When it comes to your personal brand story and your business brand story, it is important to know the difference between both; however, it is also important to understand what a brand story is.
What is a brand story?
A brand story is the events that started your journey and informs the audience how that narrative still contributes to your mission. By having a compelling brand story, your audience will remember who you are, feel emotionally connected to you and, ultimately, care about your brand.
What is the difference between a Personal Brand Story and a Business Brand Story?
A personal brand story:
A personal brand story is all about you as an individual. Defining yourself and making sure your story and messages are just as clear and impactful as your brand identity. Your personal brand story should focus on your journey, your interests and it should also provoke strong emotions with your audience. The importance of this is being to create a unique, personal and welcoming brand to your target audience.
A business brand story:
A business brand story is all about your business. Why you started? Was there an issue or problem you identified that inspired you to create the product or service you now sell? Again, you should think about your journey and what got you to where you are now, defining and developing your ideal target audience and your products and services will help you to create a clear messaging and communication strategy which allows you to build an emotional connection to ensure you reach them.
Which one do you focus on first?
The first and most crucial thing need to do before you do anything else, is to focus on YOU first.
If you don't fully appreciate and understand how to value and share your story and experiences through your personal brand story you will find it much harder to make those emotional connections with them, and doing this is KEY to your success.
Think about all the experiences you've been though in your life and create a detailed overview (ideally from childhood to where you are now).
How did those experiences make you feel? What skills did you develop and if relevant, how did you overcome them or, what did you learn.
Did they change you? Can you use any of these experiences to create your own unique message and target a specific audience? Think about how you want people to perceive you? What do you want people to associate your personal brand with?
Strong brands are built on what they stand for, which is their core purpose and foundation. These all influence your personal brand story.
Developing Your Business Brand
There are three parts to building your brand business foundation:
Your Mission - Consider the 4 W’s (what?, who?, why?, where?) and how?
Your Vision - How do you see your business developing and innovating in the future?
Your Values - What do you stand for and what does your business mean to you and your customers?
Each serves a specific purpose in supporting you to create a consistent and recognisable brand story in your industry or profession and will inform the way you communicate with your target audience.
If you are struggling to define what your vision, mission or values are, have a look at our post, ‘Do you have the foundations of a great brand?’ to clarify your foundations in more detail in order to help define your brand story.
Your personal and business brand story will always be evolving and developing over time as you and your business changes.
This will undoubtedly have a direct effect on the messaging you put out to your audience who may also change and evolve in their expectations too.
Creating your personal and business brand story can be challenging to do on your own. Need some help? Book a free 45 minute brand strategy session to see how we can help you achieve Brand Clarity.
