Build Your Brand with Personal Storytelling

A key way to build your brand with personal storytelling is to "Document your journey." You may have heard the term before, but what does it mean? And why is it so important in your social media strategy today?

The social media landscape is changing fast. It can be easy to feel lost in a saturated market where seems like everyone is creating videos, music, podcasts, photos, articles, and so much more.

So how do you meaningfully stand out from the crowd and build your brand? It’s time to start documenting your journey.

Personal storytelling = "documenting your journey"?

Most businesses, or people with a personal brand, are busy creating content for various social media platforms. This is a key and necessary part of a brand and marketing plan. However, this takes a lot of hard work and often several talented individuals working together as a team. These people have to come together to think hard about these polished pieces of content. They have to answer questions like:

• What’s the story?

• How do you execute the vision?

• Where is the piece of content going to be uploaded?

• What’s the message behind it?

• How does it drive sales?

All of these factors can really slow you down in what is a very fast-paced industry. But what I'm referring to is about documenting, rather than creating. So instead of spending so much time on trying to craft the perfect piece of content, just focus on being yourself and document that. Show your day to day and talk about the things that are important to you.

Suddenly, a large part of your social media content is just you, being you. It’s a lot easier and you’ll be surprised by how effective it is.

Why is personal storytelling so important?

The truth is that people identify with raw, real content. You may have noticed how many social media ads and videos from leading brands are now looking to utilize UGC (user generated content) and shoot in a way that makes them feel more authentic.

This is because people connect far more with this style than they do with polished, high-level quality. There’s still a place for this type of content, but not everything needs to be a perfect work of art. Constantly worrying about all of these fine details will only serve to slow you down when really you need to be uploading more frequently.

Documenting your journey is something that allows you to move faster and produce more freely. It’s all about finding a sweet spot between quality and quantity.

Authenticity is the key

Furthermore, because your content suddenly becomes a lot more authentic, people are going to find it easier to connect with you--whether you're a business or an individual with a personal brand.

When people are able to see what your life is really like, and what it takes to build something behind the scenes, they'll have a lot more empathy. Remember - people aren’t stupid. We tend to focus solely on showcasing the very best highlights of our lives on social media. But this isn’t an accurate reflection of reality. People want to see the ups and downs because we all have them.

Now, I’m not saying you need to go and livestream a 2-hour session of you crying into a 1 litre tub of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream while watching Friends; but, it’s okay to show some vulnerability and show the tougher parts of your job. It’s easier said than done but, it’s time to get comfortable being uncomfortable.

All of this may not make a whole load of sense when you start in the first few weeks and months; but this is a long term game. Over the years, as you document, your story and truth are playing out in real time. When your audience and followers know your origin story and get to see the real you, they feel like they are part of your journey.

When you’ve spent years building real loyalty and connection with people, they’ll really take the time to listen to what it is you have to say and pay attention to what it is you’re doing. Ultimately, that’s really what the end goal of marketing on social media is all about!

How to start

We all have the most powerful media production device the world has ever known sitting right in our pockets (or in the palm of your hand as you read this article).

Your phone can shoot great video, take amazing photos, record audio, upload, download, and write. Whichever medium you want to communicate in, you’ve already got everything you need to get started. 

Social media apps have been tweaking and updating with new features for years, and they’re all heading in one direction. Ultimately, they’re making it easier for us all to stay connected. But they also can be “noisy” with lots of distractions. 

One of the benefits of an app like UNUM is the ability to create a Space for whichever social media platform you want to share and start playing around with ideas. Upload all your raw footage there, play around with it and see how it feels, be comfortable with your own content. then share it when it’s the way you like it.

All you need to do is...start. 

Check out some of our other essential articles to help you with your social media strategy:

How the social media landscape will affect branding in 2021

Behind the post - 6 content creation tips

How to repurpose Instagram Stories across all your social accounts

How to discover your personal brand style

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