Building a Strong Brand through Storytelling

As a coach in the online space, you may be looking around at the sea of coaches and wondering, “Why would anybody hire me when there are so many other coaches who have more experience, more training, and more education than I do?”

The answer is simple: People are going to hire you because it’s you!

Your story is what sets you apart from the crowd and your magnetized content is what will capture the attention of your soulmate clients.

One of the most amazing things about this ever-evolving industry is that we get to be ourselves. We get to share our stories, our thoughts and ideas, and who we are with our communities, all while getting paid.

When you show up online as you, sharing your interests, what lights you up, and the things you’ve learned throughout your life, you automatically set yourself apart from the rest. Nobody is like you, and that is truly amazing.

The beauty of storytelling is that it builds connection, trust and intimacy with your online community members. When you open your heart to the world and the people around you, you give others permission to do the same. You have a one-of-a-kind message to share with the world and people need to hear it from you, in your own words, in your own style.

“Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection.” —Brené Brown

If you have a desire to connect with your audience on a deeper level, staying vulnerable is a risk you must be willing to take. That will look different for everybody and you get to decide what feels in alignment to share. We all have different stories and therefore different levels of vulnerability. Never feel pressured or like you must talk about things you’re not ready to share. You are the only one who gets to decide when and where to speak about your personal narrative.

When you’re first starting out in the online space, it’s easy to get caught up in fonts, colors, logos and websites. Those are all nice-to-have items, however, in the meantime, you can be working on showing up online in a powerful and consistent way. While the visual aspects of your brand are important, community building is crucial. If you have a fancy website and logo but no paying clients, you have a hobby, not a business.

“When you share your stories, you build the trust and intimacy of your community, which allows you to build deeper connections, so by the time you get on the phone with a potential client to talk about working together, it feels like you’re talking to an old friend.” —Shannon Whaley

Storytelling is about giving people a peek into your daily life and taking them along for the ride.

As you’re building your personal brand, you’re allowing people into your home as they watch your family expand, as you take your (and possibly their) dream vacation, and as you grow and change throughout the years. Social media is changing the way we do business, and we’re no longer bound by the old rules of not sharing who we are with our soulmate clients and community members. Storytelling is a way to easily and quickly build the trust of our followers and fans and to build a successful online coaching practice.

Part of building a strong brand through storytelling is getting people interested and invested in your life and business. When you share your story, people feel like they’re traveling the world with you, taking part in your life and they become invested in your success, cheering you on from afar. They begin to talk about you with their friends and ideally, they start to tell your story for you, which is branding gold!!

Storytelling changes your world and changes the world at large. It’s how we make sense of what’s going on around us, and it is how we connect with others. Through sharing our stories, we inspire change and provoke new thoughts, ideas and feelings. We share our stories and speak our truth to heal ourselves as well as to help others heal.

As you think about your soulmate clients, what stories do they need to hear to know they’re seen, heard and not alone? What have you been through that they are currently experiencing? What stories did you need to hear when you were in their shoes? What would have helped you and shortened the learning curve?  As you share your stories, don’t forget to share the resolution and provide them with some tangible steps they can implement to create lasting change in their own lives.