the difference and tweak your business model accordingly.  If you need assistance in this area, feel free to contact me at [email protected].  Or attend my next workshop Strategy & Stilettos- The Workshop.

The Power of Storytelling in Branding & Marketing

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Many of us love a good story.  We can be easily drawn in by the imagery, details and the rhythm of a story.  Stories tug at our emotions and draw us into a person, place or situation.  This is one of the reasons why storytelling is powerful in marketing and branding.  It helps your audience relate to your vision and mission.  People purchase and follow authentic stories.  Developing your story, as you develop and market your brand, is critical and breathes life into your brand.  It is what we often refer to as emotional storytellingbranding.  It gives a personal connection to your brand.

Below are some key points in storytelling in branding and marketing.  If you need further assistance with developing clarity, please feel free to call me:

  • Know Your Why. If you are an entrepreneur, you have heard this many times.  Don’t gloss over the process of knowing and gaining clarity on your why.  It is important to your overall story and helps demonstrate authenticity.  Do not make up a story; however, dig deep and ask yourself “why am I doing this?  What makes me happy about doing this?”
  • It’s Not Just About the Words. Colors, images and logos also tell a story.  Think about the great brand of Apple. It is about simplicity, both in how they operate and market.  They website, logo, colors, even Steve Jobs only wore one color.  Think about everything you allow your audience and followers to see and experience. This includes your events, podcasts and social media.  What is the story?
  • Develop Your Tone. As much as I would love to be, I am not a funny person.  Therefore, I don’t write my story like I am funny, I don’t try to be someone I am not.  My tone is casual, yet professional.  I seek to write clearly and simply.  I know my tone.  I’m aware of the brand I want to build, therefore, I build my story with that in mind.
  • Give Them Something to Do. Just like any other story, there are various parts to a story.  There is an introduction (set-up), the climax or conflict, and then the happy ending.  However, with branding, you also must give your audience a call to action.  You must give them something to do after they know your story.
  • Use Testimonials. Testimonials are powerful.  People who know your story and your why, or others that share the same story and walking the journey with you, can help contribute to the story.

If you need assistance developing your story, please contact me. Perhaps your company is already up and operating and your brand is already developed, keep in mind that as your brand grows or evolves, so will your story.  Feel free to schedule a complimentary consultation with me.