The Power of Story Telling In Your Business

If you are a parent do you remember reading stories to your children?  Maybe you read to them before they went to bed.  There were certain stories they kept asking for over and over again.  Why?  These were the stories that captivated their attention

---

Whether you realize it or not using stories can bring traffic to your website and make people want to work with you.

One way to "market" your business is by speaking to various groups.  This puts you in front of your ideal audience where you can showcase your knowledge and expertise.

It's where you get to help the people who need you most.

The problem you might have is fear.  You've seen other speakers who were down right boring and you don't want that to happen to you.

You might have noticed that some people seem to have a natural ability when it comes to speaking in front of an audience. Every time they speak their audience is captivated. Even if they stumble on a word or two no one really cares.

So how can you command the same attention?

It's by telling stories during your speech. People love to hear stories because they can help you visualize.

A key point to keep in mind is that the story has to be relevant to what you are talking about otherwise you will have people missing the point you are trying to make.

Personal stories are the best to use because people can identify with them. 

Here is the structure of a story:

1) Have a main character that the audience can relate to 
2) Conflict or problem 
3) Cure or solution to the problem

When you deliver a speech by incorporating these elements your audience will be captivated.

If you think you don't have any stories from your own life, then just look a little deeper. Sometimes you may not realize that a situation you handled is in fact a story.

Take a look at past events in your life, have you gained a skill, overcome an illness, overcome some kind of challenge? Your story doesn't have to revolve around an unhappy event it could include a story on how you saved enough money to take your family on a special vacation. 

One thing I do when giving a presentation is to use Power Point slides with images and maybe one or two words.  These images help bring the information to life.  

There's a logical sequence you want to bring your audience or your ideal customer through.  

Think about the different commercials you've seen on TV.  They tell a story.

One commercial that comes to my mind is the father who owns a bakery.  Through the short commercial you see the son from about age 7 working with his dad.  Then you see the son in his teens hanging up a sign in the window.  Next the scene shifts to them looking at the sign where it says the name of the bakery and has the words..."and son."

At the end the father brings out a box and hands it to his son who opens it.  It's a box of business cards with the son's name and under it the words: "owner."  The commercial was for Vista Print.  That's how you create memorable marketing.  You tell a story that leads people along so they remember who you are and what you do without you saying "buy my product or service."

The commercial is 31 seconds long but very powerful.  I found the longer version and would recommend you watch it as the full story unfolds.  There are a lot of lessons you can learn from this.

As you think about how your business can create a  real "story" do you find yourself stuck?  Then give me a call (941-662-0022) so we can discuss creating memorable marketing for you that will help you be seen and heard locally, globally, 24/7 by your ideal audience. Feel  email me at: toni@nelsonvisualproductions.com 

Leave your thoughts and comments below sharing how you use stories in your business.

Share this post via the social icons below:)

Be Savvy and Successful!
Toni Nelson - Visual, Video and Content Marketing Pro

P.S. Sign up today to get free marketing tips sent to your inbox.