As a business owner, you are likely a large part of the public face of your brand. The message you send to customers, employees, vendors, partners, etc., is often well-thought-out, seeking to communicate your business’s values, goals and ideals.
But there’s a lot of information out there, and it can be hard to decide how to deliver it, much less what to focus one. That’s why we asked a panel of Forbes Agency Council members to share their best tips for how business owners can become better storytellers and brand stewards.
Members discuss a few factors to remember when seeking to become a better brand storyteller or steward.
Photos courtesy of the individual members
1. Start With Your Internal Company Culture
Actually care for your employees. As a business owner, when your actions result in building a company culture that promotes trust, empathy and helping others, your people feel encouraged and motivated to share the same set of values with your clients. – Osama Khabab, MotionCue
2. Listen
By listening to customers and employees, business owners can gather the necessary viewpoints to give them an accurate understanding of their brands. This will reveal the differences between how the owners have told their stories and how they are actually received—allowing them to make honest adjustments. – Jack Dietrich, Fount
3. Build A Research Team
Develop a strategy to create a trusted brand, then build messaging to support the brand strategy and build a community of advocates from your customer base. Build a research team that can create insights that fascinate the media. – Neil Stinchcombe, Eskenzi PR
4. Keep Reading
The best way for business owners to become better storytellers and brand stewards is to continually read new books. I’ve found that the more I read, whether business books or fiction novels, I also become a better writer and my creativity sparks with new ideas for my own brand. – Chris Kirksey, Direction Inc.
5. Find Your Stories
Get out and live an interesting, fulfilling life, meet with new clients and brands, and figure out what keeps them alive. That’s how you have the stories to tell. – Oganes Vagramovich, Digital Beverly Marketing Solutions
Read more in Want Better Relationships With Your Clients? Swap Stories Instead Of Stats
6. Speak The Genuine Truth
The most impactful way for a business owner to become a great storyteller is to be genuine. If you are speaking the truth and truly care about the impact your business is making, you will be on the right path for success. – Scott Keever, Scott Keever SEO
7. Build A Thought Leadership Platform Around Your Brand
Pick a subject that is dear to you and relevant to your business. Create thought leadership content around the same subject. Have active social media profiles and engage with the audience regularly. Attend events and conferences, and participate in panel discussions. – Hareesh Tibrewala, Mirum India
8. Simplify, Simplify, Simplify
Share your professional or corporate story from a place that resonates with a layman audience. Don’t use too much tech jargon. Also, do not be timid about sharing your personal journey—your audience and investors alike want to hear about your resilience, and what it took from you to build your brand or communicate the story around it. – Natacha Rousseau, Diplomatiq
