Story Is In Everything
The coffee culture is massive here in Melbourne. Its one of the facets of the city that I love. Pour over coffee is a personal favourite and to understand why it is so special, you need to know the story behind it.
When you get a coffee, there is a card that comes with it. On this card is a story of where that specific coffee bean comes from. In this case, the coffee bean was from Rwanda.
What is even more interesting is the story about the specific farm that the bean came from and the farmer behind it. The point I’m making here is that the coffee is just like any other coffee but the story behind it is what makes us buy it.
It’s the story that drives us to make the purchase and the story that keeps us coming back.
Story Creates Connection
What makes story so powerful is the ability to bring people together. It creates a connection between the reader and the subject.
After I read that card, I felt an emotional connection to that farmer in Rwanda. I had a sense of appreciation and joy for the work he is doing and how this coffee roaster is supporting his dream.
These emotions that were triggered in me, were because of the story. It is these emotional responses that will leave a lasting impression in our emotional memory.
An emotional connection is not easily broken, it is this connection that will keep us coming back, again and again.
The coffee roasting company understands this and is using story to their advantage. The challenge now becomes, how do you attach story to your business to get people to have an emotional response to your company?
Why Story Is Important
In a business sense, story can be massive. With story, you can win over more clients or customers that believe in who you are and what you do. Those new customers will be your best customers because they believe in what you are doing.
This is good for all aspects of the business. It makes for higher referral rates and more repeat business.
People love to talk about the awesome experiences they have and experiences are generated by emotion, whether positive or negative. The more positive emotion your business can create through your story, the more happy customers you will have.
The reality is that there is a story behind everything you do. The reason you got out of bed this morning has a story behind it, the reason you work where you work or the reason you started the business, everything has a story.
When you begin to utilise the power of your story and intertwine it into everything you do, it creates and builds an audience who love your brand.
Get Started Already
Think about how you can start bringing story alongside your service or product. If it is something that you struggle with or can’t see how your story can possibly be interesting to your audience then here is what to do.
You need to connect with people who are experts at telling stories. Whether that is us or another company, it doesn’t matter.
Connect with someone who understands how to extract and deliver story in a way that gets results. It will make a big difference in the growth and success of your business in the future.
