What Does Telling Your Business Story Really Mean?

There’s a vague concept that a lot of people throw around (including us!) that sounds really great and pretty, but is also not very helpful to people who aren’t so clear on it’s meaning. The concept is telling the story of your business.

If you’ve been hanging around here for a while, you’ve heard us talk a lot about this, but we haven’t actually defined what it means or involves for the average business. Until today!

What does it mean to tell your business story? Telling the story of your business means to let people in on the journey your business is taking, from it’s conception to where it’s at in the journey right now.

It means sharing the things that have shaped your business. Your values, your culture, what’s important to you as a business.

It means sharing about the individuals and people that are dedicating their lives to growing your business and serving your customers.

Why Is It Important To Tell the Story of Your Business? When you first meet someone, you go through the typical getting to know you questions: where are you from, what do you do, etc. Those are important questions, and no doubt play a part in developing that initial connection with that person. But, anyone can tell you that just knowing those stats on a person doesn’t actually mean you have a basis for a relationship.

What really allows you to develop a relationship with someone is letting them in to your story. What drives you, what motivates you, what makes your face light up. What’s the most important thing in the world to you? What do you love doing in your free time? What makes you mad? What experiences do you share with the other person? These are things that, when we know them and understand them about each other, really solidify a bond between us, and develop a relationship.

The same is true in business. Telling your business story helps you to develop a bond of loyalty and trust with your customer, that keeps them coming back. They know why you do what you do and they know what to expect from you. And even if you mess up, they know your intentions and would rather stick it out with you than find someone else.

How to tell your business story.  There are many ways to tell the story of your business. When humans first started telling stories they were telling them person to person. Today this would be taking someone out to lunch and communicating with them about the values and story of your company in a one on one conversation.

Then, humans moved on to telling stories with pictures. Last week we talked about how smart businesses get noticed online by using pictures and images. Enlist the help of a professional photographer to create a photographic journal that tells the story of what goes on in your business.

After that was written language. You might already have a spot on your website or displayed in your stores that communicates your vision and values. Try searching your company for stories that perfectly align with your vision and values, and tell those stories on your company blog.

Then of course film and television entered the picture and we were (and still are!) glued to the screen. If you can’t sit down for a one on one conversation with someone and tell them about your business, video is the next best thing. Consider working with a video production company to create a business documentary that shows the history and the passion in your work.

We would love to hear from you. What does telling your business story mean to you?