BRIDGING THE GAP TO YOUR ULTIMATE CUSTOMER

As a writer, marketer, editor, and business owner for more than 25 years, I've learned the importance of the story. It represents and conveys an individual's truth. It invites the reader into a cozy living room, offers them a cup of coffee, and takes them on a journey of discovery.

It connects. 

Perhaps it’s my journalism background or my love of reading, but I’ve been somewhat conditioned to look for the story everywhere. For example, my husband and I went to pick up hay for our horses the other day and the hay was stored in an aged and weathered barn. Its deep, rich charcoal siding starkly contrasted against the freshly cut grass. A few vernal boards, still in their brownish-yellow shade of infancy, proudly covered the old barn’s age, restoring her dignity.

I imaged the generations of farmers on hot summer days in well-worn coveralls, wrench pocking out of the back pocket, stacking hay, telling stories, and sipping tea kindly brought by their wives. I saw kids jumping in the piles of loose hay from the loft, or playing hide and seek, poking at spiders with sticks as the sun set over the western mountains.

There goes my imagination! Back to the point of this blog: The importance of Story.

The success of any business hinges on relationships and relationships are about connections. Nothing connects people quite like the story. When your customers relate to the story you share with them it’s much more powerful than a mere transaction. It’s relational.

So, how do I tell my story?

The first hint is: It’s not about you. I’m going to relay a lesson I learned while attending the StoryMatters Academy that helped me.

The story that Elon Musk has been able to tell is not about himself. He is not a great speaker, but he’s been able to make environmentally conscience really cool. Tesla’s story is about the one who buys a Tesla and can tell about themselves. “I am environmentally conscience.” “I am rich, and a little bit better than you.”

The key to telling your story is to get curious about your ultimate customer. The story you want to write is the one where they come out the winner and their life is better, their problem is solved, their conscience is clear. It’s not about your product or service. Those are characters in the story that help the main character, your customer, become the hero of their own life.

That sounds complicated, how do I do that?

When we focus on serving others we naturally look at what they may need or how we can help them. Get Curious! Ask questions from your existing customers. Let’s say you are an outdoor retailer, and you have a product that takes camping to whole other level. Ask, “What was your camping experience like before xyz product?” “What was it like after?” “Who would you recommend this product to? Why?”

This gives you the material for your next task. Building a bridge.

Why am I building a bridge?

Because you are not helping them to buy your product; that’s not their problem. The problem that they want solved is how to have a better life/future. (Camping experience, driving experience, more self-confidence, etc.) Your job as the business owner is to show them that you understand who they are, and you get that brighter future they want. Show them that you want them to have that brighter future, better camping experience or off-the-charts dining experience and you know the way. The bridge you are building through the story (your social media posts, your landing pages, your email marketing etc.) is that journey to your business.

Sam Cook instructor at StoryMatters Academy explains, “You have to know how to build that bridge. Where it starts and where it goes. You have to know the technical stuff needed to create it. Otherwise, you’re building a beautiful bridge to nowhere.”

The Bridge You Build Will Connect Their Story to Your Story

When you’ve proven to your customer that you truly care about them, that’s when you can tell your story. Your story is about who you are as a business, how you want to show up in the marketplace, and the impact you want to have there. It’s not about how many stores you have or what brand names you carry. I say it again, get curious. Why you want to make their life better is a more important question to ask yourself than why your product is better than everyone else’s.

Marketing and Branding is a Long Game

Marketing and branding is about making a connection beyond the physical items for sale to the faces and stories that helped create them and those that need them to make their life better. It’s about community.

Memorable experiences are forged when emotional connections are made. When you focus on guiding your customers over that bridge to the solution they are looking for, you’re building loyalty, trust, and relational capital. We don't establish lasting relationships with things. We create and desire relationships with people.

When you market your business, you're weaving your story into the fabric of the community in which you serve. You're building relationships, nurturing bonds, creating trust, and establishing value.

This foundational approach requires a longevity mindset, does not chase after trends, and believes that lasting relationships are more valuable than any one-time sale.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the blog. Should you ever need help building that bridge, reach out to me at tina@tinawolfe.com.