Authentic Storytelling: Brand Building for Connecting with your Ideal Audience

What does it mean to tell your authentic story? Does it reveal all truths, does it pull at the heart strings? How does one build their brand through connection with their ideal audience? We're answering all of these questions today, and I hope you're buckled up for it!

Authentic storytelling is the weaving process of building your brand. Your story, more often than not, will naturally speak to the audience you're trying to reach because our real life experiences are the spark that leads us into our next decision, our next move. The people you connect with are typically experiencing a similar pivot on THEIR path, a similar decision, or move in their own experience. How do I know this? Because the energy we bring to the table is not an individualistic energy, it is a frequency that others can join in on through similar sharing of emotions and life experience. This is where we begin in building that connection.

So why is this important? The reason I'm speaking on authenticity, storytelling, connecting with your audience and building your brand is because each of these words speak to the same course of action. As a business owner, solopreneur, or creative, we are constantly trying to exude the value of what we provide, and I'm here to tell you that the value does not lie outside of your experience. The one thing that we all carry that differentiates ourselves from one another is in fact our exact life experience and path. And this is why the more we can speak on this, the more it will naturally and simultaneously build our brand in it's authenticity, allow us to communicate and connect with the right people, and ultimately live through our truth, while doing what we love. And that my friends, is the ultimate dream life if you ask me.

So what is the framework for this? Is there even a framework? The answer is no, and I will tell you why- we all have something SO unique to offer, and I'm not going to give you a limiting framework for expressing yourself in the way you are called to do so. BUT I will add in my two cents & my pointers to help you in becoming the authentic storyteller you've dreamed of being.

• Outline the twists & turns that led you here. To this spot right now. If you're not sure of how to identify this, can you think of a time where you thought to yourself "well, damn, I feel like a different person from this experience" OR "this changed how I perceive things". Write these experiences down because believe it or not, EVERYTHING is related to how you got here. Your career, your relationships, your home, your health, all of your experiences within these areas of life are valid in pointing to how you got to where you are today. So consider it all, and identify the major turning points of your journey.

• Now think about those aspects of your life that have stayed the most consistent. Have you always been engaged in some form of health? Did you decide to go to school for architecture because you simply have always held the same amount of interest in it throughout your life? What is this aspect of life for you? For me, I've always had an affinity to nature and specifically the seasons. They have always fascinated me to no end, and this eventually led me to developing my other business Brilliant Pit. There are other elements in my life that I have been interested in since I was young, and these too held a significance later in my life in some way shape or form- whether it was through work choices or what I wanted to study in college. The consistent things, hobbies, energies, and interests that we come back to time and time again in our lives hold at least some form of significance to our hear, and for that reason we should LISTEN. So think deeply on this one, and don't limit yourself to only writing down 'what makes sense'- write down anything that has stayed consistent to you throughout your life.

• Reflect on the origins, the initial inspiration, the point in time where you conceived what is now your business today. Can you recall the exact domino effect of how you came to identify that you wanted to start this business or venture? Does it relate back to your childhood, your beginnings so to speak, in any way? Relate all of the major elements that make your business what it is to the experiences you've had in your life. Can you make the connections clearer to you? Is there anything that stands out that doesn't thoroughly make sense? Still write it all down, because there is a reason you hold certain memories- especially as you're reflecting on how something relates to what you do today.

When you are done with this reflection practice, you should have a page FULL of words, maybe even phrases and memories that don't really seem like they make sense with everything else- THIS IS OKAY! This sheet of paper, my friends, is the key to your authentic story. If you can find a way to build content out of the words and relations written on this page, or simply use it as a guiding light, your content creation process is going to feel SO much more clear to you, authentic to you, and most importantly in alignment with what you do so that you can connect easier to your ideal audience.

If this blog helped you, please give me a like or comment below! AND if you're looking to now tell your authentic story, but need a little help when it comes to organizing the back end systems so that you can streamline your content publishing process every week, we now have a FREE RESOURCE VAULT! In this vault (currently) you'll find everything from social media content calendar template options, a monthly editorial template, and a content cadence & pillar ideation template completely ready for you to use. I plan to add so much more to the vault as I learn what is helping my small business, artisans and creatives the most in their content marketing process- so stay tuned! Subscribe to our monthly newsletter for immediate access to the free resource vault at the link below:

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