There’s a bit of a cancerous thought going around…and it goes something like this:
“My stories aren’t that important or worth sharing.”
Perhaps you’ve had some variation of this thought.
You sit down to write an email, or a marketing campaign, and can’t seem to get the words out.
In the back of your mind, the thought is lurking: “What if this is too trite, too boring, and not worth sharing?”
Like an insidious threat, this thought secretly underlies each of your marketing messages…tempting you to slow down or stop altogether.
Well, I have news for you…
The thought is complete BS. Strike it from your brain!
In working with clients, I’ve found that the stories THEY think are the most banal, trite, and “dumb” are actually what sell the most products…by a landslide.
You might think that little conversation you had this morning with a stranger meant nothing.
You might think that funny incident with your dog yesterday has zero to do with your business.
The opposite is true.
Readers crave these seemingly insignificant tidbits (i.e., the details of your daily life), because it helps them get to know you better.
It makes you more human, more relatable.
For example, I’ll share a seemingly banal bit about my life.
We just got a new puppy. She’s a tiny black bundle of energy who has made the past several weeks an exercise in patience, consistency, and humor.
Puppies sure do find toes scrumptious, don’t they?
We’ve used a variety of tactics to get the puppy to re-think her strategy on biting toes.
This morning I matter-of-factly told her, “My toes are not your snack.”
I varied my voice and repeated this line over and over to her, in different voices…including characters from TV shows. It was quite funny.
You can tell a lot about a person based on how they treat a puppy.
Some get angry.
Some are patient.
You can ignore a puppy…play with it…react to it…discipline it…let it run wild…
Personally, I like to imagine an invisible sign on her back that says: “I’m brand new!” She’s ultimately a new life form that knows literally NOTHING about the world and is excited to engage with every nook and cranny of it.
She’s learning fast…
For me, the puppy’s energy is a reminder to “Treat each day as new, fun, the way a puppy would. Go through life with energy and excitement, and ‘play’ as much as possible, while respecting the boundaries of others.”
As a marketing specialist for organic product businesses, I get to market products that give people more life, more energy, more excitement with which to infuse their lives.
“New…fresh…energizing…life-giving…” these are all common themes in organic.
So it makes perfect sense why I would specialize in this particular industry.
(Now imagine if I HADN’T shared this story from my own life. “It’s dumb, why bother?” my critical voice said.)
Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking, “My stories aren’t worth sharing. They’re boring or stupid…”
They’re not boring!
In reality, your stories are what matters MOST.
They are what make people, and businesses, more interesting…and more delightful to buy from (especially when readers say to themselves, “Yep, I can totally relate to that!”).
Talk soon,
Michelle Lopez
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 