Ever since I was a little girl, I loved stories. You might find me in a quiet space, in a small, crowded, two-bedroom house filled with the commotion of six children, buried in a book and acting out the characters. I have always loved the way that words leap from the printed page and embed themselves into the readers’ hearts, absorbing us and taking us wherever the author leads.
That’s the power of telling your story, too. And that is at the heart of what attracts people to your business. Stories about what matters most to your company and staff such as your values and purpose. Stories about the way you serve your customers and how you improve their lives or help solve their problems. Stories that showcase what makes your business unique and persuade clients to choose you. Some studies have shown as much as 90% of our decision to buy is based on how a business’s story makes us feel.
You see, great stories about what matters most to you and your business make emotional connections with your target audiences and can build your brand, clients, and revenue. Stories are how customers remember you. They help you stand out in the crowd.
I know how it works because, for years, I’ve helped build businesses’ brands as an Emmy award-winning television news anchor/journalist; a Community Affairs Director; and a Director of Public Affairs. I’ve told their results-driven stories told through public relations, media relations, community events/campaigns, brand storytelling videos, tv and radio ads, social media, blogs, podcasts, and other content marketing channels.
I wrote a month-long, 30-part series on cancer, as a news anchor and health reporter in Dallas, Texas, a major television news market, to help build audiences for a new newscast. I created a 12-year “Shattering the Silence” campaign on domestic abuse as the Community Affairs Director at the NBC affiliate in Indianapolis, writing hour-long television news specials, abuse survivor stories, and creating community events that dramatically increased calls to domestic abuse hotlines. I also helped create or lead all of the station’s community service campaigns.
And I helped build a new brand for the award-winning Indianapolis International Airport as the Director of Public Affairs for the Indianapolis Airport Authority, reaching more people, including new stakeholders, with brand stories and events, while also helping increase social media followers by thousands and media coverage by nearly 40%.
And stories were at the heart of each business’s success. Stories Matter Most.
