30 Minutes To Craft a Remarkable Personal Brand Story

Your story is everything.

It can set you apart. Make you stick in your customers’ (readers, followers) minds. Motivate and inspire your employees (if you’ve got those).

Your story can evoke emotion. Emotion evokes desire. Desire inspires action. And action is what we all want our potential customers, readers, followers to take.

Do you tell your story?

Too often I see people focusing on what they do.

I sell great custom made dresses. I sell great soaps made from organic ingredients. I am a great life coach. I am a great social media expert.

Great!

But I probably will forget about you in two minutes if all I saw on your website is focused on “what”.

Tell me your why. Tell me who you are. Tell me your story.

Don’t try to be someone you are not. Take time to find your story. We all have one.

Your story generally consists of 3 main elements:

1. Your values and beliefs. In other words your “whys”
2. Your experiences
3. Your personal unique characteristics

Let’s take 30 minutes and write your story.

You might add more to your story later as more things surface. Self discovery is a never ending process. But let’s start now.

Take a blank sheet of paper. Answer the following questions. Don’t think or over analyze. Just answer. Write whatever comes to mind.

What do you do?

What comes to mind when you hear that question. Write it all down.

My example – I help people to gain clarity on, discover and deliver their unique value. I also inspire people to believe that the world needs what they have to offer.

What are you attracted to?

Concepts, things, people etc.

Again, my example – Simplicity, elegant solutions, passionate people, deep conversations,  love,  beauty, cool pens and notebooks, unique websites that reflects owner’s personality, Rumi, fire, ideas, creative  ideas, lots of them, people who live their truth. What about you?

What do people praise you for the most?

Creativity, intuition, ability to clarify and get to the core. What about you?

Any significant events from past life that shaped you, changed your worldview, shacked you to the core or just come to mind at the moment?

Think career, relationships, childhood or just anything. Write them all down, don’t over analyze.

Now think specifically about your business (career, vocation). How has your relationship to what you do changed over time? What did you learn on your way to where you are now? How did you affect others by what you do?

Think former clients, blog readers or anyone you affected by what you have to offer.

Why do you do what you do?

This is the most important question. Why do you think the world needs what you have to offer?

What are you passionate about the most in your business (career, vocation)? What makes you feel alive?

What are your goals for the future?

Favorite color, food, books, movies, objects, places – anything favorite that comes to mind?

Any personal quirks?

Procrastinator, perfectionist, like eating ice cream at 3 am, sleep only on white satin sheets? I know you’ve got them, now come on, tell us about your quirks.

Three words that describe you.

Just three.  Quick. Don’t think.

Now look at your answers and tell me your story.

See what’s appropriate to include and what’s not. See how you can incorporate your values, your experiences, your personality traits that make you unique into your story.

Play with it.

Most important thing to remember -  your story should support your core brand message.

What is your message? How can your story support it?

Where to put your story?

• Put it on your about page. About page is one of the most visited pages on blogs and small businesses’ websites.
• Write a press release.
• Include it in your sales copy.
• Take the highlights of it and include them in your social media profiles.
• Craft a 30 second cocktail line out of your story and use it when introducing yourself.

Your story is the most important part of your brand. Use it everywhere you go.

In my next post I’ll show you how to align everything you do in the world with your story so you can start sending clear and consistent message to the world.

Until then, Atlanta peeps check out my authentic branding workshop. We’ll take your unique story out of you and figure out how to deliver it to those who need it.