Times are changing. On this episode of The Hayley Osborne Show, along with my storytelling framework, I talk about the reasons your unique narrative is so important to help you stand out from your competitors, what you need to be doing to make sure you donโt fall into the trap of selling every time you show up in your marketing, and how to start developing a deeper connection with your customers.
I’ve seen firsthand how compelling origin stories and customer success stories can attract loyal fans and even brand ambassadors to your business. I’m so excited to share for the very FIRST TIME (gahhhhhh) about my new course opening on May 28th – Superhero Storytelling. I’ll be teaching you how to uncover the superpower in your business and craft it into a dynamic story that will resonate with your audience.
Take a peek at: superherostorytelling.com to learn more and join the waitlist – I can’t wait to see you power up your storytelling and leverage your small business story for a big impact.
Summary
00:01 Introduction
07:36 Announcement of new Superhero Storytelling course
14:50 Crafting a compelling origin story
17:30 Sharing customer success stories
19:20 Utilizing content marketing strategically
22:30 Embracing social media storytelling
24:20 Integrating storytelling into branding27:10 Reinforcing key points and call-to-action
29:00 Thanking listeners and promoting social profiles
Hayley Osborne
Are you excited at the thought of growing your business? Welcome to the Hayley Osborne show. This is the place where you’ll learn how to get more high quality leads and sales in your business. My goal with this show is to help you grow your business, be inspired, nail your creativity, get the best out of your marketing, and show up as the most fearless superhero version of yourself. I’ll be teaching you the tailored frameworks and tools I use to unlock my client’s superpowers and turn them into quality leads and inquiries. And I want the same for you.
I started my first business at the age of 25, and continue to build three successful businesses along the way. Small business owners are the backbone of the economy. And I’m here to demystify marketing, make it easy for you and help you reach more customers. Let’s do it. Hello, my lovely friends, and welcome to another episode of The Hayley Osborne show. I’m really glad that you are here this week with me, this is a very special week, and I’m gonna share a little secret with you soon, which won’t be a secret anymore, after I share it. But today is episode 107. And I want to talk about my framework for leveraging your small business story for a big impact.
Because this is really important. It’s narrative power, right? So we want you. I want you to have such a big impact with your story because your story is really significant. And it’s important. And so I think that’s the beauty of being able to tell it well and properly. But before we get into it, one of the best things I’ve ever done for growing my business is to get really clear on my story. And my story has changed over the years from where I started my business to where I am now. And I’ve had to morph and change with the times starting out this business with no kids, a different name, and a different style of business to where I am now with kids working under the Hayley Osborne brand, and therefore, my story’s had to change.
So I want to take you behind the scenes in my new course, yes, my new short course superhero storytelling, where you will learn the best frameworks and tools I’ve built and created to develop what my story is today. So you can use them in your business to create your story. Superhero storytelling has been designed by me to help you discover the superpower inside your business and frame it into a dynamic story to tell because that is the best from it. And understanding your unique strengths and how to harness them through your storytelling is the key to growing your business. I’ve worked with so many businesses over the years. And this is the one thing that keeps coming up as being needed. And once it is nailed, honestly, they fly and it’s like just a mic drop moment.
It is really really good. It feels really good to craft your superhero origin story, though, and tell this proudly in different ways, resonating with your audience at different levels depending on where they are in their business and in their journey so they can relate to us. So once you know your story, you need to be able to tell it many many different ways in order to be able to land where your current client is at in their lifecycle in their journey with you whatever that looks like personally for them. And it’s time to develop the setting and environment for your superhero narrative to be aligned everywhere your business shows up. Like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Tik Tok, and most importantly, your website.
Superhero storytelling is the key that is going to show you how you would feel to develop the techniques your business needs for crafting, engaging and relatable superhero and villain characters that resonate with your business and your audience. This lights me up. I’ve been wanting to do this for such a long time. And now it’s coming to life. I cannot believe it. I’m so excited. And you know, the superhero villain stuff. It’s just when you get deep in it is so uncovering and it’ll add yet another thing for you to talk about in your story.
Now I’m not specifically saying that you have superheroes villains inside your business, but more along the lines of being able to confidently describe the pros and cons write the Pro as a superhero and the cons as the villain inside your business without always having to refer back to selling because that’s not what sells across your marketing and specifically your social media. And I’ve found over the many businesses I’ve worked with that are inside your business. It’s important to frame each thing you talk about right the pros and cons of superheroes in the villains in a way that’s relatable to your audience. From where they’re currently at in their journey of potentially purchasing with you, for example, to where they can be when they start working with you.
Moreover, selling and getting comfy storytelling people buy from people and stories, they don’t buy from selling. All of us can relate to and can create amazing stories behind our businesses. And it’s the story. It’s your origin story, discovering your superpower that ultimately works to attract your dream clients. And I found doing this for myself is such an amazing process. And it can work for you too, which is why I’m so passionate about taking you through it, because I see so many people doing it wrong. And it’s so easy to just find those slight tweaks to do it, right.
Storytelling is the currency of humanity. And if I can do it and craft something incredible for my clients, and for myself, I know that you can too. I spent over 15 years mastering the art of storytelling for not only my own brand, but for some of the biggest brands in the world, the time has come now. Finally, for me to show you how in superhero storytelling, all you need to do is go to superhero storytelling.com and join the waitlist to find out more. I want to also say before we do that doors to superhero storytelling, okay, this is a four week course they actually open on the 28th of May.
So if this sounds like something that you need and that you are keen, I would get yourself on the waitlist now for some beautiful bonuses. And check out the price too, because this is the first time that I am launching this and this price will be a one time price. So go over to the website and have a little look at superhero storytelling.com. And you will see. But otherwise, because this is the first time I’ve done this, this is quite a low price, there’s a couple of options for payment plans and just have a little look, see how you feel the price will go up the next time this launches. So it will pay you to get in this round. And yeah, I absolutely cannot wait to deliver this. This has been something that has been so dreamy of mine for a while now.
Ever since I launched the membership, superhero marketing, I just knew that there was an opportunity there for other little things to happen on the side. But you know, being a mom of young humans, you do what you do, and you can’t do everything. And you have to make a choice. And that’s okay. And I’m cool with that. So let’s get on to today’s episode, my framework for leveraging your small business story for a big impact because that’s what we want. Like we’re not here for a cut, we want a massive impact with everything that we touch that we play that we write that, you know, we want it to turn to gold. And so this is where it starts.
So you know the canvas of every brand is woven from stories and storytelling that really encapsulates your small businesses, values, struggles, triumphs, and the landmark moments that define its path to where you got to today. So for small businesses like yourself, who are listening, no doubt, these narratives aren’t just part of your brand. They’re touchstones for customers to understand who you are and why you do what you do. And I say touchstones because they’re like the buttons, right? That you that people click around to find out more about who you are and what you do. Because I’m saying 100%, I’ve said this so many times that you can’t just expect people to buy from you if they don’t know you.
Right, which is your consistency, and then definitely not going to buy from you. That’s first and foremost. The second part is they have to trust you before they buy from you. And so when you combine those two parts, it equals them to sales. However, you need to have those touchstones ready in order for them to be able to know you and like you and trust you to buy from you. All right, so compelling narrative can really make a monumental impact, converting your audience that is simply browsing. Because let’s be honest, all of your socials are a cold audience.
So those people that are simply browsing into loyal customers and even brand ambassadors, I’ve seen it done 100 times. And this is also possible for you to but how can you as a small business owner harness the power of your unique story to create this type of impact that I’m talking about. In this podcast episode, I really wanted to come and talk about how you can explore ways to uncover the narrative in your business by asking those thought provoking questions. And it will help you to weave those questions into a story that resonates with your audience. So your answers become the captions, I guess around what your story looks like, how it feels and how you want to be perceived.
And I want to help you understand my framework for leveraging your small business’s story for a big impact, whether it’s about how your business came to be the milestones that drive you everyday, or customers whose lives are changed for the better because of your work. That’s really important in every every tale, every story you tell really reinforces to Bleuler your brand’s presence in the hearts and minds of your community, right, because that’s what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about real people, how what you do resonates with them, and in their community and in your community.
So there’s a few things I wanted to touch on. The first one is to be able to craft a really compelling origin story. So this goes back to the superhero theme, but your origin story is important. And every superhero has an origin story, guys, and your small business is no different. And every small business has a unique origin story that can really captivate your audience’s attention. So share how your business came to be the challenges you faced and the victories that you’ve celebrated. Because this will all help to morph your origin story and how you got started to be able to story tell, to sales.
That’s how it works. And this narrative, whatever you land on, should be woven into all aspects of your marketing, and all your sales efforts from your website, your about page on your website, to your social posts, and even in your marketing campaigns. A compelling origin story not only humanizes your brand, this is why I love this so much. But it builds a deeper connection with your audience. So that humanization and deep connection, they’re the triggers, right that people want to be involved in, to be able to know you like you, and therefore then trust you to even buy from you. And so when you get that deeper connection with your audience, it’s making them more likely to support your business.
Okay, and that might be small steps to start with, might be liking your posts, making a few comments, sharing it with them, their friends, or it might be just silently observing from afar, but you’re always appearing in their newsfeed. And so what that does through your marketing is when they need you, you are top of mind in their thoughts for the product or service that you provide. And that’s, that’s where the gold nugget lies, right. So you need to have a really compelling origin story to be able to convert those people into trusting you.
And it all comes from, like within it is all it is all the narrative has to be true. And you have to really work on building out that story. The second thing I want to showcase is sharing and showcasing your customer success stories. Okay, this builds narrative power power as well. So when you can leverage the power of storytelling by telling your customer success stories, and sharing their testimonials, these narratives really demonstrate how tangible the physical impact that your products or services can have on real people’s lives.
Because nothing says You’re amazing, like somebody else saying it, you can say it till the cows come home. But when someone else says it, it solidifies you, right? It solidifies what you do in the market. So it’s important to have those customer success stories and share them with your search through your marketing and even on your website, brochures, whatever you do all the platforms, share them because it’s social proof. Okay, and it all really highlights your origin stories. Okay, you are who you say you are, this is important.
And by showcasing how you’ve helped others achieve their goals. You provide your potential audience with relatable situations and scenarios, excuse me, increasing trust and persuading them to choose your business. I’m going to have a quick drink and I’m not going to press pause because this is a real podcast and I’m trying to be real Okay, so thank you. The third thing I wanted to say is utilize your content marketing strategically. Okay, and this by utilizing it strategically, it will help to build your narrative power.
Another really important thing, so all your content should tell a story, whether it’s blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, your social media posts, focus on topics that resonate with your target audience by solving their problems, answering their questions and providing massive amounts of value. But utilize your content marketing very strategically, because through your content marketing, you can position your business as an industry leader and a trusted advisor, which can significantly impact your sales and your revenue and therefore your profit.
Sounds pretty good, right? It does sound like you’re probably saying, Haley, you make it sound so easy. If this was easy, everybody would do it, which is why they don’t because it’s not easy. Same as running a small business guys, it’s not easy. And if it was, everyone would have a business, but they don’t because it’s hard. And so by incorporating things like this into your business that I’m talking about, it is hard. But my goodness, the rewards are incredible. Not just for your self esteem, but also for your business’s bottom line. And, you know, you need to remember that it’s not just about selling your product or service.
So what are those servers? Oh, my goodness, it’s about telling a story. Okay, a story that’s engaging, a story that people are going to remember. And a story that keeps your audience coming back for more, for more, I cannot stress this enough. Okay, your narrative is power, your storytelling is power. That is your superhero quality. Nobody has the same story as you. Like I say, there is no unique message. There are only unique messengers. So your story, your background, who you are, and how you deliver what you do, combined, is individual and unique to you. So you need to be the best storyteller that you possibly can in order to translate your message into sales.
And no one else has your story. So this is where your narrative and you can leverage it into your power. The fourth thing I wanted to say is embracing social media. So there’s such powerful tools for storytelling, all the mediums behind still photos, carousels, videos, use them to share everything, including the behind the scenes, glimpses, day to day ops behind your business, spotlights on people that work inside your business, and the customer experiences of people. So testimonials, what they think of your product or service, that kind of thing. And these narratives will make you approachable, okay, and relatable.
And they’re the things that sell. All right, so engaging with your audience, even through the comments and messages that they leave also helps to build community around your brand. Because you would know if you’re on your social media, it doesn’t matter which social platform you’re on, and people and you see people leaving comments on someone that you care about or value or want to buy something from post, but they don’t write back to the to the person that posted it, you’re like, Oh, well, that’s a bit rude. Or I mean, that’s what I think anyway, because I’m always teaching you to respond to all your messages and all your comments. And it’s like the little things that you do.
One of my most long term clients that have come all the way through my business, just replied to one of my Instagram Stories one day, and we started up a conversation and the rest is history. So this is possible for you because you just don’t know it if you’re not putting yourself out there enough. And you don’t have that narrative power behind you. And you don’t have that superhero storytelling narrative, like up your sleeve to be able to refer back to all the time instead of referring to selling. The fifth thing I wanted to say. Then the last thing I wanted to say is integrate your story where you can enter your branding, and or packaging.
Okay, so if you don’t have a product based business, that’s fine. You can do this through your social media, through your emails, and through any other type of digital marketing, or marketing that you do around your service. You can integrate your story into your physical branding, so I’m about to launch my new website and while I may have already done it, when you listen to this podcast, I hope that I have and you say you will say how the story my narrative is playing out throughout my brand now in a more powerful form in the in the way that superheroes should perform. It’s been a long time in the making, and I’m really excited.
But I want you to know, because it’s something I know to be true and I’ve been working on for a long time, this new website is your brand’s visual identity, right, including your logo, marketing materials, anything should really reflect your business’s story and its values, and should play out every day showcasing what your mission is in your business. And this cohesive branding strategy ensures that every interaction that your customer has with your brand, okay, every touchpoint, where they land, what they say, how they interact, it really reinforces your origin story or your story and your narrative because everything matters.
And you know, it’s the 1% that matters all the time, I say Done is better than perfect every single time, get it out there, and then make it better make it better make it better. But you’re not going to know how to do that unless you get it out there. And that’s why Done is better than perfect. So you need to consider how your story can be told through your design elements in copywriting. And it’s so easy for small business owners these days through things like Canva. But the copywriting is in your storytelling, right? It is in your superhero storytelling. So for instance, if sustainability is something that is a core part of your story, use eco-friendly packaging, and highlight your commitment in your marketing materials, there’s so many ways that you can do this.
And then by aligning your branding with your business story, it can really create a memorable brand experience that can attract and retain clients. And it’s the lifetime value of your client that matters the most, which will ultimately drive the most revenue and the most profit back into your business. Superhero, your superhero no off your superhero origin story is going to be the thing that leverages you towards success with your messaging in the future because of things like AI, and things like that integrating into everybody’s world.
You don’t want to be stuck in a sea, a sea of sameness. So when you can integrate that story and that narrative through your business, you are breaking away from that same AR. It might sound easy, and it’s a great research tool, but it can never be you. So it’s really important that you deliver your message, right? There’s no unique messages, but there are unique messengers. And that is how you get your message across through your superhero story. Okay, so that is the end of the podcast episode, guys.
There were five points that I wanted to make in that and I think I’ve made them pretty clearly. And if you think oh my goodness Haley, like, I really need to get clear on what my narrative is and how I tell my story. My new course on superhero storytelling might just be the thing for you. Head over to superhero storytelling.com. To find out more about that it is a short course. Okay, it is a little complimentary side bit to my membership. But it is a short course. It’s a four week course that is going to teach you exactly how to discover the superpower inside of your business and frame it into a dynamic story to sell and dynamic story to tell who you are and what you do.
Because understanding your unique strengths and how to harness them through storytelling is the key to growing your business. And I’ve gotta go but I will see you next week for another episode of The Hayley Osborne show. Head over to superhero storytelling.com to find out a little bit more about what I’m doing. Alright guys, bye. I hope you’ve enjoyed listening to this episode. If you have hit subscribe so you don’t miss any new episodes released every Tuesday. And while you’re there, leave me a review. I would absolutely love to read it.
Also, don’t forget to tag me at Hayley K. Osborne over on Instagram and share this post with your audience so they can learn to share. If you want more, head over to Hayley osborne.com.au forward slash podcast for today’s show notes and links to catch you next week for another episode of The Hayley Osborne show.
