If you have been running a business for a while, then you know very well that

PEOPLE LOVE STORIES.

And what better way to engage with your audience than to give them what they want?!

Unfortunately, you also know that the average attention span is closing in on ZERO, and competing for someone's eyes on you and your business is already as hard as waking a napping elephant.

On the other hand, if you’re NEW to business and are just starting to learn the ins and outs of getting the word out - you’re in for a double treat today!

First and foremost, when beginning to develop our marketing strategy - whether it’s a product launch or completely new business - we must consider the collection of stories behind it.

As a personal brand - you simply MUST have stories that you've gathered throughout your life. Your awkward and messy life experiences have made you the passionate and strong-willed person that you've become and they are the WHY behind everything you do. But just like everything else in business, storytelling requires consistency; if we don't approach it systematically, we're going to fall flat.

The simplest thing you can do is create a Google document to start writing down your stories. It’ll take more than one day, so you’ll want to start as soon as possible (and not put too much pressure on yourself).

Just keep in mind that this is going to be massive for your business growth and will simplify your marketing so much, it'll feel like cheating. What you want to eventually end up with is a collection of 15 - 30 stories that led you to where you are right now: your current business and your present goals. Simple enough?

Now, let's assume you already HAVE these stories down and are quite happy with how your messaging is polished around them. This is where I put my visual branding cap on, pull out the horn, and ask you bluntly:

DID YOU PUT GAS IN YOUR CAR THIS MORNING?

...Because every story is that much more powerful with accompanying photos (or other visuals). In a nutshell - skipping the images is like leaving the money on the table. And the loss grows exponentially with time!

But I've got good news for you. When you have your STORIES down, it becomes so much easier to figure out which images you want for your visual branding. You simply ask yourself: What do you want to illustrate? What kind of drama, struggle and transformation are you telling people about? What kind of images would visually support the story and help you connect with your audience on a subconscious level to REALLY grab their attention?

If you work with a professional photographer, you can plan taking some emotionally-loaded photos illustrating the drama you've been through. You can also borrow images from stock libraries, or use any personal photos that you might have collected from the past. But the good bulk of the photos for your social media content can be created today, with just your smartphone camera!

If you're only dabbling in taking photos or consider yourself a complete photography newb, I've launched a training course to help people just like you learn the ins and outs of basic photographic skills and composition. You can see the complete list of topics outlined here in this link.

You can take it yourself, or give it to an employee who does content creation for you - I'm all for delegation! Regardless, this will definitely help you boost your visual content level and become more visible with YOUR personal brand business.

What kind of stories will YOU tell?

Til later!

Irina