While reading about ways to connect with your target audience, you’ve probably come across recommendations about storytelling. Remember how fascinated you felt when a parent or babysitter read you a bedtime story as a child? You probably imagined yourself as the main character and wondered how you’d solve the challenges or enjoy the triumphs of the plot.
Storytelling for the benefit of your home-based business works similarly because it engages people and makes your business more relatable. Here are several ways your personal experience could make your audience and potential clients more interested in your at-home business venture.
1. It Could Highlight Your Desire to Make Positive Changes
Did you start a company after noticing something in your community you’d like to improve? Many people have. Maybe you decided to open a gluten-free bakery from home after realizing there weren’t enough readily available products that didn’t aggravate your husband’s allergy. Or, perhaps you launched a childcare business after noticing the facility you took your toddler to last year didn’t provide enough supervision.
By filling people in about the factors that compelled you to go into business for yourself, you can earn admiration from others. Individuals may even confess they noticed the same unmet needs but weren’t willing or able to fill them.
2. It Illustrates Your Passion for Helping Others
Many people start businesses after being members of the workforce for decades and realizing they’ve acquired a wealth of experience that could benefit peers. Part of a home business could include a blog that supplements your income and features information-rich content that leaves no doubt about your expertise. You might also start a virtual consulting company that enables advising people via webcams and smartphones.
By telling a story that discusses abundant knowledge gained over the years, you can naturally encourage people to develop trust. As a result, they should start to confide and realize you genuinely care about using your know-how to help them while growing your business at the same time.
3. It Might Encourage People to Step Outside Their Comfort Zones
Spend a few minutes searching for some of today’s leading speakers, and you’ll probably spot a pattern of exciting but challenging life experiences. They might have orchestrated dangerous but ultimately successful military operations, helped catch criminals or conquered adventurous quests despite having physical disabilities.
There’s a good chance you’ve also pushed yourself to get involved in activities that other people might have never thought of approaching because of fear or uncertainty (such as starting your business!). If you decide to tell stories about your life or work that describe how you beat the odds and made yourself do things that weren’t easy, you could inspire people to follow your lead, plus support your business because they respect your determination.
4. It Could Help People Avoid Making Mistakes
Even the most successful establishments sometimes face troubling circumstances. For example, in 1997, Apple was nearing bankruptcy and got bailed out when Microsoft’s Bill Gates agreed to make a substantial investment in the company.
Throughout your life and career path, you’ve probably had some regrets, but recognized the lessons learned from those mistakes, too. Humility is not always a character trait people associate with company leaders. However, if you’re willing to disclose some of the blunders you’ve made and coach people about how to avoid them, your audience could see that there’s a human side to your venture.
When you admit you’re not perfect, people appreciate the honesty and conclude you’re not so different from them — and don’t place yourself on a pedestal. Then, you’ve laid the foundation that encourages individuals to spend their money by purchasing things associated with your business.
5. It Could Focus on Your Desire to Give Back
A 2015 study of millennials conducted by Cone Communications found 91% of respondents would switch to brands associated with good causes. Even if millennials aren’t the majority of your target market, the same study confirmed the United States’ average of people who prioritize brands that give back over those that don’t is 85%.
Consider how to tell a story about your business that aligns it with something bigger. Maybe you’re interested in supporting leukemia research after your niece recovered from the disease or want to dedicate profits towards fighting climate change because you believe it’s one of the most significant issues facing today’s society.
People will like hearing about how they’re having larger-than-expected impacts on the world by doing business with your home-based company. You could even create a section of your website that emphasizes your chosen charitable cause.
These are just some of the many ways the stories you tell could give your remote business momentum. Adding personality and interesting details makes your accounts even more memorable.
Hundreds of Business Opportunities – Visit the Home Business EXPO
