The Importance of Sharing the “Why”
Everyone loves a good story, and if you dig deep enough you probably have one to tell! If you think that no one is listening to your story – think again. According to Marketing Sherpa, “online adults aged 18-34 are most likely to follow a brand via social networking (95%).” Why? Because they want to know the story of your brand.
Sharing the Why
Now, this is going to sting a little, but, the harsh truth is that no one is going to care about your business unless you give them a damn good reason to. Do you know what people want to know about your company more than anything else? They want to know why.
Why do you get up every day and dedicate yourself to your business? Why did you start in the first place? What are your struggles, and how do you overcome them? What are your goals, and how are you going to reach them? Perhaps most importantly, what’s in it for your customers? Why should they care?
If you don’t have solid answers to these questions, you better come up with some. If you don’t have any answers to why you do what you do, then you should probably just pack up your stuff and go home. If you aren’t passionate about your business, you better believe that everyone else is going to see right through your facade.
If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, then why should anyone else?
Let’s just assume, for argument’s sake, that do you have an answer to the question, 'Why.' We won’t sugar coat it for you. Even if what you’re doing is the greatest thing since sliced bread, it’s still likely to be an uphill battle to prove your authenticity and to get people genuinely excited about what you’re doing. That’s precisely what you have to do to succeed, and it’s not going to be easy.
If it were easy, everyone would do it.
Tips and Tricks
Here are 9 reasons no one is paying attention to what you’re doing, as well as some tips and tricks to get people pumped about what your business is all about.
1. You Haven’t Shared the “Why”
You can’t expect to simply put out a product, or introduce a service or idea, and have people to instantly flock to it. Just because you built it doesn’t mean that anyone will actually come. If you haven’t shared the “why” of your business, it will be hard for potential customers to feel a need to purchase whatever it is you’re selling.
However, once people start to hear the story behind why you built your organization, they will start to realize that you, and/or your employees, are actual people, with beating hearts, and souls, too. It’s hard to get emotional about a product or service that doesn’t seem to be attached to anything human. By simply showing the human side of your business, you can increase brand recognition and loyalty considerably.
Share your story. Show your customers who you are.
Otherwise, they will tell their own stories, and you may not like their version.
2. Your “Why” Isn’t Good Enough.
Remember when we said that this wouldn’t be easy? Here’s where it gets tricky. So, you shared your “why”. You put it all out there for everyone to see, and…they still don’t care about your business. Why not? Because your “why” isn’t good enough.
Did you tell the whole story? Or, did you leave out the not so pretty parts? Did you just tell the parts that sounded cool, and leave out any of the challenges you had to overcome along the way? It’s easy to tell a story that starts and ends perfectly.
The challenge, however, lies in telling the whole story, including the parts you would rather forget. Those are the parts that help you relate to your customers, they want to know how you failed, and how you got back up. They want to be inspired!
Be transparent. Be authentic. Be real.
People will know if you’re not telling the whole story.
3. You Don’t Talk About Your Employees/Partners/Supporters.
Did you get where you are today all by yourself? Maybe. However, it’s more likely that you had at least a little bit of help getting your idea from a concept to a tangible product or service. If you did have help, or still do, you better be shouting from the rooftops. It’s only fair to give credit where it’s due. Plus, the more people you can involve in the story of your brand, the better.
As we said before, your product or service could be the most amazing and innovative thing anyone has ever seen, but it’s still just a thing. That is until you share the stories of all the people that helped to build and deliver it to the market. Sharing their stories helps to share your overall business story, which helps to make whatever it is you’re selling so much more appealing.
It becomes more than a product or service and instead becomes a way of thinking, a way of living, or even a way of being. The more stories you have to tell, the better. Each story has the potential to expand your brand reach, and/or to strengthen brand loyalty.
So tell the world about your company and the people behind the scenes.
4. You Don’t Understand Your Customers.
Maybe you have told your story, but do you know who you’re telling it to? Do you know who’s viewing your content, and what their interests and passions are? Do you know anything about your audience at all, or are you just sending your message to the masses, with hopes that it will reach the right people?
Something businesses often forget to do is to narrow down their target audiences, at least a little bit. Try to get a better idea of who might benefit from your products/services. Define an age group for that person. Define their possible job titles, income, online habits, etc. By creating a rough persona for your audience, you’ll have a better shot at generating interest in your business, because your messages will be more specifically targeted. To learn more about how to attract an audience, click on this other helpful post: 5 Small Business Marketing Tips for Success.
Tell your story, but first; make sure you understand who’s listening.
5. Your Customers Don’t Understand You.
This issue goes back to your answers to the question, “why?” Maybe you didn’t have any answers, or your answers simply weren’t good enough. Or, maybe they were good enough, but you were telling your story to the wrong audience. Maybe you have an awesomely inspiring story, but somehow the message isn’t getting out as clearly as you need it to.
The key to spreading a powerful message for your brand is to keep it as simple and honest as possible. Tell people the truth – not just what you think they want to hear. Sometimes brands can be confusing because what they are truly passionate about vs. what they think their audience is passionate about, doesn’t always align. You can’t be everything to everyone, so just be who you are, and let your company be what it is.
Tell your own story, not the story you think your customers want.
6. You Haven’t Offered Any (or, enough) Valuable Resources.
What have you given your potential customers thus far? Do you always require something from them first, in exchange for information or services from you? What if you were to give them something completely free, without obligation, first?
According to Hubspot’s 2016 Demand Gen Report, “47% of buyers viewed 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep.” If you haven’t developed any valuable resources for your potential customers, you might want to start. Even a simple instructional video or a step-by-step guide to the services you offer are great pieces of content to start with. Plus, they’re easy and relatively inexpensive to create.
Share your resources on your website, social media networks, and/or through email marketing, and entice your audience to want to return again and again.
Give them a reason to come back for more.
7. You Haven’t Proved Your Trustworthiness.
According to Rare, “86% of consumers say loyalty is primarily driven by likeability and 83% of consumers say trust.” Have you proved to your customers that you are worth doing business with? Do you have a company guarantee, a privacy policy, and/or customer testimonials and reviews to show people the quality of work you’ve done in the past?
You can say anything you want, but without anything to back it up, it can be hard to convince potential customers that they can trust you. There are many ways to do this. Providing educational content is one way to prove your expertise in your industry. Getting reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers and posting them on your website and social media networks is another great way to show your target audience why they should do business with you.
Don’t make your customers take your word for it.
8. You Don’t Engage with Customers.
You can tell your story ‘til the cows come home, but if you’re not paying attention to your customers’ reactions, then you’re wasting your time. Do you ignore comments on your blog posts? Do you share your story on social media, but neglect to interact with your followers? Do you have any followers?
Part of the equation for successfully sharing your story is to start and continue a conversation with your existing and potential customers. In addition to telling them who you are and what you’re all about, you also need to listen to your customers. They want to tell you who they are, and what they’re all about, too. A one-way conversation will only get you so far.
Tell them your story, and then listen to theirs.
9. You Don’t Seem to Care About Your Business.
Obviously you care about your business, otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this to learn ways to improve and grow. However, perception can be a funny thing. If you don’t consistently work to create the brand image you want, then your audience may get the impression that you don’t care about anyone or anything.
By not saying what or who you do care about, you’re leaving others to the assumption that the answer is nothing and no one. Needless to say, this isn’t good. You’ve got to be proactive about spreading your mission, your goals, your passions, and your dreams. You have got to do it consistently, to remind people why you’re here and why they should care.
Show others that you care about your business, and them, too.
Getting people to care about your business is hard. But you already knew that. It is not, however, rocket science. You can do it. And if you need help, SMILE’s team of experts is here to guide you through the process of sharing your why. Contact us today to get started.
