So today, I have Lori Dubois with Marketing Troubadour, and we’re talking alllllllll about storytelling and why that is SO important for your business.
Now when I first met Lori, I just assumed she was talking about story the way Donald Miller talks about story in his Building a Storybrand framework. But this is different! Lori is talking about ACTUAL stories about random things happening throughout the day that create connection, can tie back to your brand, and resonate with your ICA.
Sure, there are a lot of parts to a story that Lori discusses, but don’t worry – there’s multiple downloads where she breaks it all down for us! lol
A download on the 4 Rs of a story, finding the core values of your brand, writing prompts to actually get started storytelling, and discovering YOUR branding pie.
This interview was packed full of information, ideas, and stories. I’d say one of the main takeaways from this talk is the difference between the idea of your BIG story and all of the other smaller stories.
I’m not going to lie. The BIG story took me a minute to understand. But it’s a big part of your brand…pretty much it’s your entire brand and that “True North” that guides all of your other stories. I’d love to hear what your BIG story is when you figure it out! Drop it in the comments below!
One thing you’ll find going through this interview is how much of a storyteller Lori actually is. Every concept she explains is accompanied by a story as an example to support her teaching.
In case you want to jump around, I’ve listed some of the highlights from the interview below the video. That being said, I highly recommend watching the whole thing because there are so many nuggets throughout the entire interview!
Enjoy!
Here’s the breakdown of the interview!
1:00 Introduction
2:30 The common misconception of storytelling (Donald Miller and his idea of creating a story brand) and how it’s different from what Lori is teaching us.
4:30 Lori’s first story about her name origination. Note the connection you can feel just from her story.
8:45 What’s YOUR story and how does that make up your brand?
9:30 Why do people relate to stories better?
11:30 Dolly Christmas LOL (did anyone else watch this??!?!?!)
13:30 How do you find a story when you feel boring or like your story isn’t worth hearing??
14:40 The 4 Rs of storytelling (relevance, resonance, relatability, and remembering)
17:30 How can we create stories and relate it to real life in a non time-sensitive way?
18:30 It’s not always about what you do. It’s about who you are.
20:00 How many stories should we have? Can you give us examples? (Here’s where origin stories, testimonials, and then mission statements come into play!)
23:40 This idea of your big story. Let’s talk about it. (How do the core values play a part? Luckily, Lori has a download on creating your own core values!)
27:20 How do you find your why/big story? (I share my struggles with finding this myself for my business.)
31:40 Lori explains the formula for the BIG story through the branding pie. (ICA, core values, messaging, images, customer experience)
38:30 What do people NORMALLY do for their content? And where do they get stuck?
42:30 How do you tie stories into the core values?
Ok, from here, we talk a bit more about the BIG story with examples, etc.
44:45 Obviously, I needed some time to grasp this concept. Having your big story is like having your true north where your other stories are consistent, connected, and resonate with your ICA. I kept getting hung up on the term story, but the idea of a BIG story is more like your entire brand experience wrapped up in a bow.
53:00 What to do if we don’t have any ideas for little stories?!?
56:30 Can you be bad at storytelling? What if the stories are…forced??
59:20 Let’s discuss some writing prompts…What are some tips for starting to weave stories into some content we begin to put out into the world?
1:01:30 How do photos and words work together to tell a story? We also talk about the different kinds of photos we can take that can provoke story.
Welllllll, there you have it!
Have you decided what YOUR BIG story is?? Drop a comment below!
If you have any ideas for my next live, let me know! I’m always looking for guest experts to pick their brains!
Don’t forget to check out Lori’s site. Follow her on Instagram. Download ALL of the freebies from the interview. And hell, even connect with her on Linkedin!!
Till next time friends!
xoxo,
madison
PS: Are you in the Facebook group yet?! It’s free and where you can see the lives well…live. I’d love for you to join and be a part of the community!
