How to craft your personal brand story

- The average attention span of an adult today is between seven and 12 seconds, which puts the pressure on us to captivate and hook our audience from the get go. So, how do we do that? Well, think back to the last conference you attended, or the last compelling podcast or webinar you listened to. I bet you remember the stories and experiences that were told, and could barely remember any statistics or numbers that were shared. It turns out our brains are designed to remember the stories not the data, the power of storytelling is infectious. So it's in our best interest to incorporate it in our brand assets and content marketing efforts. Through storytelling, we can better connect and relate to our target audience all while establishing credibility. And here's what you want your story to do. After reading it, your potential customer should have a clear understanding of who you are, what you've overcome, and what your current mission is, and what makes you credible. Now all powerful, personal brand stories have a few key ingredients that help bring a story to life. I call these ingredients, the three Cs. The first C is the character, when creating your personal brand story, this element is easy, as the character is, of course, you. At the beginning of your story, you'll want to introduce who you are, and provide the background details that set the narrative for where you were before your conflict event happened. What were you doing leading up to the single major event that sparked the creation of your current business? The second C is the conflict. To create interest and intrigue, it requires some buildup of suspense. People don't relate to butterflies and rainbows, this is where you'll need to get personal. You need to be vulnerable and share the difficult experience that ultimately was your breakthrough moment. This conflict should be an experience that your target audience can really relate to. It should leave them saying, "I know what that feels like." Or, "That's my struggle now." And the third key component is the conclusion. The most powerful endings clearly state the result of your conflict and reveal that aha moment, the breakthrough, the change in perspective or the revelation that led to your current mission and business venture. This is where you share what you've learned from your struggle, how you solve the problem, and how you are now equipped to help others overcome and achieve positive results too. Now remember, the purpose of your personal brand story isn't to be overly promotional. The goal is to tie your experience back to the pain points of the audience and reveal how you could be the solution. When your audience can relate to and learn from you a real person, you become more memorable and trusted. And your audience will become more interested in getting to know and work with you.