How to tell your story

One of a series of posts from guest contributor Nick Keith – a journalist, writer and publisher

In business as in life, we prefer to buy from people we know and trust. So let your potential customers know something about by including parts of your story in the article.

Make sure that your story is short, and relevant to your business story and expertise. If you can link your personal story to your business you have found quick way into the hearts and minds of both editors and the reader, or potential customer.

Editors (and readers) take as much interest in the person at the sharp end of the business as in any of their products or services. This is especially true in newspapers both local and national – and I have worked in both. While the chance of getting your business story published in national newspapers is remote, it is much easier in your local press or radio.

Your story and your expertise are part of your personal brand.

People are interested in people
Ask yourself what interests you most when you read a business profile in a magazine? Aren’t the characteristics, skill sets and backgrounds of the subjects more engaging than the products and services of their businesses?

For me the value of their story lies in how they meet challenges in business, how they have overcome problems in getting to the top (often lack of academic qualifications at school), and how they use hobbies and pastimes to promote their own brand. The more I know about business leaders and where they have come from, the more likely I am to buy them and their products or services.

Why do you think Sir Richard Branson spends so much time engaging in headline-grabbing non-business activities such as air ballooning? It is because these fancy sideshows grab the headlines and reinforce his image – the Branson personal brand. People are attracted to his story as much to his business acumen.

Become a guru in your field
If your personal story paints you as an expert in your field, so much the better. Your expertise will reflect kindly on your business, and newspapers, journals and magazines in your sector will increasingly turn to you as an expert witness for a quote or, even better, for more articles.

Editorial articles are a great means of soft-selling your products and services. In the eighties I wrote regular sports profiles for the Weekend FT. One profile was about John Syer of SportingBodymind, then one of the leaders in sports psychology. The article was read, and the topic enjoyed, by several businesses which then approached John to apply his psychological expertise in the corporate world.

These are just some of the reasons why you need to personalise a story, when you send an article to your local or trade paper, See also my 6 tips on how to get your story published.

Contact: Nick Keith
nick@keithnews.com
01730 233234

In this present economic climate…

…one might think that the first things to go are advertising, publicity and related activities. Save money? Don’t spend on things that are difficult to quantify..?

I disagree with this – of course, I would say that wouldn’t I? – for good reasons, the most important of which is that when business is bad, and getting worse, that’s exactly when you should be working to raise your profile, attract attention, show that you are alive and kicking.

Instead of cutting back, make the most of the lull when your competitors are tightening their belts several notches. They will certainly be considering whether or not to cut their publicity budget. Just like you. But this is dangerous.

Letting things go quiet sends a message of nervousness, lack of confidence in your product, general cautious planning. There is nothing snappy about this. It throws a pall over your business that echoes that which is over the country at present.

If you are an estate agent, do you stop advertising houses? No. You show that you are still a force to be reckoned with, and you make sure people know you are working hard, and selling houses.

Which you will be, just not as many as you were at the peak of the market. The peak of the market is just as much of an aberration as we hope this decline is going to be. We should carry on as normal, not as extraordinary, I think. Affluence, a property boom or any other boom, is a bonus, not somethng to be expected and taken for granted. This is important and a good basis for strategic planning.

So my advice? Be financially astute, but not penny pinching. Make sure you don’t fade into the background and treat this economic doldrum as an opportunity not a problem.